SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2016 SPORTS Twin triumph for Lexus RC F in Round 7 of 2016 Autobacs Super GT series BANGKOK: The WedsSportADVAN Corporation, “It has been a memorable the field rapidly, repeatedly clocking The three lead positions of car No. 19, Lexus RC F driven by Yuhi Sekiguchi seventh round of the championship for quick lap timings and extending his car No. 15 and car No. 6 respectively and Yuji Kunimo emerged victorious in Lexus RC F teams, with the twin podi- lead to nearly four seconds within four remained unchanged until the end of the GT500 race class after leading from um finish once again demonstrating laps. The teams began to make their pit the race. start to finish in the seventh round of the extraordinary performance and stops around lap 28. With preparations The triumph at the state-of-the-art the 2016 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series, reliability of our vehicles. Both the underway for the No. 19 Lexus RC F to Chang International Circuit marked the which took place recently at the Chang Lexus winning teams performed splen- come in for a pit stop in a couple of long-awaited first win in the GT500 International Circuit in Thailand. Lexus didly throughout the race, and for laps, the left rear tire of car burst when class for WedsSportADVAN driver Yuhi RC F earned a second podium finish in WedsSportADVAN Lexus RC F to have completing lap 32 however Sekiguchi Sekiguchi. For co-driver Yuji Kunimoto, the much-anticipated race of the sea- finished at the top of the pack without was able to control his Lexus RC F and too, it was his first win since the final son with the Wako’s 4CR Lexus RC F once dropping their lead is a remark- get it into the pit without any serious round of the 2013 season and the sec- team comprising Kazuya Oshima and able feat given the strong field.” damage to the car and the team was ond of his GT500 career. Andrea Caldarelli securing third place. “This triumph adds to our proven able to change the tires and get the car With two podium finishes in the Starting the race from pole position, record in motorsports and we empha- back in the race still in the lead with seventh round, Lexus RC F claimed four WedsSportADVAN Lexus RC F put on a size on using the experience gained on Yuji Kunimoto in the driver’s seat. out of the top five positions in the stupendous performance under bright the race track to build ‘ever-better cars’. Although the second-place competitor overall series rankings. The No. 6 and clear weather conditions to hold We deeply appreciate the support we car No.15was closing in fast, Kunimoto WAKO’S 4CR Lexus RC F moved into its lead all the way to the finish line, have received from fans, and we look made sure a sufficient margin was second positionwith 46 points fol- running virtually unchallenged to pro- forward to enjoying their continued maintained to lead his team to a com- lowed by the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO vide the team withits first victory in the backing through the rest of the sea- fortable victory. Lexus RC F, No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO GT500 class. For the Lexus RC F it was son,” Yoshitsugu added. Meanwhile, the competitor car No. SARD Lexus RC F and winners of the the second win of the season and sec- The keenly-anticipated race got off 12 that had been running in 2nd place seventh round, the No. 19 WedsSport ond in a row following its victory in the to an exhilarating start as the pole- was called in for a drive-through penal- ADVAN Lexus RC F. last round at the Suzuka Circuit in starting No. 19 Lexus RC F, with Yuhi ty on the 49th lap for violating pit-work Proceedings now move to the Japan. According to Takayuki Sekiguchiin the driver’s seat, led the rules during its pit stop, allowing the Motegi Gt Grand Final, Round 8 of the Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, pack into the first corner. The speed of competitor car No. 15 to reclaim 2nd 2016 Autobacs Super GT series which Middle East and North Africa the No. 19 Lexus RC F was evident as position, while the No. 6 WAKO’S 4CR will be held from Nov 11-13, 2016 at Representative Office, Toyota Motor Sekiguchi pulled away from the rest of Lexus RC F moved into 3rd position. Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. Medvedeva, Fernandez lead at ISU Grand Prix Shiffrin wins World PARIS: World champions Evgenia and Guillaume Cizeron topping the short Medvedeva and Javier Fernandez moved dance in the fourth of the six-round Grand closer to a spot in next month’s ISU Grand Prix series. Medals will be decided with all Cup slalom opener Prix of figure skating final as they led the four free skates on Saturday. Despite women’s and men’s competitions at the ISU Savchenko’s zipper of her dress popping the Grand Prix de France on Friday. in-synch Germans skated on impressing LEVI: Even with less pre-season slalom training Medvedeva landed all of her jumps with perfect throws, lifts, spirals and step than usual, American skier Mikaela Shiffrin keeps cleanly as she bettered her previous short sequences. They scored 77.55, placing dominating her favorite discipline. The Olympic programme best of 76.24 set on her way to ahead of two Russian pairs-Evgenia Tarasova and world champion shifted her focus in prac- victory at Skate Canada last month. and Vladimir Morozov (76.24) and Natalia tice to super-G and even downhill, but her reign The 16-year-old Russian achieved 78.52 Zabijako and Alexander Enbert (71.36). “I in the slalom discipline has remained unaffect- points-the second best score ever — for her was surprised when the zipper broke but it ed. Shiffrin held on to a comfortable opening- performance to “River Flows in You” and didn’t effect us too much,” said Savchenko. run lead to win the first women’s World Cup “Winter” to lead Canada’s Gabrielle Daleman Two-time world ice dancing champions slalom of the season yesterday. (72.70) and Russia’s Maria Sotskova (68.71). “I Papadakis and Cizeron got their season into She finished in a two-run combined time of 1 am pleased with today’s performance, but full swing earlier Friday. The French duo minute, 52.71 seconds, 0.67 ahead of this is still not the limit,” warned Medvedeva, improved their previous short programme Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener. Slovakia’s Petra the reigning Grand Prix final champion. best by two points, scoring 78.26 to lead Vlhova came 0.75 back in third. Japan’s three-time world champion Mao Russia’s Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Zhiganshin “Now I almost feel like I wish there was more Asada slumped to eighth in the 12-woman by over ten points. Their score was second time before the next races so I could train more field with American Gracie Gold also slipping only to the 78.89 achieved by Americans and improve more,” Shiffrin said about increas- to tenth after struggling in their routines. Meryl Davis and Charlie White’s 78.89 on the ing the number of speed events on her sched- Asada, 26, a former two-time Paris win- way to gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. ule. The rest of Saturday’s field trailed Shiffrin by ner, finished sixth in the season-opening Competing in their first Grand Prix of the at least a second, while Sweden’s Frida Skate America with her hopes of reaching season, the 21-year-old dancers performed Hansdotter, who was runner-up after the open- the elite Grand Prix final in Marseille from their new programme to Blues and Swing ing leg, failed to finish her second run. December 8-11 slim. rhythms in front of their home crowd in the “I am never confident, really,” said Shiffrin, Two-time men’s world champion Paris-Bercy Arena. “We’re delighted to start who has won all nine slaloms that she has com- Fernandez, fresh from his third Cup of Russia the season with a score like this,” said peted in since February 2015. However, gold, survived a fall on his opening quadru- Cizeron. “There are still things to improve as Hansdotter took the slalom title last season as ple to score 96.57, the Spaniard comfortably the season progresses which will be inter- Shiffrin missed five races because of a knee leading American Nathan Chen (92.85) and esting too” The pair will bid for third straight injury. Shiffrin’s ninth consecutive win left her Kazak Denis Ten (89.21). Germany’s Aliona European and world title next year before one short of Janica Kostelic’s record. The Savchenko and Bruno Massot lead the pairs their bid for gold at the Winter Olympics in Croatian great won 10 straight slaloms that she with French ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis Pyeongchang in 2018. —AFP competed in between December 1999 and February 2001. LEVI: First placed Mikaela Shiffrin poses with man dressed as Santa Claus on the podium of an Still, Shiffrin wouldn’t take anything for grant- alpine skiing women’s World Cup slalom, in Levi, Finland, yesterday. —AP ed, referring to the strength of her challengers. “Frida went out, and Wendy skied really strong but she had a huge mistake the first run,” the American said. “Without that mistake she would have been even faster, and Petra was really good as well.” The victory in northern Finland earned Lindsey breaks Shiffrin an usual prize - a reindeer.