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Yuto Nomura claims maiden win with a lights-to-flag display
Yuto Nomura（HFDP WITH B-MAX RACING）
After two-day practice sessions qualifying for Rd 7 of the Japanese Super Formula Lights got underway at 9am on Saturday at Okayama International Circuit under cloudy skies, with mid-summer heat slightly easing.
ach driver launched his attack on their fifth or sixth lap. Having topped the times in the second practice session Yuto Nomura in HFDP WITH B-MAX RACING posted 1m22.154 on his sixth lap to take pole position. His team-mate Zach David (B-MAX RACING 324) secured the other front row spot.
Yusuke Mitsui (DELiGHTWORKS) took advantage of his set-up that had been improved after the first practice session to qualify third, his best grid position. Fourth qualifier was Rikuto Kobayashi (in Mobility Chukyo TOM’S TGR-DC SFL).
Start of Round.7■Fierce battles break out on the opening lap
Four hours after the qualifying Rd 7 race kicked off at 1:30pm for 25 laps, the longest distance of the Okayama event, still under cloudy skies but hotter and higher humidity conditions.
Fierce battles broke out immediately after the start. Nomura and David both got good start, while Mitsui made the best getaway of the field to get alongside David, heading into Atwood side-by-side. This time, David held on for second place.
Kobayashi also closed in on the leaders, getting onto the tail of Mitsui on the run down to Revolver to move up to third. Mitsui was struggling with a brake issue, allowing to Kaylen Frederick (Pilot ONE Racing with B-MAX) as well to overtake on lap two.
At the end of lap two, came Nomura leading David, Kobayashi, Frederick and Mitsui.
On lap three the race somewhat settled down, and Nomura pulled out a 1.874sec lead by the end of lap five, leaving David, Kobayashi and Frederick to fight a close scrap over the runner-up spot.
Mitsui was closely following them in fifth, now on a reasonably good pace, well ahead of Esteban Masson (PONOS Racing TOM’S TGR-DC SFL) and Yuki Sano (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S TGR-DC SFL).
The second half of the race saw Frederick, Mitsui, Masson and Sano bunch up behind David and Kobayashi.
After several overtaking attempts with his pace advantage Kobayashi finally passed David for second place at Revolver on lap 20, and a battle for final podium position suddenly intensified as David was soon under pressure from Frederick, and then a late-charging Sano – who had passed Masson on lap 15 and Mitsui on lap 18.
Rikuto Kobayashi（Mobility Chukyo TOM’S TGR-DC SFL）
■Nomura eases to dominant victory as David holds on for third
Nomura comfortably maintained his lead throughout the race to take his maiden SFL victory with a sizeable 6.668secs margin over Kobayashi. The battle for third came down to the very final lap with David fending off Frederick by 0.483secs for his first podium result. Fifth and sixth went to Sano and Mitsui respectively.
Despite a stall at the start master class pole-sitter Yasuhiro Shimizu (GNSY RACING 324) immediately recovered to enter close battle with DRAGON (TEAM DRAGON 324) before taking the lead back by overtaking his rival on lap 13, which he would maintain for the following laps to mark his fifth win of the season.
