The final race of this fiscal year, Yokomo Grand Prix Round-34, was held at Yatabe Arena. A total of 98 participants took part in the event, which featured a special guest appearance by former Chunichi Dragons pitcher Masahiro Yamamoto, making for a spectacular occasion.
Mr. Yamamoto is steadily preparing for the "Yamayama Cup" to be held at the RC Tengoku Nagoya store next January, and we are delighted by his dedication to revitalizing the modeling industry. In this tournament, Mr. Yamamoto participated in the Touring class and the YD-2TC class.
As for the race itself, we held it on the same course layout but in reverse, which allowed for a high-grip and stable track surface; however, it was evident that the drivers struggled with the tight corners and the hairpin turn immediately following the straight.
The YD-2 classes, which use the YD-2 Drift Kit chassis—a 2WD touring car category newly proposed by Yokomo—attracted 19 participants and seem set for continued growth. We hope that other circuits across the country will also hold races in this category.
Regulations:
The "1st Yokomo 2WD Touring Car All-Japan Championship" and the "7th Yokomo GT All-Japan Championship" will be held concurrently on Sunday, November 5th. We invite you to take up the challenge of becoming the best in Japan. Online registration is now open.
Online Entry: http://entry.mtabe.com/YGT/
The next Yokomo Grand Prix is scheduled to be held starting in February 2018.
Concours d'Elegance
■ Super Scale SS48 Class Final Results
Held on the short course, the driver ☆-kun, who set the top time in the qualifiers, secured pole position.
Although ☆-kun had a slow start on the first lap of the final, he quickly reclaimed the lead. By the 3-minute mark, he had established a one-second gap over second-place driver Akky, entering cruise control to cross the finish line in first place.
1st: ☆-kun 14L 4:16.194
2nd: Akky 14L 4:22.568
3rd: tomo 13L 4:21.188
(TQ: ☆-kun)
■ YD-2TC Scale Class Final Results
This class, where YD-2TCs compete fitted with drift bodies, was also held on the short course.
The final featured 11 cars on track simultaneously. Top-starter mogyy and second-starter Machine engaged in an intense tail-to-nose battle, followed closely by third-place Ishiguro and fourth-place kuro. As mogyy extended his lead slightly, Machine and kuro fought fiercely for second place until kuro made a mistake and fell back. In the meantime, mogyy entered a solo rhythm and finished in first.
1st: mogyy 17L 4:13.208
2nd: kuro 16L 4:03.869
3rd: Hiroshi Ishiguro 16L 4:04.412
(TQ: mogyy)
■ YD-2TC Class Final Results
In this class, which used the YD-2TC chassis with touring car bodies in a one-make format, driver Takejiro took the lead and entered a solo rhythm. Meanwhile, a fierce battle for second place unfolded between Rosugiwaku, Kazu Racing, and Masahiro Yamamoto, with Rosugiwaku pulling slightly ahead. On the final lap, Mr. Yamamoto caught up to Kazu Racing just as the finish signal sounded.
1st: Takejiro 12L 4:11.781
2nd: Rosugiwaku 12L 4:15.449
3rd: Kazu Racing 11L 4:18.072
(TQ: Takejiro)
■ GT Stock Class Final Results
In the 8-minute final, the top-starter Katsu-Radi No.1 was pushed out by trailing cars immediately after the start, falling back to 4th. Afterward, Caro took the lead with Taku Yamashita in pursuit. Katsu-Radi No.1, having lagged behind, was the only driver to post a 20-second lap time, charging fiercely to climb back to the top. The top three became a tightly packed group, but the on-form Katsu-Radi No.1 finished in first place. The battle for second place went down to the final lap, with Caro winning by a 0.3-second margin, leaving Taku Yamashita in third.
The top 8 drivers in the annual overall ranking and the top 20 finishers in this round earn the right to participate in the Yokomo GT All-Japan Championship.
1st: Katsu-Radi No.1 22L 8:10.419
2nd: Caro-san 22L 8:15.845
3rd: Taku Yamashita 22L 8:16.214
4th: 393
5th: ken1
6th: Daiji~
7th: Makotchan
8th: Jan Hiroshi
9th: kuro
10th: Makoto Tabe
11th: Haruto
12th: Kazu Racing
13th: mogyy
14th: Louis Takaminton
15th: Ushinosuke
16th: Akky
17th: Autoliv
18th: Shigeaki Takakura
19th: Kumagai
20th: Shu Yamashita
21st: KiyoP~♪
22nd: J☆P~!!
23rd: tuti
24th: hyde
25th: ORIDOSS
26th: Yoshiko-chan Vettel
(TQ: Katsu-Radi No.1)
■ GT Open Class Final Results
The final for this class was also held over 8 minutes.
Immediately after the start, Takejiro, Ueda, and tamotsu began in their qualifying order, but a collision involving a spun-out car caused a major shuffle in the rankings among the leaders, excluding Takejiro. Subsequently, sixth-starter Nimnim, who had moved into second place with aggressive driving, challenged Takejiro for the lead. Meanwhile, Su-san closed in with the momentum to join the battle for the top spot. The two lead cars were tail-to-nose, neither willing to yield. At the 7-minute mark, Takejiro suffered a disastrous spin, allowing Nimnim to take the lead and cross the finish line.
The top 8 drivers in the annual overall ranking and the top 20 finishers in this round earn the right to participate in the Yokomo GT All-Japan Championship.
1st: Nimnim 25L 8:11.490
2nd: Takejiro 25L 8:13.100
3rd: Su-san 24L 8:00.007
4th: Caro-san
5th: Katsu-Radi No.1
6th: Guruguru
7th: tamotsu
8th: Haruyasu Ueda
9th: Hiroshi Yamaguchi
10th: Taku Yamashita
11th: Yu~1
12th: Shu Yamashita
13th: Akky-nya
14th: Makotchan
15th: KiyoP~♪
(TQ: Takejiro)
■ Touring Class Final Results
The race started with Snake Takuma in the top spot and Masahiro Yamamoto in second. Snake Takuma entered a solo rhythm immediately after the start. A heated battle for second place ensued between Yamamoto and Rokugiwaku, joined by White Rose Prince. Ultimately, Snake Takuma held his lead to finish first, while Rosugiwaku finished in second.
1st: Snake Takuma 14L 4:03.755
2nd: Rosugiwaku 13L 4:00.323
3rd: White Rose Prince 13L 4:00.765
(TQ: Snake Takuma)
■ Formula Sports Class Final Results
Immediately after the start, second-place starter Kamekichi suffered a frustrating retirement. Afterward, a fair and intense battle unfolded between Matsumura and Kojima, with Matsumura winning the duel to finish second. The first-place finisher was Mendy, who started from pole position.
1st: Mendy 12L 4:11.943
2nd: Ryota Matsumura 11L 4:02.800
3rd: Yoichi Kojima 11L 4:03.159
(TQ: Mendy)
■ 12th Stock Class Final Results
Top-starter Ueda had a slow start, allowing second-place starter tamotsu to lead the race. Applause erupted for third-place starter Yokoo, who drove with commendable fair play after crashing with another car. While tamotsu and Yokoo were passing backmarkers, Ueda moved up to the top spot and finished the race there.
1st: Haruyasu Ueda 28L 8:02.092
2nd: tamotsu 28L 8:12.527
3rd: Katsumi Yokoo 27L 8:19.062
(TQ: Haruyasu Ueda)
