Paul Jeffrey
Premium
Jenson Button and Honda have secured the 2018 Super GT Championship - the Briton becoming the first rookie winner in the competitive series since 2005.
Button, 38, produced the goods with team mate Naoki Yamamoto in the #100 Team Kunimitsu NSX GT500 to secure the all important third place finish in Motegi, just edging title rivals Ryo Hirakawa and Nick Cassidy in the #1 TOM'S Lexus LC500 by less than two seconds in a tense season finale - wrapping up a debut championship success for the 2009 Formula One World Champion in his return to full time motorsport following retirement from Formula One at the end of the 2016.
"That was a tough race," Button said. "They are never easy and that's what makes it extra-special.
"This championship is one of the toughest in the world. That's coming from someone who has raced in F1 for so many years. I feel a bit like visitor to this team because these guys have been fighting for so long.
"I couldn't be happier. It's a long time coming from me.
"I couldn't be happier. It's a long time coming from me.
"The last championship I won was nine years ago. That was quite a big one, and this for me at the moment feels just as big. This is so important."
Button and Yamamoto would need to finish the Motegi season finale ahead of the #1 Lexus in order to secure the first title for Honda since 2010, aided by starting the race from a very solid P2 on the grid, and despite a determined challenge from the Lexus team that eventually brought the car to within just 1.5 seconds of the Englishman heading into the final laps, the former McLaren man held firm and withstood the pressure to keep his slender lead across the line - securing a podium result and with it the decisive points to secure championship success.
With a nine year gap since his last title, the 2009 Formula One championship, this result will be a sweet reminder of what that victory champagne tastes like for the Frome Flyer.
Last edited:
