s many as 43,000 enthusiastic motor sports fans were overwhelmed by the heated race that unfolded at the 2001 Japan GT Race Malaysia Round, a special round of the All Japan Touring Car Championship (JGTC), held at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia on June 24. The ECLIPSE Taisan Viper, sponsored by FUJITSU TEN, made a gallant appearance at the circuit, which is a famous F1 race venue. In the final race, the ECLIPSE Taisan Viper started from the 8th position, based on the results of the preliminary heat. The Viper showed great fighting spirit during the first half of the race, moving up to 5th place. Despite this all-out effort, however, the high temperature of the road surface posed a great hindrance, and the car ended up in 8th position, just as it had finished in the preliminary. The exhilarating performance of the ECLIPSE Taisan Viper, with its throbbing V10 roar, however, fascinated the Malaysian fans, and won big applause from them.

ECLIPSE Taisan Viper The heated race scene at the 2001 Japan GT Race Malaysia Round

JGTC is the abbreviation of the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, which is comprised of seven rounds in all. The champion is determined based on the points participating cars win at each race. The championship is divided to into two classes - GT500 and GT300 - based on the maximum output of the cars, but in the actual races, cars from both classes compete together. (The ECLIPSE Taisan Viper belongs to the GT300 Class.) Entrants must all be commercially available cars, with modifications allowed only to the extent prescribed. A team of two drivers for each car competes with other teams over courses totaling 250 to 1,000 km each. The race not only requires exceptional car performance and driver technique, but also innovative strategies and a talented racing team, because car refueling and driver changes during the race are compulsory under the championship rules. In addition, teams that take first prize in the final race of each round have to mount their cars with a weight as a handicap the next round, always keeping the race thrilling and tight. It is one of the reasons the JGTC is so popular in Japan. This marks the second consecutive year that a special round of the JGTC has also been held in Malaysia.