April 21 2019　Round. 2 Suzuka

Miyata clinches a lights-to-flag win
Ahmed takes second podium finish in a row

　Rd 2 of Japanese Formula 3 championship began in clear weather at 16:35 pm, 10 minutes late due to a series of safety car interventions in the Super Formula’s season opening race on Sunday the 21st of April with formation lap for 17 laps, 5 laps longer than Rd 1.

Ritomo Miyata(Collora Chukyo Kuo TEAM TOM'S)

Ritomo Miyata in Corolla Chukyo Kuo TOM’S F317 had taken pole position for Rd 2 in the 30-min qualifying on Saturday with his second-best time of 1m51.692 posted on the next lap after securing pole position for the season opener.

Sacha Fenestraz (B-Max Racing with motopark F3) had qualified second ahead of Kazuto Kotaka (Corolla Chukyo Kuo TOM’S F317) and Toshiki Oyu (TODA FIGHTEX).

With the same Rd 1 lineup on the front row all eyes were on whether Fenestraz would take the lead again at the start or…?

■Safety car brought out by an unusual cause

Miyata had done an analysis of his delay in the start in Rd1, and it paid off as he got away strongly off the line while sidling up the inside to retain the lead heading into the first corner.

Making one position after starting fifth Enaam Ahmed (B-Max Racing with motopark F3) swept into turn one in third behind Fenestraz.

Just after Kotaka, Oyu and Ai Miura (ThreeBond F314), who had started from eighth on the grid, exited turn one safety car was brought out by an unusual cause - a blow-out on the medical car following from behind for safety reasons rather than the Charles Milesi’s YTB by Carlin that stalled at the start.

The engine oil took four laps to clear and as the race was about to resume on lap five Fenestraz slightly contacted the Miyata’s rear at the Hitachi Automotive Systems Chicane just before crossing the control line, sustaining damage to his front wing, which forced him to pull in to the pit for a new front nose.

“I think I did well at the restart after SC for the first time, but I didn’t expect to collide,” said Miyata.

“It’s difficult to explain how that happened,” recalled Fenestraz, “but I felt Ritomo braked amazingly early. It was my fault, though, as I was running behind”.

Although the Frenchman managed to return to the track he was given a drive-through penalty. “I’ll snap out of it. The series has just begun!”

This incident left Miyata unscathed and promoted Ahmed and Kotaka to second and third respectively.

■Miyata eases to a dominant win with full-points

Ritomo Miyata(Collora Chukyo Kuo TEAM TOM'S) Kazuto Kotaka(Collora Chukyo Kuo TEAM TOM'S)

Miyata quickly built up his lead over a pack of Ahmed, Kotaka and Oyu, but in order to make up for his defeat in the previous round he was not going to settle just for winning the race. Taking advantage of his lighter fuel the TOM’S posted 1m51.219 on lap eight after a flurry of fast laps, which would never be beaten even by Fenestraz who once posting 1m53.855 on lap 13 tried to set fastest lap of the race.

Miyata ended up a sizeable 12.913 sec advantage at the chequered flag. Despite a charge from Kotaka Ahmed held on for his second podium finish in a row. Kotaka secured his first ever Japanese F3 podium finish in third.

Fighting off Hiroki Otsu (ThreeBond F319) Milesi finished sixth behind Oyu and Shunsuke Kohno (RS FINE K&N F318).

In the Master Class fought by three cars, in the meanwhile, Tairoku Yamaguchi clinched back-to-back wins with finishing 10th. DRAGON (TEAM DRAGON F3) placed second after beating Katsuaki Kubota (Planex Sma Came F3) in a close battle.