Can Toyota’s ‘must-win’ combo go all the way after Fuji win?

After qualifying for last week’s Golden Week classic, there would have been short odds on a Honda victory, with NSX-GT crews starting first and third. Without a power steering issue for the #8 ARTA car, it might have been three Bridgestone Honda squads starting ahead of the #36 TOM’S Toyota GR Supra, which was sixth-fastest in Miyata’s hands.

TOM’S team director Jun Yamada seemed resigned to the fact Toyota didn’t have the pace at its home venue, with Ukyo Sasahara failing to clear Q1 in the sister #37 GR Supra. A lack of straight line performance compared to Nissan seemed to underline that Toyota was stuck in limbo with neither the downforce levels nor the sheer grunt to compete.

And yet, come race day, the narrative was turned on its head. Tsuboi took the start from sixth, initially holding position, but a superb double overtake on the #8 Honda of Tomoki Nojiri and the ailing Racing Project Bandoh of Yuji Kunimoto at the end of the fourth lap promoted him to fourth and put him in prime position to chase down the leaders.

Tsuboi’s case was also helped by the fact that the pace of the leading Hondas, the Team Kunimitsu and #16 ARTA machines driven respectively by Tadasuke Makino and Nirei Fukuzumi, was not as strong as expected. By the time Tsuboi cleared the Kondo Racing Nissan (a tough nut to crack with its exceptional straight line speed) for third on lap 20, he was still within 2.5 seconds of the lead and looking well-placed to challenge.

Some 10 laps later, Tsuboi arrived on the boot lid of Fukuzumi in the ARTA car and made the move for second at Turn 1 on lap 31. Makino pitted from the lead on that lap, with Tsuboi coming in the following tour and jumping ahead for the start of his second stint.

From there, it was all plain sailing for Tsuboi and Miyata, who took over after the #36 crew’s second stop on lap 63 and took the chequered flag with 28 second in hand at the finish.

Tsuboi said post-race that qualifying sixth wasn’t a concern. “In terms of the car set-up and the tyres, we worked on a strategy that would allow us to win from free practice,” he reflected. “Even though we were a bit behind in qualifying, we weren’t worried.”

 

For Tsuboi, the Fuji win was his first since the 2021 season finale that made he and Yuhi Sekiguchi champions, as he was reduced to the status of bit-part player last year after being paired with GT500 rookie Giuliano Alesi in the #36 car last season.

Yamada was keen to heap praise on Tsuboi for his performance in the opening two stints, saying that his early double overtake was the moment he started to believe a victory might be possible after the disappointment of qualifying.

“He is a brilliant driver, really quick,” said Yamada of Tsuboi. “He doesn’t complain about anything. Last year was a really tough year for him, which is partly our fault… I can’t say too much about that, but I think it was really difficult for him. But this year from the opening round we created a ‘must-win’ team structure [by teaming Tsuboi and Miyata together]."

The new partnership didn't get off to the best start in the opening race of the season at Okayama, where Tsuboi and Miyata were denied at least second place and a shot at victory in the wet when the front-left wheel wasn't tightened up sufficiently at the car's final pitstop.

“What happened at Okayama happened, but for them to make up for that here at our home event at Fuji was fantastic," continued Yamada. "I think after what happened at Okayama, mentally it was tough for them plus the mechanics and the team, but I’m grateful they could overcome that.”

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As well as being keen to make up for the disappointment of Okayama, both Tsuboi and Miyata were coming to Fuji fresh from a strong display in the previous Super Formula race at Suzuka, where Miyata pulled off a pass on the penultimate lap on Tsuboi to take a (safety car-assisted) first win.

“We were 1-2 at Suzuka, but I was second, and in this world, speaking frankly, if you are not first you are losing,” said Tsuboi. “But we had good momentum from the 1-2, and personally there’s no doubt I’m also in a good run of form. That gave me confidence for this race.”

But for Miyata, the events of Okayama were a bigger factor: “In Super Formula, we drive for different teams, and I was the winner, but it was a clean and fair battle. There was happiness and frustration, but we are able to come to this race trusting each other totally.

 

“At Suzuka, we talked about wiping away the frustration of Okayama in this week’s race. I think more than just whether we had momentum, it was the fact our motivation was so high after what happened at Okayama.”

Tsuboi and Miyata’s win puts them third in the drivers’ standings, only five points behind Nissan pair Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda, who finished seventh at Fuji. But it also means they will head to the next race at Suzuka, which usually is not a happy hunting ground for Toyota, with 40kg of success ballast.

“The Supra usually struggles at Suzuka, so if we don’t get the set-up and the tyre choice right, it will probably be a tough race,” acknowledged Tsuboi. “From now on we will be heavy with success weight, so we probably won’t be fighting for more wins. 

“But in order to win the championship, it will be vital to score as many points as possible at Suzuka, so I want to keep this momentum going.”

The good news for Tsuboi and Miyata is that another visit to Fuji follows the Suzuka race, while the proliferation of the 450km race format this year means qualifying is less vital than it has been in previous years, with more strategy options in play and placing more of a premium on long-run pace.

Yamada also thinks that the #36 car’s imperious race pace at Fuji could be a good omen for the title battle: “Tyre matching is really important, and Bridgestone is doing a great job to match the tyres well to the Supra. So if that continues, I think we have a chance of winning the championship. At least, if we tighten the wheelnuts properly!”

Miyata added: “I realise that Suzuka is a bad track for the Supra, but I want to score as many points as possible. Without getting hung up on the fact it’s a bad track for us, I want to be in the fight with our usual preparations and race pace.”