Round 2 of the 2025 Minutes Endurance Race (MEC) 120 brought Danzel Waytan back to Japan—this time to the legendary Suzuka Circuit—for another intense battle in the #51 Team Hero v.Granz. Despite a rollercoaster race filled with setup struggles, strategic setbacks, and a costly penalty, the 17-year-old Filipino delivered another standout performance to secure his second consecutive podium.
Danzel was no stranger to Suzuka, having done some laps during a pre-season test earlier this year. But unlike the local drivers, his knowledge of the 5.807 km figure-eight circuit was considerably limited. Thus, the team focused on getting him reacquainted with both car and track—an effort that paid off as Danzel showed strong pace during Practice.
Qualifying, however, didn’t go to plan. A misstep on car setup compromised performance, leaving Danzel unable to extract the maximum from the #51 machine. His time of 2:16.694 was 1.839 secs off pole, placing them P12 out of 24 v.Granz entries.
Fortunately, there was one more practice session on race day—enough for the team to dial in the setup and give Danzel renewed confidence heading into the 2-hour race. He attacked as soon as the field got underway, charging up to P3 and finding himself in a fierce 3-way battle for the lead. Danzel later made his move into P2 before pitting for the first driver change.
With Shunji Okumoto—his co-driver at Motegi—committed to the 86/BRZ Cup that same weekend, Danzel was paired with a new teammate for Suzuka. Shiotsu Yusuke, a Super GT GT300 driver with Team Mach, took over for the middle stint. But as the Safety Car was deployed during their stop, under MEC 120 rules, cars are not allowed to refuel. This forced a rethink in strategy, as they needed to stop again to fill up.
Yusuke-san rejoined mid-pack and immediately got to work, delivering a consistent and calculated drive that brought them back into podium contention. But the earlier refueling restriction meant the Japanese driver had a shorter-than-planned stint and came in for fuel and a driver swap after only 9 laps at the wheel.
With just under 50 minutes to go, Danzel climbed back in for the run to the flag. His momentum, however, was interrupted by a drive-through penalty for overtaking a lapped car under Safety Car conditions—a mistake that cost them valuable time. Still, the #51 rejoined in P2 and began chasing down the leader. They cut the gap to just 7 secs before a late Safety Car locked in their finishing position.
Despite the missed opportunity, it was a well-deserved, hard-fought 2nd place for the young Filipino. And with back-to-back podiums, Team Hero now sits 2nd in the Pro-Am Championship—just 3 points off the lead.
Round 3 takes place in September at Okayama International Circuit, where Danzel will be aiming for his maiden win.
Danzel Waytan: “It was a super positive weekend overall. I’m really happy with the momentum and progress that we’re building in the series and it feels go to be right up there racing against Super GT, GT4, and Formula 4 drivers. I’m still waiting for that maiden win and we’ll be working extra hard for Okayama.”
Danzel is sponsored by Gerry’s Grill and Sim Premier.
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