Team KCMG took on a challenging weekend in changeable conditions as the 2022 Super Formula season headed to Mobility Resort Motegi for Rounds 7-8, the penultimate race weekend of the season.
The Hong-Kong based squad got off to a strong start on Friday as Yuji Kunimoto ended Free Practice inside the top five.
Ahead of the first race of the weekend, the circuit was hit by heavy rain. With the drivers stuck on the dry setup they had opted to take before qualifying, both Kunimoto and teammate Kamui Kobayashi struggled with the conditions and finished outside the points.
Kunimoto progressed through the field in Sunday’s race until an incident during his pit stop, and the 2016 Super Formula champion finished Race 2 in 12th. Contact on the opening lap for Kobayashi forced an early stop for repairs, and he took the chequered flag in 17th.
The 2022 campaign will conclude with Rounds 9-10 at Suzuka Circuit on 27-29 October.
#18 YUJI KUNIMOTO
“The car felt quite competitive on Friday, but the conditions changed drastically just before the start of the first race, and we found it difficult in the wet conditions to keep the brakes in the optimal temperature. We fine-tuned the setup for Sunday but it didn’t work as well as we would’ve liked. We’ve been performing strongly recently, and we showed good potential throughout the weekend at Motegi. We’ll aim to continue improving and bounce back at Suzuka. It’s a circuit I really enjoy driving on, and I’m eager to finish the season on a high note.”
#7 KAMUI KOBAYASHI
“We had good pace on Friday, but we couldn’t carry the speed into Saturday. For the race, the grid was caught out by rain just before the start and we struggled throughout as we had already decided to use a dry setup. I also experienced some issues with my visor, so overall it was a difficult day for me. I damaged my front wing on the first lap on Sunday, and unfortunately, we couldn’t challenge for points. We’ll keep working hard to be ready for the final two rounds at Suzuka in October.”
TSUGIO MATSUDA TEAM MANAGER
“We were confident of having a good car for the race on Saturday thanks to our pace in Free Practice. However, the change of weather before the start made it very difficult, and the drivers struggled to find the right balance and temperatures. We also experienced a radio issue with Kamui on Sunday, and an incident during Yuji’s pit stop cost us a couple of seconds. We had a lot of bad luck this season, but that’s motorsport and we can still take away some positives from the weekend, such as the competitive pace we had initially shown on Friday. With a two month break before the final meeting at Suzuka, we now have time to analyse and prepare as best we can to ensure we put everything into the final two rounds and finish the season strongly.”
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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
