Team MUGEN becomes the center of attention on August 26, as it competes for championship points with McLaren-Honda Formula One driver Jenson Button joining the fray on Round 6 of the Super GT Series 46th Internation SUZUKA 1000km using the NSX Concept GT powered by Motul. Also known as the “Suzuka 1000km The Final”, the Formula One ace joined the team last June 6 and 7 for tire testing and car familiarization at the Suzuka Circuit. “After driving an NSX CONCEPT-GT at Honda Racing THANKS DAY last December, I became interested in racing in SUPER GT. I spoke with Honda and they have given me a chance to race at the Suzuka 1000km. As a F1 driver and a member of TEAM MUGEN, I will push to win. I am very much looking forward to racing in front of my Japanese fans again,” states Button. The F1 ace is familiar with the Suzuka track since it’s currently the home of the Japan Formula One Grand Prix.
in this weekend’s 1000km race.
Team MUGEN will participate in the SUPER GT SERIES GT500 using the NSX-GT with three drivers, Hideki Mutoh and Daisuke Nakajima as regular drivers alongside Jenson Button. “We are delighted to confirm that Jenson will be driving for TEAM MUGEN in the Suzuka 1000km. He is an extremely talented and experienced driver, and we hope he will have a great race. Hideki Mutoh, Daisuke Nakajima, and Jenson Button is an exciting and formidable driver line-up and we are confident TEAM MUGEN will be able to show our best performance at the final ever Suzuka 1000km,” explains Nagataka Tezuka, Director for Team Mugen.
The NSX-GT is a dedicated race car that’s only loosely related to the Acura NSX supercar currently on sale. It’s almost all carbon fiber and in line with the regulations of its GT500 class, it features a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4, a 6-speed sequential transmission and rear-wheel drive.
The Suzuka 1000km is the longest-running car race in Japan, held annually since 1966. 2017 will be the last time Suzuka will host the race followed by new endurance race starting from 2018.
Motul has been a long and loyal partner in this highly competitive arena through its successful technical partnerships with different teams, beginning with NISMO in 2003 and expanding to others in the years since. By working closely with all the Japanese manufacturers, Motul constantly upgrades and improves the lubricant technology available to its teams and ultimately to its consumers worldwide.