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Togo Suganami takes second win of the season as Iori Kimura seals 2023 SFL title
Togo Suganami（B-Max Engineering 320）
The temperatures had risen since the chilly morning, and the 2023 Japanese Super Formula Lights championship’s season finale got underway at 1:00 on after about three hours from Rd 17 in much more warmer conditions.
Claiming pole position for Rd 18 according to the finishing order in Rd 16 was Iori Kimura driving HFDP WITH B-MAX RACING – who had moved to the top of the standings with 106 points after two straight wins, and Hibiki Taira (in Mobility Chukyo TOM’S 320 TGR-DC) placing second in the standings with 97 points would start from fourth on the grid behind Togo Suganami (JMS RACING WITH B-MAX) and Igor Omura Fraga (FANATEC-GRAN TURISMO with B-MAX)
Start of Round.18■Suganami makes the best start of the field to snatch the lead
With every driver lining up on the grid with determination to wrap up their season with good results, Kimura got a solid start from pole, while Suganami got the best start of the field with confidence to get alongside the polesitter heading into Turn one.
Kimura, however, responded with composure to surrender his lead through Turn two, knowing that Suganami had saved his tyres for the race,
Taira on the other hand took immediate actions as he had no choice but to win the race to take the title. The Tom’s driver passed Omura Fraga just after the start, and quickly got onto the tail of Kimura, with the two lapping within a second of each other for several laps before gradually separating over the course of the entire 14 laps.
Up front, Suganami kept pushing to hold on for his first win since Rd 7 at Suzuka and his second of the season, scoring a total of 11 points including a bonus for setting the fastest lap of the race of 1m45.757 on lap 10.
Togo Suganami（B-Max Engineering 320）
■Kimura crowned after overcoming pressure from Taira
After the opening lap there were no position changes in the race leaders.
Scoring seven points for finishing second and extending his championship lead to 113 points Kimura sealed 2023 SFL drivers’ title. B-Max Racing team and Siegfried Spiess Motorenbau GmbH won teams’ and engine tuners’ championships respectively.
Taira placed third and secured runner-up in the overall standings. Omura Fraga, Yuga Furutani (Deloitte, HTP TOM’S 320) and Enzo Trulli (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S 320) rounded out the points scoring finishes.
In the master class a close battle was fought early on between already crowned champion Nobuhiro Imada (JMS RACING with B-MAX) and DRAGON (TEAM DRAGON B-MAX 320), but Imada fended off DRAGON on fresh tyres to claim his third consecutive victory.
