PressClub Global · Article.
BMW Z4 GT3 wins in front of 70,000 fans in the Japanese Super GT Championship.
Sat May 05 09:13:19 CEST 2012 Press Release
The “GSR&Studie with TeamUkyo” team showed on Friday that the BMW Z4 GT3 is more than just a guarantee of success in Europe: in race two of the GT300 class in the Japanese Super GT Championship, Nobuteru Taniguchi (JP) and Tatsuya Kataoka (JP) crossed the finishing line in Fuji (JP) first after 104 laps. Having finished third at the season-opener in Okayama (JP) at the start of April, the Japanese duo has now moved to the top of the overall standings courtesy of its triumph at the “Fuji International Speedway”.
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Author.
Ingo Lehbrink
BMW Group
Munich, 5th May 2012. The “GSR&Studie with TeamUkyo” team showed on Friday that the BMW Z4 GT3 is more than just a guarantee of success in Europe: in race two of the GT300 class in the Japanese Super GT Championship, Nobuteru Taniguchi (JP) and Tatsuya Kataoka (JP) crossed the finishing line in Fuji (JP) first after 104 laps. Having finished third at the season-opener in Okayama (JP) at the start of April, the Japanese duo has now moved to the top of the overall standings courtesy of its triumph at the “Fuji International Speedway”.
In front of 70,000 spectators, Taniguchi and Kataoka kept their cool despite the changing weather conditions, crossing the line 15.761 seconds ahead of the second-placed car after almost three and a half hours of racing.
“Congratulations to the guys in Japan,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt, who received news of the BMW Z4 GT3’s victory while at the DTM race weekend at the Lausitzring (DE). “This success shows just how good the BMW Z4 GT3 is at the moment. And not only in Europe and South America, but also in Asia. On behalf of BMW Motorsport I would like to wish Tim Bergmeister a speedy recovery following his serious accident in this race.”
After sealing the victory at the foot of Mount Fuji, Taniguchi said: “To end the most important race of the year at the very front of the field is obviously fantastic. The team did a great job in very difficult conditions. It was awesome to move up into first place in the final stint.” His team-mate, Kataoka, added: “After third place at the season-opener and this victory, we have made a big step on our way to defend our title. Our BMW Z4 GT3 ran without any problems. We were able to keep the strong opposition behind us over the race distance, thanks to a very good team performance. I’d also like to say a big thank you to BMW Motorsport. The support we received throughout the entire weekend was excellent.”
The BMW Z4 GT3 has celebrated podium finishes and victories on many prominent stages in recent weeks, including the Blancpain Endurance Series, the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring and the national GT championships in Brazil and Great Britain.