On Sunday, August 14, we held the Yokomo Grand Prix Round-29 at Yatabe Arena across a total of six classes. Once again, we had a lively event with over 100 entries. We were grateful to have legendary former professional baseball player Masa Yamamoto join us as a special guest. This was Mr. Yamamoto’s first participation in an official RC race in seven and a half years, the last being a commemorative race held in Nagoya in 2009 to celebrate his 200th career win. Unfortunately, due to the memorial service for the father of his close friend, horse racing legend Yutaka Take, which fell on the same day, Mr. Yamamoto was unable to compete in the final races. However, he did participate in the qualifying rounds for the Touring and GT Open classes, where he showed off his natural talent for driving. Mr. Yamamoto seemed to enjoy himself throughout the day, remarking, "RC cars are fun! I'll be back."
Concours d'Elegance
■ Super Scale SS48 Class Final Results
In this class, which was held on a short course, mogyy took the lead and finished first, edging out top-starter Yu~1 and second-place starter Takejirou. Yu~1 was the only driver to break into the 16-second range, setting the fastest lap of the final.
1st: mogyy / 13L 4:01.490 (17.415)
2nd: Yu~1 / 13L 4:02.573 (16.714)
3rd: Takejirou / 13L 4:03.020 (17.144)
(TQ: Yu~1)
■ GT Stock Class Final Results
Qualifier leader KURO ran consistently from the start, finishing first with a six-second lead over second place. KURO also set the fastest lap of the final, securing a complete victory.
1st: KURO / 25L 8:04.095 (18.339)
2nd: YAM 3 / 25L 8:10.721 (18.772)
3rd: Guruguru / 25L 8:15.269 (18.837)
(TQ: KURO)
■ GT Open Class Final Results
In the final, top-starter Masami Hirosaka pulled ahead, but second-place starter Yanagisawa chased him down fiercely. The two cars circled with nearly identical times, entering a breakaway. The battle lasted for the entire eight minutes, with Hirosaka finishing first by a 0.4-second margin. Yanagisawa finished second and Mook finished third. Since Hirosaka was ineligible for prizes, Yanagisawa was declared the winner.
1st: Toshi-nobu Yanagisawa / 30L 8:13.737 (15.804)
2nd: Mook / 29L 8:06.348 (16.112)
3rd: Sue-san / 29L 8:08.438 (16.201)
(TQ: Masami Hirosaka)
■ Formula Sports Class Final Results
Immediately after the start, second-place starter Rosagiwaku fell back due to a high-side, and tamotsu and Katsuraji No. 1 engaged in an intense battle for second place, tail-to-nose. However, Katsuraji No. 1 fell back after a crash. In the meantime, Kame-kichi entered a breakaway and finished first.
1st: Kame-kichi / 28L 8:12.186 (16.626)
2nd: Ken1 / 27L 8:10.606 (17.080)
3rd: Mendy / 26L 8:01.800 (17.221)
(TQ: Kame-kichi)
■ Touring Class Final Results
In the final, top-starter Kato and second-place starter Hirosaka engaged in a fierce battle that excited the crowd. When Hirosaka took the lead, Kato would retake it, then Hirosaka would move to the front again before flipping and falling back. Kato finished first in a solo run, with Hirosaka taking second and Mosa Yamamoko taking third. Since the top two were ineligible for prizes, Mosa Yamamoko was declared the winner.
1st: Mosa Yamamoko / 16L 4:06.252 (14.246)
2nd: Mook / 16L 4:06.759 (14.469)
3rd: Tomohiro Kato / 15L 4:01.496 (14.1869)
(TQ: Takashi Kato)
■ 12th Stock Class Final Results
Right after the start of the final, while the drivers were lapping in order of their numbers, Goro Baba made an exquisite pass to overtake top-starter Kazu-kun for the lead. Sue-san joined the top two, creating a tight battle among the three cars, but Sue-san fell out of the contention after a solo error. tamotsu moved up to third. The battle between Goro Baba and Kazu-kun continued until after the 5-minute mark, when Goro Baba had a disastrous crash. Meanwhile, Kazu-kun pulled ahead to take the finish.
1st: Kazu-kun / 34L 8:01.803 (13.635)
2nd: Goro Baba / 34L 8:08.578 (13.558)
3rd: tamotsu / 34L 8:11.690 (13.437)
(TQ: Kazu-kun)
The next Yokomo Grand Prix, Round 30, will be held at Yatabe Arena on Sunday, October 9, marking the final Grand Prix of the year. It will also serve as the final Yatabe Arena qualifier for the GT All-Japan Championship, so we look forward to a large turnout.
