André Couto : Local motor racing driver | ‘I’m leading and I want to keep that position’

Couto (2nd from right) celebrates with teammates

As the door opens on the sixth round of the Super GT – GT300 Championship, to be raced this weekend in Sugo Japan, we talked with Macau driver André Couto about his achievements this season and his expectations for the coming 62nd Macau Grand Prix in November. The local driver currently leads the Japanese Super GT Championship.

Macau Daily Times (MDT) – So far we have seen 5 rounds of the Super GT Championship, how is the competition running so far?
André Couto (AC) – The championship this year is running quite well, the team is good and the car is great. I’m very pleased to be racing with Gainer, they have a good project and the results are showing that, too.

MDT – You are currently occupying poll position in both the drivers’ and teams’ rankings — what has been your biggest achievement so far this year?
AC – Well, I’m currently first with a 15 point margin between myself and second place, who is in fact my teammate Katsumasa Chiyo, and 29 points ahead of the third, who is also another of my teammates in Gainer (Ryuichiro Tomita). So I can say that my most direct opponents are Kazuki Hoshino and Mitsunori Takaboshi, both with 38 points (-31 points). I can say that this gives me a certain amount of confidence but in the Super GTs nothing can be taken for granted, the competition is fierce and it’s very rare for someone to win more than one race per year. I think our biggest achievement so far has been winning two races, whose victories happened exactly in the most difficult rounds, which are the 500km section in Fuji and the 1000Km in Suzuka, where I also achieved a personal milestone, my 100th race in Super GT. I’m very pleased with these results.

MDT – What can we anticipate for the coming three rounds before the end of the championship?
AC – It is very difficult to make any accurate predictions. I’m leading and I want to keep that position and will work for that. At this moment I think the best strategy is not to think too much about the final rankings but to focus on each race one at a time, trying to do the best in all of them. Naturally I’ll try to avoid heavy contacts and risky moves that might put me out of the race as much as possible, but that is always the theory when we are out of the car. Once the helmet is on what matters is the race and the best performance possible. Regarding this next race in Sugo, the team was there before for practice and I have got the second best time. The only difference for the race will be that I will carry a lot of ballast in the car, but still I’m hopeful for a good result.

MDT – How do see your next season? Do you plan on continuing with the Super GTs?
AC – My wish is definitely to continue racing in the Super GT Championship, it is an amazing championship, probably the best in world in this category and the ambience and the fans are really great. All of the races draw huge crowds of fans that really follow with interest and know almost as much as we do about our performances. It is really special and a privilege to race in this championship.

MDT – Will you take part in this year’s edition of the Macau Grand Prix?
AC – At this moment I cannot reveal any details yet, but I can say that I have been talking with a few teams. The final agreement has not been signed yet but I can reveal that I will be racing in the Macau Grand Prix this year and that I will be in the line-up of the Macau GT World Cup. RM