Reigning champion Sho Tsuboi topped each days of the check earlier this month within the #36 automobile he shares with Giuliano Alesi, setting a finest general time of 1m18.116s on the second day of operating.
By comparability, the KeePer-branded #37 automobile was down in ninth on the mixed timesheets courtesy of a 1m18.422s set by Miyata on the opening day, round three tenths off the tempo of Tsuboi.
However TOM’S newcomer Miyata insists he is not nervous by the hole between the workforce’s two automobiles at this stage.
“I at all times had GT300 class site visitors and I can’t make a very good assault lap,” Miyata informed Motorsport.com. “I checked the on-boards and knowledge, it appears the #36 had a clearer assault lap and so they gained a while.
“I feel the #36 and #37 have about the identical potential. In fact Tsuboi-san is the reigning champion, and it’s my first time on Bridgestone tyres [so a gap is normal].”
Fenestraz admitted to “messing up” his flying lap in the course of the 10 minutes of operating reserved for GT500 drivers on the finish of Saturday, additional muddying the image, however is assured of the #37 automobile’s race tempo.
“We’re by no means utilizing the identical tyres as them [the #36],” the Franco-Argentine driver informed Motorsport.com. “I do assume we’re there, we’re fairly even.
“Pure efficiency on one lap, I’m nonetheless not capable of put every little thing collectively, and Sho has loads of confidence from final yr and he managed to place all of it collectively. I feel if we will do the identical, we may be aggressive.
“Sho is slightly bit forward, however it doesn’t imply we will’t attain his stage. We’re simply slowly increase and dealing arduous to be at his stage, as a result of Sho is actually quick, he has been flying.”
Miyata relishing Bridgestone tyres
Miyata goes into his third season as a GT500 driver, having raced to date for the Racing Mission Bandoh workforce – the one member of the Toyota GT500 secure that makes use of Yokohama tyres.
Barring a one-off outing with TOM’S again in 2019, when he was substituting for an absent Kazuki Nakajima, this season due to this fact marks Miyata’s first on the championship’s benchmark Bridgestone rubber.
Miyata admitted that he was “shocked” by the efficiency on provide with the Bridgestones, and likewise mentioned he his relishing having the ability to share info with 5 Toyota groups on the identical tyres.
“Yokohama and Bridgestone have an analogous feeling for a brief run, I feel the height grip is about the identical, however the warm-up is so totally different,” famous Miyata on the variations between the 2 tyre makers.
“The principle distinction is the long term, Bridgestone could be very robust and so they at all times get robust outcomes. The tyre has no drawback [even after many laps] and I could make quick laptimes, so I used to be shocked.
“Additionally with 5 Toyotas utilizing Bridgestone, each session we have now details about what the opposite groups are doing, however at Yokohama we couldn’t do this. It’s totally totally different to final season.”
