KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) rounded off Super Formula’s two-race event with Yuichi Nakayama demonstrating impressive speed on Fuji Speedway’s 4.56km track. The Japanese driver was in top form as he primed himself for a weekend of intense racing in the blue and white Dallara SF14.
Nakayama logged strong lap times and concluded both sessions in the top ten during Friday practice. In dry conditions, the Super Formula rookie clocked his best time of 1’24.786 in the final practice session.
The three-stage qualifying however saw the Japanese driver struggle to secure positions at the front of the starting grid. Nakayama had to settle for 14th place for Race 1 and 11th place for Race 2 after being eliminated in Q2.
Race 1 was held in dry conditions as fine weather graced Fuji Speedway on Sunday. Nakayama was off to a flying start and overtook opposition during the opening lap. However, a collision with Team HP’s Vitantonio Liuzzi caused a puncture, costing Nakayama valuable seconds due to an unplanned pit stop.
The Japanese driver rejoined the race and was setting superb lap times – ultimately logging his best time of 1’25.281, which was fifth fastest in the field that morning. Unfortunately, Nakayama was unable to overtake in the traffic and wrapped up Race 1 in P13.
Race 2 witnessed the determined novice fight his way further at the front, but a slow pit stop and a stalled engine during restart impeded Nakayama’s efforts. After 35 laps, the Japanese driver concluded Race 2 in P16.
Yuichi Nakayama, KCMG Super Formula Driver: “It’s quite disappointing as this was not the result that we wanted in Fuji. Nonetheless, the pace that we had throughout the weekend was encouraging and I’m confident that points are possible as we are at the same pace as the top drivers in the series. I’m taking the positives from this weekend and will try harder at the next round in July.”
Ryuji Doi, KCMG Japan General Manager: “We started the race weekend strongly and overall, the team has made significant progress with Nakayama. He has proven his tenacity and that he can compete alongside the fastest drivers in the field. There are still areas that we need to improve on but this does not dampen our confidence to challenge for victory.”
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