Kids com Team KCMG racked up plenty of laps between its five drivers in the three-day post-season Super Formula test, completing its 2024 campaign.
The team’s 2024 racer Nirei Fukuzumi, Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman, Yuhi Sekiguchi, Seita Nonaka and Miki Koyama completed a huge 296 laps of Suzuka International Racing Course in the final Super Formula action of the year.
The test started strongly, with Super Formula race winners Fukuzumi and Sekiguchi in the top-10 in both the morning and afternoon sessions, completing plenty of laps and working on set-up changes in both the #7 and #8 cars.
Super Formula Lights race winner Nonaka and 2022 Formula Regional Japanese Championship winner Koyama headed out on track for Day 2, with Koyama experiencing the Dallara SF23 for the first time. The pair quickly got up to speed around the figure-of-eight circuit, collecting valuable data for the squad to analyse in the off-season.
The final day of the test would see Nonaka return to the #8 car, with 2025 Haas F1 driver Bearman in the #7. The duo was fast in the morning session, finishing second and third respectively on the timesheets. Nonaka continued his excellent work in the afternoon to finish second, although Bearman’s session was cut short with a turbo issue.
Super Formula returns to action for the 2025 season on 7-9 March, kicking off the campaign with a double-header at Suzuka.
OLIVER BEARMAN
“I was so impressed with the Super Formula car and the feeling I got was close to F1 machinery, making it fun to drive. Suzuka is such an iconic and amazing circuit in particular Sector 1, which is brilliant at such high speed. Unfortunately, we had a turbo problem which meant that we couldn’t do the two new tyre runs, but the experience was very enjoyable. It was a great day and would like to say a big thanks to everyone who made it possible, and I’m very grateful to KCMG for their time.”
NIREI FUKUZUMI
“By driving in both car #7 and #8, I managed to get a good feel of the differences between the two. It was a positive test for us, as we were able to complete the day without any major issues. We had five drivers on track throughout the three days, which means we have plenty of data to thoroughly analyse ahead of the 2025 campaign. I’m very happy with the year we’ve had, we improved throughout and I’m hopeful we can keep up this momentum next season.”
YUHI SEKIGUCHI
“It was my first time driving a Super Formula car in over a year, so it took me a little while to re-familiarise myself with the machinery. It was great to have Daiki Sasaki with us as driver coach, he gave me precise guidance on how to improve, so I’m very grateful for that. We completed a lot of mileage, and I’m sure the team will benefit from our work. A big thanks to KCMG for the opportunity!”
SEITA NONAKA
“It’s been two years since I drove a Super Formula car, so I was able to approach this test with an open mindset. It was difficult to get used to the speed at first, but once I was able to understand the car, we had a very solid two days of running. The car felt good, especially on new tyres with the incredible grip on offer, and I’m very thankful to the team for their trust and advice.”
MIKI KOYAMA
“I took it step-by-step at first as it was my first time in a Super Formula car, but I’ve got plenty of experience across various categories, so I was gradually able to feel the limits. I listened to the advice from Tsugio Matsuda, Yuhi Sekiguchi and Nirei Fukuzumi, which was extremely useful. I was able to make significant improvements throughout the day. I’m very grateful to KCMG for this opportunity and for all the guidance and I hope my time in the car was useful to them!”
RYUJI DOI KCMG HEAD OF MOTORSPORT
“It was brilliant to have five drivers participate in the test throughout the three days of the post-season test. We collected lots of valuable data with our 2024 driver Fukuzumi and Sekiguchi on the opening day. We got a chance on Day 2 to enter rookies Nonaka and Koyama, who become the first female driver to drive a KCMG vehicle, and adapted very well. The final day saw Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman set several competitive lap times before a turbo problem ended the session early. It was a great learning experience for him ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in April of next year at Suzuka. It’s been an unbelievable and record-breaking 2024 for Kids com Team KCMG, which has been possible with the support of our partners and fans. We’ll now prepare thoroughly during the off-season to ensure we have another great campaign in 2025.”
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.
