The Michelin-shod BMW shared by Seiji Ara and Masataka Yanagida held on against the Bridgestone-equipped Inging Toyota GR86 and Saitama Toyopet Toyota GR Supra, having used a strategy gambit that was previously the preserve of the lighter, so-called 'JAF' cars.
In the previous race at Fuji, both the Inging and Saitama Toyopet squads chose to complete their first of two mandatory refuelling stops in the first two laps, and then essentially split the remainder of the 450km distance in half, although they were both beaten by the Kondo Racing Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 on a more conventional strategy in a race with no caution periods.
