Naoki Yamamoto Released from Hospital: Two-time SUPER GT GT500 Champion Naoki Yamamoto was released from a hospital on a sad Sunday evening after escaping a scary circumstance. A terrifying crash at the Sugo GT 300km Race shook the racing community. This extraordinary turn of events followed.
A spokesperson from Team Kunimitsu, Yamamoto’s racing team, announced the news. The 35-year-old speed expert was released before 7:00 PM JST, the race’s finish that nearly killed him.
Yamamoto was competing for the class lead in a GT300 maze on the 38th lap, which was dangerous. The #100 Stanley Honda NSX-GT, the main character in this high-speed story, tried to get around the #56 Realize/Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R, piloted by the skillful Teppei Natori, on the right side of the course. This intelligent move occurred in the shadows of the last 110R Corner just before Natori’s pit stop.
However, fate changed the story. Natori initially planned to turn right into the pit lane. Still, he braked hard to avoid crashing with the #14 Eneos X Prime Toyota GR Supra. Unfortunately, he didn’t spot Yamamoto’s bold move to pass him on the same side, causing him to swerve right again and trap them in an automotive dance of pain. The unfortunate Stanley NSX-GT was thrown into the darkness and hit the front stretch guardrails.
A titanic conflict caused much devastation. The car’s immaculate front end was now a pile of junk, and its back was shattered. The carbon-fiber monocoque was the only object unharmed, giving people optimism amid the carnage. Yamamoto bravely sent a radio message to his frightened crew to reassure them that he was unchanged following the terrible sight.
After this awful count, a loud red flag was waved for safety, ending the race. Yamamoto was soon helicoptered to a safe medical facility in Sendai. His hard-earned break came that terrible night after many medical examinations showed no broken bones or significant injuries.
Teppei Natori, who caused the high-speed crash, also suffered. The racing track pandemonium he produced by mistake earned him a hefty drive-through penalty. His co-driver, the robust Joo Paulo de Oliveira, took on this punishment as they navigated the mayhem after the red flag.
YouTube user Nenkatsu partially exposed the drama, which was cloaked in doubt. Unfortunately, this footage only showed the first impact. It captured the thrilling crash at the exit of 110R Corner but not Yamamoto’s subsequent encounter with the solid railing.
It was the third terrible event in GT500 racing this year, creating a peculiar trend that made racing fans cringe. A crash head-on into the substantial barriers at the 130R turn at Suzuka Circuit at the season’s opening nearly killed TGR Team Eneos ROOKIE driver Kenta Yamashita. He spent two months recovering from a significant back injury from the incident due to this decision. NISMO driver Tsugio Matsuda crashed into a GT300 in the third round of the season in Suzuka. His automobile defied gravity and hit the catch barrier at the perilous 130R exit.
READ MORE: The Sugo Circuit Clash: Racing Drama and the Pursuit of Safety
