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Rikuto Kobayashi claims maiden SFL win with lights-to-flag victory
Rikuto Kobayashi（MOBILITY CHUKYO TOM'S 320 TGR-DC）
The main focus of the Rd 11 that got underway at 3:10pm just after some Super Formula’s sessions was how the track conditions and the longest 21 laps of the weekend would impact tires and other factors.
Rikuto Kobayashi driving Mobility Chukyo TOM’S 320 TGR-DC had topped the times in a Friday’s closely contested qualifying to take his first pole position since Rd 4, with Seita Nonaka (PONOS Racing TOM’S 320 TGR-DC) as a fellow front-row starter.
Jin Nakamura (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S TGR-DC) and Souta Arao (HFDP WITH TODA RACING) would sit third and fourth on the grid respectively.
Start of Round.11■Kobayashi gets the holeshot
Determined not to repeat the botch in the start in Rd 10 Kobayashi made a flying start this time to get the holeshot into TGR, while Nonaka got wheelspin and dropped down the order, promoting Nakamura to second who had also learned a lesson from the previous round to nail the start.
Behind them a tussle broke out between Arao and Shun Koide (HFDP WITH B-MAX RACING). Arao fended off Koide to retain third, leaving the B-Max driver to deal now with a charging Rin Arakawa (TEAM DRAGON 324) from sixth on the grid before being passed.
Eighth place qualifier Kaylen Frederick (Pilot ONE Racing with B-MAX) and Nonaka entered into a fierce battle.
With Kobayashi proceeding to open up his lead over Nakamura, a pack with Arao heading Arakawa, Koide, Frederick and Nonaka followed the lead two.
On lap six Frederick was given a time penalty for violating a starting procedure (a start from far ahead of his grid position).
He nevertheless tried to maintain the sixth spot, but a late-charging Nonaka eased past him and then closed in on Koide fighting a close battle with Arakawa before overtaking Koide on lap 14 and Arakawa on lap 17 to come back to fourth.
Rikuto Kobayashi（MOBILITY CHUKYO TOM'S 320 TGR-DC）
■Master class: Fujiwara wins for the second race in a row
Kobayashi comfortably controlled the pace throughout the race with the benefit of fresh tires to claim his maiden SFL win with 5.127secs margin over Nakamura at the line.
Nakamura avenged his setback in Rd 10 by placing second.
Third went to Arao, who picked up his second podium result of the season.
Nonaka’s fourth place finish slashed the margin to Koide at the head of the standings to just one point as Koide finished sixth behind Arao.
In master class Makoto Fujiwara (TEAM DRAGON 324) made a clean start from second as both Nobuhiro Imada (JMS RACING TEAM) and Yasuhiro Shimizu (GNSY 324) bogged down in pole position and P3 respectively.
Fujiwara went on to take second consecutive class win 7.814secs shy of DRAGON (TEAM DRAGON 324).
