Mugen Honda gets grid penalty for Fuji SUPER GT race

Oyu becomes the first driver in 2022 to reach the threshold for an automatic grid penalty according to SUPER GT's 'moral hazard prevention system' following two incidents the most recent race at Suzuka in May.

Four points were awarded for Oyu's race-ending collision with the #244 Max Racing Toyota GR Supra GT300 car, while another was given for "losing control exiting the pits and entering the pitwork area".

Combined with one point from a prior offence (overtaking under yellow flags during pre-season testing at Okayama), it brings his total up to six.

It means that the #16 Mugen Honda NSX-GT Oyu shares with Ukyo Sasahara will drop four places on the grid, while Oyu himself will be barred from participating in the final hour of practice on Saturday morning.

Oyu and Sasahara have only scored half a point, for 10th place in May's truncated Fuji race, amid a difficult campaign so far with their Dunlop-shod NSX.

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NISMO Nissan driver Tsugio Matsuda will also have to sit out the final hour of the weekend's opening session after picking up five penalty points at Suzuka - one shy of the threshold for a grid penalty.

Matsuda was handed the penalty points on top of a drive-through penalty following his contact with the #88 JLOC Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo at Degner Curve.

 

Giuliano Alesi meanwhile was handed three penalty points for overtaking under yellow flags, an offence for which he also served a drive-through in the Suzuka race, aboard the #36 TOM'S Toyota.

It puts Alesi one point away from the threshold for losing practice time, the least severe punishment on SUPER GT's four-stage system.

The biggest penalty is a one-race ban, awarded for amassing 10 points, followed by an eight-place grid drop combined with missing all of practice for the following race, which comes after eight points.

In the previous race at Suzuka, ARTA Honda GT300 driver Iori Kimura sat out the latter half of practice for reaching four penalty points, following his collisions with the Studie BMW at Okayama and Pacific CarGuy Racing Ferrari at Fuji.