The until then championship leader, the MOTUL AUTECH GT-R, driven by Satoshi Motoyama/Benoit Treluyer started from the fifth place on the grid and in the early laps, seemed like the title was theirs.
Unfortunately for them, one the tires exploded and tore apart the front fender. Despite the repairs, the delay was enough to send Motoyama all the way to the 14th place at the end of the race. The race was won by the ARTA NSX car, driven by Ralph Firman and Takuya Izawa.
"We've never dared to try a no tyre-change strategy in the pit stop before, and it all started to unravel in the latter half. We weren't able to end the year on a high, but I think that as a team we've definitely raised our game this season. Next year we very much want to join the title fight. Please root for us," Masahiko Kondo, Kondo Racing driver said.
"The 2009 SUPER GT is now finished. The #1 GT-R came into this, the final race leading the championship. Regrettably, we leave here third in the season's standings. However, since we exhausted all our power in our attempt, there is no regret. Looking towards next year, you can rest assured we'll be back with as strong a desire as ever. Thank you all for your continued support throughout this season," Kunihiko Kakimoto,
Nissan teams supervisor said.
In the end, Nismo snatched the third spot in the team's ranking, behind Lexus Team Petronas Tom's and Autobacks Racing Team Aguri.
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