Autopolis International Race Circuit, Japan
Photo Credits: © Wataru Tamura Photography (Member JRPA*)
2025 Super Formula Lights F3 | Japan
Autopolis International Race Circuit
Round 2 | Races 4 & 5
May 17-18 | 2025
In a weekend headlined by adverse weather, Kaylen Frederick scored his 1st win of the season in Race 2 at Autopolis, claiming 2nd place in Race 1, moved to 2nd in the championship, and kept the lead to 1st place in check to 25 points.
Autopolis Highlights:
Practices: Fastest overall time in all practice sessions – Session 5 1:37.453 – with .527 gap to next fastest time.
Qualifying Race 1 Position: 3rd Place
Race 1 Finish: 2nd Place
Qualifying 2 Position: 1st Place/Pole
Race 2 Finish: 1st Place
Race 3 Start Position: 2nd Place (start based on finish order of Race 1)
Race 3 Finish: TBD (Race cancelled due to fog – to be rescheduled)
Championship Position: 2nd Place
Practice Sessions | May 17th & 18th: 1st Fastest Overall Time (All sessions)
In practices, Kaylen’s fast time in Session 3 was the time to beat at 1:37.453 with .527 gap to next fastest time.
Qualifying | May 16th
Qualifying 1 & 2: 3rd Position & 1st Position /Pole
The typically academic practice times proved crucial by Saturday, when track action was postponed as fog set in on the track. As a result, qualifying was cancelled and the first two races were pushed back to Sunday, while the third race was postponed to an unspecified future round.
Race organizers designated a preliminary qualifying session to award race start positions, to anticipate that qualifying needed to be cancelled due to fog & adverse conditions. As it turned out, the two fastest times were used to set start positions for Races 1 & 2. Nomura started Race 1 on pole with Kaylen Frederick starting in 3rd.
The second-best laps from this session were used to determine race two’s grid, placing Frederick to start on pole ahead of Rikuto Kobayashi.
Kaylen Frederick:
“It was disappointing to cancel the qualifying sessions and miss out on more track time, but qualifying 3rd and 1st were a solid beginning to get the weekend underway. During all practice sessions we were at the top or very strong on the live timing scoreboard, and we were in a good position with our setup.”
Race 1 | May 18th | Sunday
Starting Position: 3rd Place
Finish Position: 2nd Place
All drivers started Race 1 on new tires, except for Frederick who started on used tires. At the start, Nomura had a slow getaway and fell to third as Sano took the lead and Frederick went up to second.
Having built up a gap out front, Sano took his fourth win of the season with a 13.320 second lead over Frederick and Masson (promoted to third) over a 21-lap race.
Kaylen Frederick on Race 1:
“The start was not ideal, as the track was damp and grip was lacking. Even so, I was able to get a good enough launch to move into 2nd place. The race went well. We were the only car to run with used tires, which meant we had a pace disadvantage during the race. However, I maintained my gap on cars chasing behind and eventually improved upon that gap. Overall, the car setup felt very strong and bodes well for Race 2 today when I will have new tires.”
Race 2 | May 18th | Sunday
Starting Position: 1st Position
Finish Position: 1st Place – Race Win!!!
Round 5 of the Japanese Super Formula Lights championship got underway for 14 laps at 0:15pm on Sunday three hours after Rd 4 that started at 8:30am. It was still cloudy at Autopolis, but the fog was clearing and the track dried out.
It was Kaylen Frederick in Pilot ONE Racing with B-MAX who claimed pole position for the race determined by the second-best times of each driver from Friday’s preliminary qualifying, with Rikuto Kobayashi (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S TGR-DC SFL) as fellow front-row starter.
At the start of the race Yugo Iwasawa stalled his DELiGHTWORKS car in 10th place, and Zach David (B-MAX RACING 324) went off track on the run to Turn one. Up front, Frederick got a hole shot, while Kobayashi fell down the order. The Rd 4 winner Yuki Sano (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S TGR-DC SFL) jumped up to second ahead of Furutani, Kobayashi and Nomura.
Like Sano had done in Rd 4, Frederick took advantage of fresh rubber saved for the race to immediately set about building up a gap, leaving Sano on used tires to deal with closely chasing Furutani and Kobayashi, both on fresh tires. Though the fog worsened, the race ran to its full length of 14 laps. Frederick took his first victory of the season with a commanding 8.8 second lead over the next driver, breaking Sano’s streak of four consecutive wins, and moving to 2nd in the SFL Championship.
Kaylen Frederick on Race 2:
“The launch at the greenlight was good. We had a bit of wheelspin but still led off the line with a gap. We then continued with our race plan and extended the lead. The car had an excellent setup; we had a very good car. Overall, we were quite strong on our side, and I’m very happy to have brought the win home for BMAX Racing!!”
Race 3 (Race 6 in SFL Championship) | Sunday
Starting Position: 2nd Position (based on finish in Race 1/Saturday)
Finish Position: TBD**
**The Sunday race was cancelled due to increased fog. The venue for the rescheduled race is to be determined. Please watch this space.
Autopolis Round 2 | Championship Round-up: 2nd Place
Next on the Calendar:
2025 Japan Super Formula Lights F3 | Round 2 | Races 7, 8, & 9
Okayama International Circuit
June 21 – 22
Circuit Length: 3.7 KM | 2.3 Miles
Kaylen Frederick on the upcoming Okayama Races (next race event)
“Okayama is a track that I enjoy, and where I had my first race win in 2024. We have an official test allowing us to adjust to the track and prepare for the race weekend. I’m hoping we can be quite strong there again. We’ll of course roll out aiming to win.”
About B-MAX Racing
For more information about B-MAX Racing:
http://www.b-maxracing.co.jp/
About Kaylen Frederick
For more information visit:
https://KaylenFrederick.com/
About Pilot ONE Racing
Pilot ONE Racing supports and assists young race drivers in developing professional driving careers, seeking funding, and reaching the highest level of motorsports in both the USA and Europe.
For more information visit ‘Contact Info and Partnerships’ at:
https://PilotONERacing.com
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