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Hibiki Taira takes lead at the start to win Rd 9 with his third victory
Hibiki Taira（Mobility Chukyo TOM’S 320 TGR-DC）
Following Rd 8 that started 9:15 am Rd 9 got underway as the last race of 2023 Super Formula Lights’ third event at 1:55 pm on Sunday with formation lap in 34-degree heat.
According to the finishing order in Rd 7 Togo Suganami driving JMS RACING WITH B-MAX had claimed pole position with Hibiki Taira (in Mobility Chukyo TOM’S 320 TGR-DC) as a fellow front row starter.
Starting from third would be Seita Nonaka (PONOS Racing TOM’S 320 TGR-DC) who engaged in fierce battles with Taira in Rd 7 and Rd 8. Shun Koide (HFDP WITH TODA RACING) had took fourth spot on the grid.
Start of Round.9■Race leaders remain close with one another in the early stages
Taira nailed his start to leap into first corner at the front, while the pole starting Suganami got a slow start due to a miscue.
David Vidales (B-MAX RACING 320) overtook Koide at the first corner on lap two.
Once pulling out a 1m091 secs lead by the end of the first lap, Taira proceeded to push on in an attempt to set fastest lap, posting 1m56.217 on lap two before extending the lead to 2.223 secs over Suganami at the end of lap five.
Nonaka closely chased Suganami in second, but was unable to find an overtaking opportunity, the two soon bunching up with a pack of Vidales, Koide, Enzo Trulli (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S 320), Iori Kimura (HFDP WITH B-MAX RACING) – who had recovered from the back of the field and Igor Omura Fraga (FANATEC-GRAN TURISMO with B-MAX).
The first to make a move in the pack was Trulli in six, who dived down the inside of Koide at the first corner on lap eight to get ahead while the TODA was slightly running wide. Kimura also passed Koide at this time to finally get into the points.
Hibiki Taira（Mobility Chukyo TOM’S 320 TGR-DC）
■Trulli wins out fierce battles over fourth
Apart from Taira still keeping two second lead Suganami in second and Nonaka in third remained close with each otheri in the closing stages.
In the meanwhile, the battle for fourth intensified when Trulli and Kimura rapidly approached Vidales. On the penultimate lap Trulli attacked down the inside of Vidales at Hitachi Astemo chicane for fourth, and on the final lap Vidales was further charged by Kimura, and although putting up a great fight, ended up allowing Koide and Omura Fraga as well Kimura to pass him before having to end his race in the pits.
Staying out of the thriller behind Taira finished with 1.245 secs lead and claimed his third win of the season. The result moved him up to the top of the standings.
Making the most of the opportunity of acting as a stand-in for Nobuhiro Imada, Suganami held on to seal second place.
Nonaka placed third for the third consecutive race.
Trulli won out the fierce battles over fourth. Fifth went to Kimura who played a superb catch-up from 11th on the grid. Koide stretched his points scoring streak to nine by finishing sixth.
Takashi Hata (A-NeKT with B-MAX 320) finished 11th to take his third consecutive master class win.
David Vidales（B-MAX RACING 320）
