Kids com Team KCMG secured a double points finish in Round 5 of the 2023 Super Formula season at Sportsland Sugo, with both Kamui Kobayashi and Yuji Kunimoto racing strongly to finish in the top-10.
Kunimoto progressed into Q2 during qualifying and secured 11th on the grid, while Kobayashi was unfortunate to be caught out by yellow flags late in the session, and had to settle for 14th.
In the race, the duo showed strong pace, with Kunimoto gaining positions following an excellent launch off the line. Meanwhile, ex-F1 driver Kobayashi ran long before his pit stop, jumping several cars in the process and eventually finishing sixth after an intense battle in the closing laps. Kunimoto also looked set for a strong result, before losing grip in his tyres and falling to ninth, claiming two points.
The team is now running at Fuji International Speedway for the official mid-season test, before Super Formula returns on 14-16 July at the same venue, where Kids com Team KCMG will look to build on their promising showing in Sugo.
#7 KAMUI KOBAYASHI
“We made a positive step this weekend, our performance was encouraging and we are moving in the right direction. If it wasn’t for the yellow flag in qualifying, I’m confident we could’ve finished even higher up in the race. The original plan was to pit early, but I felt comfortable with the tyres so we decided to run long, which gained us some places. With fresh rubber, I was able to make some overtakes and eventually take some strong points. I’m looking forward to testing this weekend, to continue improving and take this positive feeling to the next event.”
#18 YUJI KUNIMOTO
“It was a tough race and I think we missed an opportunity to score more points. Finishing ninth is a step forward, but we had a lot of potential to do better. We were in a good position after all the pit stops, but unfortunately I began to lose grip in the final stages and dropped a few positions. We know what we need to improve, and will look to do that during the two-day test at Fuji this weekend ahead of the next round, where we hope to come back stronger.”
RYUJI DOI KCMG HEAD OF MOTORSPORT
“Our race weekend in Sugo had its ups and downs. We pushed hard in qualifying, but Kamui was unlucky to catch a yellow flag on his flying lap, which cost him several places on the grid as the car set-up and performance were both very good. In the race, we showed positive pace and strategy, especially on Kamui’s side, as he ran long and gained plenty of positions. Unfortunately for Yuji, he didn’t quite have the same speed, and he ran out of tyre grip towards the end, which meant he could only take ninth. We are still pleased with the double points finish, and we’ll look to continue improving at the test this weekend ahead of the second half of the season. Finally, we wish Team Manager Tsugio Matsuda all the best in his recovery from his crash and hope to see him back for the race next month.”
Media enquires: Cristina Villar
Email address: cristina@kcmg.com.hk
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.
Who is 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.
