Just before the start of the race the 2nd-place grid sitter REAL NSX caught fire in an incident that immediately enveloped the race in an ominous atmosphere. Starting as the third-place qualifier, Firman in the ARTA NSX began chasing the pole-sitting ZENT CERUMO SC430 driven by Toranosuke Takagi. A gap gradually began to open between the leading ZENT and the chasing ARTA until the ZENT got caught up in the spin-out of a back-lapper on the 30th lap and crashed out of the race. This left the ARTA NSX in the lead, and after the change drivers, Ito kept the competition well behind him as he ran on unchallenged to the checkered. 　

This win gave the Ito/Firman pair the season Drivers Title in the GT500 class with one race remaining in the series. This was the first GT500 title for Ito and Firman and the second for the NSX since the 2000 title.

　

In the GT300 class, yesterday's 2nd-place qualifiers, the No.62 WILLCOM ADVAN VEMAC408R team took the lead after a well-timed pit stop at mid-race and went on to their first win of the season.

(Spectators: 24,600)

| Winner Comments ============================

No.8 ARTA NSX [GT500]
Daisuke Ito: "To tell you the truth, I still can't believe that we have won the series title. The ZENT went out into the lead in the first half but I believed that we could come back and catch them in the second half of the race. It is too bad that they crashed, but that is part of racing. After I took the wheel, I kept in mind to keep pushing the pace, but the last ten laps felt very long. At the goal they told me over the radio that we had clinched the title but it was so hectic out there that I couldn't hear what they were saying. After getting out of the car back in the pit, I even asked the TV interviewer if it was really true that we had the title. In the opening round of the season we had to drop out of the race [while leading] in the last lap, but we and Honda and the entire team overcame those early misfortunes. I am full of the feeling now that we all came through this together to win."

Ralph Firman: "At the start I was thinking about not letting myself get pulled into any dangerous situation. The ZENT got a 5 or 6 second lead on us but I thought it was something that we could earn back. The ZENT was out in front where I could see it when it crashed and there was no way that Takagi could have avoided the car that spun out. I was able to avoid it because I was running a different line at the time. I believe that we have been able to win this title because we kept running consistently fast throughout the season. I want to thank Ito, who ran so fast this season, and the team and Honda for putting together such a good machine."

No.62 WILLCOM ADVAN VEMAC408R [GT300]
Shinsuke Shibahara: "It is our first win in quite a while, so I'm very happy. I want to thank the team. The team brought in a new machine from round five and we had less mechanical trouble after that. They also took measures to help us drivers avoid mistakes and that got us going faster and faster. It will be difficult in the last round at Fuji with the added weight handicap we will have, but it has been a good course for VEMAC, so I want to try my best to help us win the title. The GT500 title is already decided but the there are still four machines in contention for the GT300 title. I want to give the fans an exciting race that they will really appreciate."

Haruki Kurosawa: "We were in a position where we would be out of the title race if we didn't win here today, so we had to go all out. I believe that I was brought to this team to make it a winning team, so I am happy that I could contribute to this good result today. I am grateful to WILLCOM and to everyone on the team. The top ranking team now is not one that has done well at Fuji in the past, but we are. That will be an advantage for us. I want to pay back my dept for being called to this team by helping to win the title in the final round."

============================
| AUTOPOLIS | 4.674 km x 65 Laps = 303.810 km
| Weather: Cloudy | Course: Dry
============================

RACE RESULTS TOP3
============================
Po.No.Machine Driver LAPS Time/Gap
[GT500]-----------------------------
1 8 ARTA NSX D.Ito/R.Firman 65Laps 1:55'57.024
2 100 RAYBRIG NSX D.Schwager/S.Hosokawa 65Laps 10.145
3 39 DENSO SARD SC430 A.Couto/K.Hiranaka 65Laps 19.887

[GT300]-----------------------------
1 62 WILLCOM ADVAN VEMAC408R S.Shibahara/H.Kurosawa 60Laps 1:56'13.041
2 46 houzan DUNLOP Z K.Sasaki/N.Yokomizo 60Laps 20.196
3 13 ENDLESS ADVAN SENZAIKAKUMEI Z M.Kageyama/T.Fujii 60Laps 23.333
============================

From Ford

BP-Ford leads the manufacturers' championship by 32 points in its quest for a second consecutive title. Grönholm tops the drivers' standings by four points with just three rounds remaining in Japan, Ireland and Great Britain. Hirvonen remains third in the drivers' table.

Grönholm led during the first leg before arch title rival Sébastien Loeb moved ahead and stretched his advantage on the second day. The 39-year-old Finn started today's final four special stages 27.5sec behind Loeb, content to set a fast but safe pace to settle for second and a solid haul of championship points.

"I could not win so second was the next best result," said Grönholm. "I only conceded two points to Loeb on what is one of his strongest events of the season and I still lead the championship after two consecutive weekends on asphalt, which is my least favourite surface. I really had to drive quite hard today because Dani Sordo was pushing behind us and I couldn't afford to let him get near. On the first day I was really close to Seb but I couldn't match him on Saturday, although I feel my asphalt driving is more consistent than last year.

"It will be really tight for the next three rallies and I have no idea who will be world champion. A four-point lead is nothing, especially with three rallies coming. I could not do better here but Japan will be really hard now. Winning there would help me a lot but I'm not feeling too much pressure at the moment," he added.

Hirvonen crashed out on the first day after hitting a concrete block but the 27-year-old Finn returned under SupeRally rules in 63rd position. He steadily climbed the order, while also using the final two days to check his pace notes for the future, and his perseverance was rewarded when he moved in to the final points position on the last stage. He finished 13th.

From Subaru

At the start of the day Solberg took advantage of his Impreza’s pace on rough asphalt to close the gap to fourth-placed Jari-Matti Latvala, and the pair remained locked in a close battle for the rest of the day. On fast-changing stages that incorporated narrow twisty sections and long and winding corners, the duo of Solberg and Phil Mills showed improved pace as the day went on - recording the third fastest time on SS15.

Feeling confident at the end of leg two, Xevi Pons did not have a good start to the day, suffering a puncture on each of the first two stages. Near the start of SS13 he was forced to stop and change a wheel, an incident which cost him more than three minutes and dropped him a place to eighth overall. Another puncture on SS14, and no spare wheel, meant he had to continue on the broken rubber, running on the wheel rim until the end of the stage. This left him over one and a half minutes off eighth by the midday service, and despite a good afternoon the gap was too large for Xevi to close.

Chris Atkinson had a problem-free day to retain his sixth place overall and gain more valuable experience of the unique Corsican roads. The time differences being as large as they were after leg two, Chris concentrated on bringing the car back safely in the afternoon to ensure his second haul of points in two weekends.

Rallye de France Results

Points

Drivers' Championship Pos. Driver Points 1 M Grönholm 104 2 S Loeb 100 3 M Hirvonen 74 4 D Sordo 45 5 P Solberg 38 6 C Atkinson 29 7 H Solberg 28 8 J Latvala 24

Manufacturers' Championship

Best Motoring Vol 21 Features:

Civic Type R Returns
Suzuka Time Attack by Tsuichiya
New Civic Type R compared with NSX-R & Integra Type R
Tsukuba Battle & MUCH MORE!

Touge GP300
Featuring the SPOON EK9 Civic, Yashio Factory 350Z, Drivin' Magic DC5, J's Racing S2000 and Amuse S2300 GT-1 on the famous Gunsai touge circuit.

Drift Off 2
Ken Gushi & Tanner Foust challenge Keiichi Tsuchiya & Yasuyuki Kazama!
Featuring the Hasselgren AE86, Ford Shelby GT500

Ferrari 599 Unleashed
Ferrari 599, Lamborghini Gallardo Road Test

Format: Color, NTSC
Region: Region 0 (All)
Run Time: approx 95 minutes
Rated: NR (Not Rated)

For more information contact:
Thuy Dang
tel: 562.366.3344
tdang@livesockets.com

About Live Sockets Entertainment
Established in 2000, Live Sockets is the premiere distributor of cutting edge content for the Motorsports and Youth market. With exclusive licenses for Best Motoring, High Octane, Formula Drift and the World Rally Championship, Live Sockets is committed to bringing the best titles in the world to this audience. Live Sockets programs are currently available at major retailers, including: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Blockbuster, Borders, Circuit City, Netflix and other fine retailers in North America.

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