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Yuto Nomura wraps up the 2025 SFL season with convincing 12th win
Yuto Nomura（HFDP WITH B-MAX RACING）
The Japanese Super Formula Lights 2025 season’s finale was held three and a half hours after the Rd 17 race that started at 9:05am.
According to the results of Rd 16 the pole position for Rd 18 was claimed by Yuto Nomura in HFDP WITH B-MAX RACING who is on a winning streak.
The second and third were secured by TOM’S teammates Rikuto Kobayashi (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S TGR-DC SFL) and Yuki Sano (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S TGR-DC SFL).
The formation lap started at 1:30pm for the longest 19 laps of the Motegi weekend under clear skies with temperatures at 15C.
Start of Round.18■Fierce battles fought by four cars at the start
Zach David had to miss the race, though, as repairs to his B-MAX RACING 324 damaged in the multiple-car accident during Rd 17 were not completed in time, whereas B-MAX completed repairs to another B-MAX RACING 324 for Keito Matsui just one minute before the end of the sighting lap, managing to put it on the starting grid.
As the lights went out Nomura once again got a strong getaway.
Yusuke Mitsui (DELiGHTWORKS) got the best start of the field from fourth on the grid, pulling alongside Kobayashi in second heading into Turn one. Having started from fifth Hiyu Yamakoshi (DELiGHTWORKS) also pulled alongside Sano in third through Turn three, four and five, only for both Kobayashi and Sano to defend the second and third spots respectively.
The subsequent turns from S-bend through the 90-degree saw a fierce battle fought by Mitsui and Yamakoshi, with the latter prevailing to move up to fourth.
Behind them came Yuga Furutani (Deloitte. HTP TOM'S SFL) in sixth, followed by Kazuhisa Urabe (B-MAX RACING 324), Esteban Masson (PONOS Racing TOM’S TGR-DC SFL) and Reimei Ito (LMcorsa OTG 320).
Unlike the close lead battle in the previous race Nomura was gradually extending his lead over Kobayashi, and at the halfway stage Nomura, Kobayashi and Sano were circulating with gaps of around a second of one another, with Yamakoshi and Mitsui still scrapping behind them for fourth.
Hiyu Yamakoshi（DELiGHTWORKS）■Yasuhiro Shimizu takes nineth master-class win of the season
The race was concluded without seeing major changes in position in the closing stages despite concerns about possible confusions due to tire wears for the longer distance, and Nomura wrapped up the 2025 season with convincing 12th and fourth consecutive win.
Kobayashi finished second ahead of Sano, the same results as in Rd 16 and Rd 17.
Mitsui closely tailed Yamakoshi throughout the race, only to settle for fifth place. Furutani moved up to fourth in the championship standings after finishing sixth.
Meanwhile, the 2025 master-class champion Yasuhiro Shimizu (GNSY RACING 324) fended off close-following DRAGON (TEAM DRAGON 324) and Ken Alex (BUZZ RACING) to take his nineth win of the season.
