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Sho Tsuboi Inches Closer to Super Formula Glory at Suzuka

In the opening round of the final weekend of the Super Formula at Suzuka, Sho Tsuboi solidified his position in the championship race by finishing second, trailing behind the impressive performance of Kakunoshin Ota. Ota, driving for Dandelion Racing, secured a dominating victory, completing the 31-lap race with a comfortable 4.5-second lead over Tsuboi.

Starting from pole position, Ota maintained control throughout the race, successfully navigating two safety car interruptions. Tsuboi, who qualified fifth, benefitted from a series of fortunate developments during the race, including Ayumu Iwasa’s unfortunate stall on the grid and Ren Sato’s mishap during a pit stop.

The TOM’S driver’s strategic pit stop, occurring a lap later than his closest competitor Tadasuke Makino, allowed him to leapfrog into second place. However, despite a strong effort, Tsuboi did not possess the pace to challenge Ota at the race’s restarts, and Makino failed to overtake his title rival, thus maintaining Tsuboi’s substantial 18.5-point lead going into the final race.

Tomoki Nojiri’s Title Dreams Dashed

Tomoki Nojiri’s aspirations for a third Super Formula championship took a hit as he finished fifth after qualifying in an uncharacteristic 14th position. A red flag incident during the qualifying session hampered his efforts, resulting in his lowest starting position since 2020. Though he made notable gains during the race, he could not position himself within striking distance of Tsuboi’s championship lead.

Sena Sakaguchi delivered an impressive performance, claiming fourth place for Inging ahead of Nojiri, who ultimately passed Nirei Fukuzumi’s KCMG car after the final restart. Naoki Yamamoto finished seventh in what might be his second-to-last Super Formula outing, while Kenta Yamashita, Iwasa, and Toshiki Oyu completed the points finishers.

Rough Race with Few Survivors

The race proved to be tumultuous, with only 14 cars reaching the finish line, marking one of the more demanding events in recent Super Formula history. Juju Noda initially captured 10th place but eventually slipped to 12th. The race’s challenges included a collision between Ukyo Sasahara and Kazuya Oshima at the Spoon Curve, which sent Sasahara spinning and necessitated a second safety car period, following an earlier incident involving Hibiki Taira’s detached wheel.

Kamui Kobayashi experienced a disappointing race, finishing last in 14th place for KCMG after incurring a drive-through penalty and a subsequent five-second penalty for multiple infractions.

As the season approaches its conclusion, Tsuboi is in a strong position to secure the championship title, with just one race remaining and 23 points still in contention.

Source
www.motorsport.com