Pirelli Super Taikyu Series 2018, Round 3
Fuji SUPER TEC 24 Hours Race

The Super Taikyu is an endurance race series held in Japan, and features stock-car-based touring cars, including cars that meet the GT3 regulations. Open to both professional and amateur competitors over the 28 years since its first holding in 1991, the race has come to be known as one of the foremost open-format endurance race series in Asia. While the rounds have conventionally consisted of either two 3-hour races, or one 5-hour race, the 2018 series would come to include the exceptionally long "Fuji SUPER TEC 24 Hours Race." A 24-hour endurance race had not been held domestically in 10 years, and in the case of the Fuji International Speedway, this marked the first 24-hour race to be held in 50 years. Of the total of 52 machines entered in the race, vehicle subdivisions were designated among eight classes based on factors including the scope of modifications, displacement and drive format (rear- or front-wheel), and of these, Max Racing (drivers: Go Max, Tetsuya Tanaka, Kimiyo Sato, Takeshi Tsuchiya), competing in the LEXUS RC F GT3, were placed in the highest tier, the "ST-X" class.

At 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, under clear skies, the green lights marked the beginning of the race. Max Racing's LEXUS RC F GT3 started from 3rd position on the grid and repressed their initial excitement in favor of a steady pace in the early going. In an endurance race setting, isolated bursts of speed can hardly be decisive. Instead, a calculated strategy accounting for 24 hours of consistent, fast driving is required. With machine, drivers, and team giving everything in the 24 hours, a sequence of stints which are strung together like in a relay race, is the ideal. Three and then four hours into the race, intermittent accidents between vehicles and machine trouble begin to occur around the track. Some teams were beginning to face difficulties. To this backdrop, the LEXUS RC F GT3, with its durability and outstanding handling performance, continued to make its laps around the course without incidence, maintaining the pace that it had held since the start of the race as dusk began to close in, while the silhouette of Mt. Fuji faded into shadow.

Toward midnight, tension mounted on the circuit compared to the daytime. With the course now under a blanket of darkness, the accumulated fatigue begins showing in the drivers and pit crew, as well as on the vehicles themselves. However, everyone on the team refused to give up. Pit work continued under these trying conditions. In endurance racing, pit stops may have a big influence on race outcome; here, the excellent serviceability of the LEXUS RC F GT3 contributed to smooth pit work. As day broke, troubles began to occur with the teams in the lead, with many forced to drop back in position, and some retiring from the race altogether. Plugging on through all of this was the team and the LEXUS RC F GT3. Finally, 24 hours after the start, the checkered flag saw the LEXUS RC F GT3 on their 759th lap, with Max Racing finishing the race in 4th place (744 laps, 3,394.872 km). Coming in just shy of a podium finish, the LEXUS RC F GT3 managed to complete the 24 hours, as a testament to its outstanding durability.