April 23 2016　Round. 1 Suzuka

Yamashita wins the hard-fought 2016 season opener
F3-N: Katayama triumphantly claims the chequered flag

Kenta Yamashita/ZENT TOM'S F312

●Yamashita takes pole positions for Rd1 and Rd2
Following 2-day practice sessions the Japanese Formula 3 Championship has kicked off 2016 season Saturday on April 23rd. In the qualifying for Rd 1 race that started from 10:45 am for 10 minutes 15 cars did attacks except Tairoku Yamaguchi, who had to retire as his Tairoku Exceed 28 had not been properly set up in time.

Significantly improving his own best time from the practice sessions and solely breaking the Suzuka course record Kenta Yamashita (in the ZENT TOM’S F312) took the season’s first pole position more than two tenths of a second clear of his fellow newcomer Sho Tsuboi (ZENT TOM’S F314). The third grid was secured by another F3 newcomer Yann Mardenborough (B-MAX NDDP F3).

While in F3-N class, although a contact on the inlap between Yoshiaki Katayama and DRAGON (B-Max Racing F308) damaged their machines the two managed to return to track in time, with the former maneuvering his Petit LM Racing into a pole position first time in his career and the latter securing fourth place despite a damaged tyre behind another rookie Kizuku Hirota (Albirex F306 TLM) and a F3-N sophomore Alex Yang (Alex Yang Hanashima F3).

●Yamashita wins a hard-fought season opener from Mardenborough

Round 1 Start

Due to red-flag interruptions that occurred one after another in the preceding Super Formula qualifying the formation lap for the opening race was started late at 15:50 pm. Zene Okazaki (Global Albi TLM) went off the track at the Degner on the formation lap but immediately returned and made a start of race.

It was pole-sitter Yamashita who got the best start of the field the moment the lights went out as the second place Tsuboi and the third place Mardenborough appeared to lack the acceleration at the start and would both be passed by the fourth place Katsumasa Chiyo (B-MAX NDDP F3). Thus, the opening lap was completed in the order of Yamashita, Chiyo, Tsuboi and Mardenborough, while a little behind a tussle over the F3-N class top position was fought. After capitalising on what Katayama would call a “slip-up in the start” DRAGON encountered Yann into the home straight where the two would collide and be so damaged that they were forced to retire. This incident caused the safety car to be deployed.

Kenta Yamashita/ZENT TOM'S F312

At the restart after the safety car period for one lap a close battle over third spot was fought. Coming under pressure from Mardenborough Tsuboi initially defended the racing line, and even when the B-Max closed in on the back straight on lap four the TOM’S held down his position at the chicane, but only to see his rival drive past him with higher acceleration on the exit for third position.

With this momentum Mardenborough would catch up with Chiyo, and once taking over the second position in the middle stage he would now set himself to challenge Yamashita. The Briton would thereafter continue to significantly reduce the gap of about 2.8 sec, by three tenths on a lap, and by five tenths on another lap, for example, while breaking his own best times until he crossed the finish line narrowly behind the race leader.

Yoshiaki Katayama/Petit LM Racing

It would seem that improving the pace in closing stages will be one of the issues Yamashita should address to match the Volks Wagen A41 engines if he wants to score another win the next day.

Tsuboi scored the podium finish in third place on his F3 debut having overtaken Chiyo on lap ten. Despite a fall-off in pace in the closing laps Chiyo managed to hold on to fourth position from Daiki Sasaki (B-MAX NDDP F3) who showed a stunning catch-up with setting the fastest lap having started seventh place.

Katayama clinched his first F3-N win after reclaiming with composure the places lost at the start.

Result & Entry List PDF