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Carlo van Dam looking forward to season’s start

Carlo van Dam press release

#18 Weider Honda Racing Honda HSV-010 GT: Takashi Kogure, Carlo Van Dam

#18 Weider Honda Racing Honda HSV-010 GT: Takashi Kogure, Carlo Van Dam

Eric Gilbert

Super GT 2012 Series kicks off with Okayama GT300km

#18 Weider Honda Racing Honda HSV-010 GT: Takashi Kogure, Carlo Van Dam
#18 Weider Honda Racing Honda HSV-010 GT: Takashi Kogure, Carlo Van Dam

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

Okayama - This Sunday the Super GT 2012 Series gets underway. What is the biggest and most important racing series of Japan, starts this year with a 300 KM-race at the circuit of Okayama where Dutch driver Carlo van Dam will make his debut for Weider Honda Racing, the works team run by Dome that fields a Honda HSV-010 in the GT500- class for the fastest cars in the championship.

“I am obviously very happy that the Super GT-season is starting this weekend”, says Carlo, who shares his Honda HSV-010 with Japan’s Takashi Kogure. “Throughout the winter we have tested at the circuits of Okayama, Fuji and Suzuka, where we mainly focussed on further developing our car and our Bridgestone-tyres. During these tests I was able to work quite a lot with the car and the team, getting to know them both in the process.”

The Super GT-championship will this year again be marked by the now traditional fight for glory between the GT500-teams entered by Honda, Nissan and Lexus, and Carlo is looking forward to it: “We race to win, everbody is very much devoted to that; Honda, Dome, Bridgestone, all that are involved. Nissan and Lexus are also eager naturally, so it is going to be fantastically competitive.”

“Personally, I am of course motivated to the max. For me, all this is new, the car and the team, but I am learning a lot and we know what we are aiming for. I know all the circuits, especially from when I won the Japanese Formula 3 championship. Also, with Takashi, I have an experienced and fast team mate and I am enjoying the fact that the Dome-team is performing at the highest possible level engineering wise.”

The Super GT 2012 Series comprises 8 races and 40 entries, 15 of which for the GT500- class. There are two qualifying procedures, varying per race: a Formula 1-ish knockout program of 3 sessions (devided over both drivers) or a 20 minute session after which the 10 fastest drivers must do one so called Super Lap.

The opening round at Okayama is a 300 KM-race and Carlo is happy the Super GT 2012 Series get underway: “Okayama is a high downforce-track. I like the circuit and it seems to suit our car as well. In any case, I am happy the championship is about to get started!”

This Saturday the practice and qualifying sessions will be held at Okayama, the 300 KMrace is this Sunday.

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