One usually doesn’t
think of a Lamborghini having to try very hard to embarrass even the most mechanically potent machines, but in the
highly competitive world of Japanese Super GT racing a pair of Murcielagos has gone 11 seasons without a win. This year
the raging bulls have officially dropped from the larger GT500 class to the more appropriate GT300 class and the
relocation seems to have done wonders for the pair’s prospects.The two Murcielago RG-1 racers are fielded by team JLOC (Japanese Lamborghini Owners’ Club) and were driven to victory recently by Marco Apicella/Yasutaka Hinio and Koji Yamanishi/Wada-Q at Suzuka. Actually, only the No. 1 car could be found cruising in victory lane, as the second entry was unfortunately forced to bow out on the final lap due to mechanical gremlins.
In addition to being the first ever win for a Lamborghini in the Japanese Super GT Series, this also marks the first time a Murcielago has won any motorsports event… ever.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gunnar Heinrich @ Mar 22nd 2006 7:39PM
Lambo should win one - after all - they produce some of the most potent cars on the road.
http://www.automobilesdeluxe.blogspot.com
Lee Gibson @ Mar 22nd 2006 7:58PM
You're the best when you win. By definition.
Yay Japanese sports car racing! I wish I could get more of that on US television.
Jimbo @ Mar 22nd 2006 8:13PM
Hmm, the Murcielago is not anywhere close to being 11 years old.
Christian J @ Mar 22nd 2006 8:35PM
Lambos are Ferrari knockoffs. They have nowhere near the credibility, and haven't won jack in internation competition. They were simply built to absorb wanker dollar. And they were bult to take away Ferrari customers.
Chris @ Mar 22nd 2006 9:05PM
The JLOC started with Diablos when JGTC first began in the mid-90's.
Christian J @ Mar 22nd 2006 9:13PM
Oh and by the way, I had a look at the cars in the Super GT. Wow. Sorry to say, but I bet a FR500C Mustang would compete strong and spank alot of these cars. Won the constructors championship 2005 in the US version of this series (Grand American Racing) over 911s, M3s, 350Zs, being one of the only cars with a restrictor plate. Already one podium in 1 round in 2006. Take that domestic haters.
http://www.grandamerican.com/CONTENT/Photos/Gallery/2005/100805virC800-03.jpg
spdracerut @ Mar 22nd 2006 11:43PM
It's interesting that they had to drop down from the GT500 class to the GT300 class. The general definition of the GT500 class is ~500hp cars, GT300 ~300hp.... So the only thing I can think of is the Lambos have some kind of weight penalty to run in the GT300 class.
kid2jz @ Mar 23rd 2006 10:54AM
i wouldnt be worried about the lambo, i'd be worried about the yellow corn mac F1 ! when was the last time that won more than 2 rounds???
Aki @ Mar 23rd 2006 12:37PM
Amazing how in any topic related to Japan, you have some insecure American guy that has to tout the superiority of some American car. Christian J, maybe you need to take some self esteem courses--this has nothing to do with America vs. Japan.
And Grand American cup is nowhere near the level of JGTC, now known as Super GT. For one, the regulations are different. Grand Am cup only permits major modifications in the area of safety, whereas Super GT cars get a lot of tuning. Do your homework, and stay on topic before embarking on irrelevant rants about American superiority.
Cypher09 @ Mar 23rd 2006 1:50PM
Well put Aki.
Christian J @ Mar 23rd 2006 2:03PM
Pft tuning. Pfffft insecurity. Haha. They are all tuned in Grand American, moron. I guess GT is about equal to GT300, and GT500 is equal to Grand Am Rolex Series. I still think the FR500C will own in its class. It stomped on 911s and M3s. Just in case you didn't know, those are the top touring cars. Nobody here gives a crap about SGT, anyway. The cars are irrelevant.
Frankenstein Black @ Mar 23rd 2006 3:34PM
Meh! Lambos are for posers. Its all about Porsche and Ferrari!! Of course there are others to be mentioned for sure, but we are talking about the most consumer recognizable treo here...
Chris @ Mar 23rd 2006 4:45PM
Christian J, the Super GT GT500 cars are about 5 seconds a lap faster than GT1 cars. The Corvette C6R and Maserati MC12 for example. A Grand American car has absolutely no chance, maybe against a GT300 car it would though.
Car-la @ Mar 24th 2006 9:07AM
Comparing a Super GT car to a GrandAm car is like comparing apples to oranges. A Mustang FR500C is a pretty stock car that retails for about $125000. SuperGt cars in contrast are comparable to GT1 cars in that they are highly sophisticated and made of carbonfiber. A SuperGT car costs about $500k to $1mio. So far, except for McLaren, who fielded their LeMans winning F1 and won the championship in 1996 (or 95?), every foreign car manufacturer has failed to make it in the highest GT500 (or now SuperGT) class, since Japanese manufacturers each throw in an estimated $100mio for development each year. Actually, even Porsches and Ferraris (GT3) compete only in the GT300 class.
The current lineup for the 2006 SuperGT series includes makes like Mosler, Maserati (MC1), adn of course the Japanese manufacturers. Christian J, do you really believe a Mustang stands a chance in this competition?
I'm not too familiar with Grand Am racing, but the 911s look pretty stock to me, and not like the GT3 versions that drive in Japan (or ALMS), so I doubt the Mustang would even stand a chance in that class. I could be wrong, though.
morgan marshall @ Apr 2nd 2006 1:36AM
right u are jimbo i dont think the murcy been around for five years
and christian u idiot of course a 500 bhp souped up mustag can beat a 276bhp 350z were u just trying to get sum attention, i think u were
DPC car videos @ Aug 24th 2006 2:17AM
Lamborghini has to seriously get into racing more.