GT5 Transcripts/Nissan PENNZOIL ZEXEL GT-R (JGTC) '01

After making dramatic changes to the Skyline GT-R R34 race car for the 2000 Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC), Nissan made even more refinements to the car, including a five percent reduction in engine height that improved the car's center of gravity. The R34's aerodynamic were also improved via reshaped rear fenders, in line with new regulation allowing upgrades below the wheel center. Although the new car looked more imposing on the outside, it still couldn't match the speed and reliability of its main rivals.
But the Nissan team endured with clever strategy and better preparation and setup of the car. For example, at the fourth race at Fuji Speedway, a track well suited for the GT-R, the car performed admirably in unexpected weather conditions, leaving its rivals, who struggled to get the right setup in its wake. At the first corner of the race, the No. 23 Pennzoil Zexel GT-R, driven by Erik Comas and Masami Kageyama, took the early lead as the No. 22 Xanavi Hiroto GT-R, driven by Michael Krumm and Tetsuya Tanaka, followed closely behind. In the end, Tanaka dodged past Kageyama to take the lead, as the GT-Rs finished 1-2. Based on this win, both GT-Rs became championship contenders until the last race where the Comas-Kageyama team fell a bit short of recapturing the crown.
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