Team KCMG returned to the points at Sportsland SUGO, with Yuji Kunimoto qualifying and finishing in the top-10 in Round 5 of the 2022 Super Formula season.
Following his podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans a week earlier, Kamui Kobayashi and 2016 Super Formula champion Kunimoto took on the 3.704-kilometre circuit for the Hong Kong-based team.
Having qualified in eighth, Kunimoto made a strong start to move up a position on the first lap, before an early Safety Car period split the team’s strategy. Kunimoto pitted from seventh, while Kobayashi opted to take advantage of running in free air.
Towards the end of the race, Kunimoto had to battle against drivers with newer tyres, and fought hard to hold on to ninth, scoring two points. Ex-F1 driver Kobayashi had consistent pace before his late pit stop, but could only finish in 17th.
Super Formula now heads back to Fuji Speedway for Round 6 of the 2022 season on 16-17 July.
#18 YUJI KUNIMOTO
“I got a really good launch to move up a position and after the Safety Car restart I was pushing hard to try and improve further. The pace was good, but the tyres overheated and made it difficult for the rest of the race. The team prepared the car well, so a big thanks to them and I’m happy we were able to score points. It was a promising weekend and I’m looking forward to the next round at Fuji.”
#7 KAMUI KOBAYASHI
“After a difficult qualifying, we decided to take a risk during the Safety Car period and lengthen the first stint, aiming to run in clearer air and gain time. We had strong pace, but it wasn’t enough to reach the top ten. The field was very closely matched this weekend, which made it tough to move forwards in the race. We now focus on Fuji, we scored points there earlier this season, so we’ll be looking to build on that result.”
TSUGIO MATSUDA TEAM MANAGER
“Both cars were running well in practice, and Yuji confirmed the pace by setting the second fastest time in Q1. Unfortunately, Kamui was unable to move on to Q2, and we didn’t improve with Yuji, which left him in eighth. We decided to split the strategies in the race during the Safety Car period, Yuji was really quick but his tyres overheated when he was running close behind another car, leaving him vulnerable to those with newer tyres. The plan with Kamui didn’t quite work out, several competitors had similar pace to us this weekend so he was unable to make much progress in the race. However, we leave Sportsland SUGO with points and we’ll aim for more at Fuji.”
For more information about KCMG please visit www.kcmg.com.hk. To keep track of all the latest updates, please like KCMG’s Facebook page or follow on Twitter and Instagram.
About KCMG?
KC Motorgroup Ltd (KCMG) is an international motorsport services group established in 2007 by Paul Ip. The group, with its headquarters located in Hong Kong, has operations reaching across the Asia Pacific region. KCMG operates closely with many partner companies and racing organisations around the world to provide unrivalled motorsport services, equipment, team management and quality distribution in the automotive industry. This includes the FIA Motorsport Games, where KCMG is the official supplier of hybrid F4 cars, and the KCMG Driver Development Project. For more information on all of the team’s activities please visit www.kcmg.com.hk or email info@kcmg.com.hk
