Kiwi endurance driver Jono Lester was denied victory in today’s Super Taikyu Motegi Five Hour race after severe brake fade in the closing minutes sent his PETRONAS Syntium Team Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 #28 to the sand trap at over 240km/h.
After a hard fought battle at the head of the field for a total of four hours and fifty six minutes, the 23-year old, Takapuna based driver held a 30-second lead on the chasing pack, and was counting down the laps – and minutes – for a second consecutive victory.
That was, until the brake pedal “went flat to the floor” sending Lester into a wild ride off the circuit, lucky not to make contact with the fast-approaching steel barricade bordering the Twin Ring Motegi circuit.
Able to extricate himself in the nick of time, Lester circulated the final lap to salvage second overall at the flag behind the defending Champions in sister PETRONAS Syntium Team Car #1.
“I don’t quite know how to swallow this one,” a deflated Lester commented soon after the race.
“What happened was quite simple. As I applied the brakes, there was nothing there – no pressure in the pedal – so I was a bit of a passenger, though I was able to throw the car sideways to scrub off some of the speed.
“We did everything right today. Everything. The teamwork was flawless and to run out of brakes literally a few corners from victory is incredibly painful.”
The rise into race winning contention for the pair of PETRONAS Syntium Team cars was a surprise to some, with the clear pace-setters all weekend coming in the form of rival Nissan and Porsche entries.
Having qualified third, Lester started the race and was locked in a 3-way battle for the lead with Nissan and Porsche for the first 60 minutes of the race, before pitting to hand over to Fariqe Hairuman who leapfrogged into second position with a slick pit stop.
Hairuman took the overall lead at the two hour mark, and both he and Japanese driver Tatsuya Kataoka built then conserved a handy lead to hand over to Lester for the final hour, with more than half a minute as a buffer on second place.
Conserving his lead, Lester maintained a strong pace in the #28 before disaster struck with just four minutes remaining on the clock.
Despite the off-track excursion, the resulting second place finish sees Lester retain the Super Taikyu Championship lead heading into the Fuji 7 Hour in three weeks time.
“It’s a quick turnaround to Fuji. That’s the best possible thing for me as I can move my focus straight onto crossing the line in first place at that event, and vindicate what has been one of the toughest days in my career to date.
“Again we have proven we are a real contender for the Super Taikyu crown. The hunger within the team is spirited and focused – there’s still a long way to go yet.”
Lester is supported throughout the 2013 season by key partners including Vortex Racewear, Purechoice New Zealand, R Redpath Limited, Opti-Flex, Fastway Couriers, Robbie Bird Wines, CRC MotorNews.co.nz, Mako Networks, iSign it, Sony New Zealand, Sony Xplod, ThrillPledge and Webdesign.
More details about Jono and his season can be found at www.jonolester.com, or by following ‘Jono Lester’ on Facebook or @jonolester on Twitter. Search the hashtag #flyingkiwi for related social media content online.
Follow the action from your smartphone by downloading the new Jono Lester app, simply by visiting http://jonolester.appguppy.com from your iPhone or Android device.
