Round 6 of the 2023 SUPER GT, held at Sportsland SUGO on September 16th and 17th, saw a rollercoaster of emotions, ultimately leading to a shocking conclusion. Over 700 employees and their families came to support the event.
In the qualifying round, Tsukakoshi took on Q1 and did well in each section, finishing Q1 in 3rd. Advancing to Q2, Matsushita had an outstanding performance, setting a new course record. But No.8 (ARTA MUGEN NSX-GT) and No.23 (MOTUL AUTECH Z) bested him, and the team took the checkered flag in 3rd place.
In the final race, Matsushita struggled to overtake the GT300 class machines, but he kept his 3rd position and made a pit stop on lap 34. The team mechanics performed a perfect pit stop and returned the machine to the course in a position ahead of the preceding No. 8 and No. 23 to take the top position. Gradually widening the gap to No.8, a huge crash occurred on the home straight on lap 39, bringing the race to a halt with a red-flag. The race then resumed and Tsukakoshi got stuck behind lapped cars and others. He was unable to widen the gap with those behind him, and in the process allowed No.8 to overtake. However, he did not give up and gradually closed the gap with No.8, finally overtaking it on lap 76 to take the top position again. He continued to widen the gap behind and took the checkered flag at the top position.
The team took its first win of the season and seemed to be moving up to second place in the series ranking, but after the race, the machine was disqualified after post-race inspections.