Okayama International Racing Circuit, Japan
Photo Credits: © Wataru Tamura Photography (Member JRPA*)
2024 Super Formula Lights F3 | Japan
Okayama International Circuit
Round 5* | Races 13, 14 & 15
September 14 & 15 | 20244
*Round 1 | Races 1, 2, & 3 cancelled – rescheduled for December 7 & 8
Okayama Highlights:
Qualifying Race 13: 2nd Place
Race 1 Finish: 2nd Place
Qualifying Race 14: 2nd Place
Race 2 Finish: 1st Place
Qualifying Race 15: 2nd Place
Race 3 Finish: 2nd Place
SFL Championship Standing: 5th Place
Qualifying | September 14th
Qualifying for Races 13, 14, & 15: 2nd Place for all 3 Races
After the private practice sessions were held on Thursday & Friday, the Okayama International Circuit opened on Saturday, September 14th, with many clouds in the morning. Thankfully, the heat from the previous day had subsided somewhat. The official 10-minute qualifying session for the 13th round took was underway at 10:10 AM.
Race 13 | Qualifying:
All cars entered the course as soon as the course opened. After circulating for two laps from the out lap to warm up the tires, the times improved one after another from the third lap. Meanwhile, Syun Koide (HFDP WITH B-MAX RACING), recorded a time of 1 minute 22.992 seconds, and further improved his time on the fourth and fifth laps. As the conditions were not bad, he again improved his time to 1 minute 21.671 seconds, earning pole position for the 13th race.
Following him was his teammate Kaylen Frederick (PilotONE Racing with B-MAX). He recorded a time of 1 minute 22.351 seconds to take second place. B-MAX RACING TEAM occupied the front row. In third place was Rikuto Kobayashi (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S 320 TGR-DC), and in fourth place was Seita Nonaka (PONOS Racing TOM’S 320 TGR-DC), who is competing with Koide for the title.
Race 14 | Qualifying:
In a repeat of the Race 13 Qualifying, the top three qualifiers were Syun Koide (BMAX), Kaylen Frederick (PilotONE Racing & BMAX), and Rikuto Kobayashi (TOMS), however Kaylen Frederick narrowed the margin to the pole-sitter Koide (1:22.122) by .261 seconds (1:22.383), with Kobayashi finishing 4/10 behind (1:22.518).
Race 13 | September 14th | Saturday Race
Starting Position: 2nd Place
Finish Position: 2nd Place
Track Conditions: Dry
Weather Conditions: Clear
After the official qualifying, the sunlight became stronger at Okayama International Circuit, and the final race of the 13th race started at 2:30 pm in hot and humid conditions where the temperature exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, and the road surface temperature was approaching 50 degrees.
At the start, pole-starting Koide had a little too much wheel spin, and Frederick, who started in second place, nearly caught up at the first corner, but Koide managed to keep the lead in the battle heading into the second corner. Frederick followed, and Nonaka tried to get inside Kobayashi in the battle leading up to the hairpin, but again there was no change in the order. In the remaining race, Koide, Frederick, Kobayashi, Nonaka, and Nakamura (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S 320 TGR-DC) made up the top five.
The race restarted on lap 16, and while Koide was still in the lead, the six cars behind Frederick in second were in a close battle. During that battle, Kobayashi in third, Nonaka in fourth, Nakamura in fifth, and Arao in sixth were engaged in a tail-to-nose fight.
Leaving the fight behind, Koide completed the 25 laps at a solid pace and won his fifth victory of the season. Frederick came in second, giving the B-MAX RACING TEAM a one-two finish.
Kaylen Frederick Interview: Post Qualifying & Race 13
(PilotONE Racing with B-MAX/Car No.1/B-MAX RACING TEAM)
“Overall, my qualifying today was a good result. Up until yesterday, the conditions during our two days of tests were quite tricky due to varying track conditions. Following those test sessions, I made various adjustments in advance of today’s qualifying, but it wasn’t quite enough for pole. However, a 2nd place and front row start is not bad.
As for the race, I was able to get a good clutch bite and made a good start. However, I couldn’t get ahead, and the situation became more challenging from about the 5th or 6th lap as the car seemed to lose pace. After the safety car however, I was able to run with an improved pace. Overall, it was a good race. Tomorrow, I will start from 2nd place on the front row in both races and will be in a good flow. Of course, it’s possible to win. I’ll review and focus on the data from today, put that to work, and do everything I can. The start is important on this course, so I’m hunting an early opportunity.”
On the 11th lap, Arakawa, who was in the middle of the four-car battle, suddenly spun at Atwood Curve and came to a stop in the gravel. The race was put under a safety car run to recover the car. Koide, who had built up a large gap to second, lost his advantage.
Race 14 | September 15th | Sunday
Starting Position: 2nd Place
Finish Position: 1st Place
Track Conditions: Wet (following a rain shower)
Weather Conditions: Cloudy/Overcast
The day after the 13th round, which was held in scorching heat, Okayama International Circuit was hit by a morning rain shower. The track was wet, and it looked like the race would be run on rain tires, but the rain stopped just before the race began at 8:40 AM., and the sun broke through the clouds. There was also wind, so the track was half wet with some dry areas visible, and all cars entered the course on slick tires.
The start was made under difficult conditions with slicks. Koide kept the lead at the first corner, followed by Frederick, Kobayashi, and Nonaka, who had made the right start.
Koide maintained the lead from Williams Corner to Moss Straight and Atwood Curve but had a momentary trouble with the throttle which caused an instant of hesitation. Ready and hunting for opportunities, Kaylen Frederick was close on Koide’s rear and pounced brilliantly. Frederick took the outside of Koide at the hairpin and took the lead, but the safety car was called out immediately after.
The safety car was due to Shimizu (GNSY 324), who had started from pole position in the Master Class, and Imada (JMS RACING with B-MAX), who had made a good start from the back of the pack, but crashed due to the damp track on the inside of the Moss Straight. Imada, who had been ahead at the start, lost his balance, and Shimizu was caught up in the crash. The safety car led the race until the fourth lap.
The race restarted on the fifth lap, but Frederick and Koide were still in the lead, while Nonaka was closing in on Kobayashi in third place. At the Atwood Curve, Nonaka made a move on the inside of Kobayashi. However, the two cars collided, and both went off the track onto the gravel. Unable to escape, the race was put under the safety car again.
Koide gives chase, but Frederick wins:
On the 9th lap, the race was restarted and Frederick built up a margin. Meanwhile, Furutani was closing in on Koide from behind. Nakamura (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S 320 TGR-DC) was in 4th place, and there was a close battle between Ito (LMcorsa OTG 320), Arao (HFDP WITH TODA RACING) and Arakawa (B-MAX RACING 324).
However, in the final stages, Koide recorded the fastest lap and reduced the gap to Frederick. The race had two safety car runs, which meant that the maximum 30-minute extension time was reached before the regular 18 laps, but he continued to push until the finish.
Frederick held off Koide until the end and took his first victory in Super Formula Lights. Koide came in second, and although he was unable to make a comeback and win, he was able to widen the points gap after Nonaka stopped. Furutani came in third, making his first podium since the 10th round at Fuji.
Kaylen Frederick Post-Race Interview:
(PilotONE Racing with B-MAX/Car No.1/B-MAX RACING TEAM)
“I’m very happy to have won my first Super Formula Lights race. The race was in very tricky conditions. The first lap was very difficult, but I was able to make some good overtaking maneuvers. The safety car came out shortly after the pass for first, and I re-focused on keeping the temperature and pressure of the tires. The safety car allowed me to build a good lead after the restart. I could have done a little more in terms of pace at the end, but overall, I had a good race. It’s a good result for both me and the team. At SUGO, I was able to take pole position but couldn’t turn it into a result, and it took a while to get my first win, but this week I started from a good position in second place and was able to secure the result. I don’t know what the conditions will be like in Round 15 this afternoon, but the car is improving, so I feel we can have a good race package.”
Kaylen Frederick Race 14 Summary:
“I’m elated to be able to share my first win in Super Formula Lights with B-Max Racing this weekend in Okayama. We’ve had to work through much adversity throughout this year. I’m over the moon to finally be on the top step of the podium. The potential has been there the entire season, but we just needed a bit of luck on our side. Everything came together this weekend for Race 2.
Race 15 | September 15th | Sunday
Starting Position: 2nd Place
Finish Position: 2nd Place
Track Conditions: Dry
Weather Conditions: Cloudy/Overcast
The 5th and final race of the weekend of the All-Japan Super Formula Lights Championship, went green under dry track conditions and overcast skies. The starting grid for this race was decided based on the results of the 13th race, with Koide (HFDP WITH B-MAX RACING) taking pole position and Kaylen Frederick completing the front row BMAX lockout in 2nd.
Around noon the sun cleared the skies, and the 15th race began at 1:55 PM in hot and humid conditions. At the start, Koide took the lead going into the first corner, followed by Frederick in second and Kobayashi in third, and they all entered the first corner in the order they had on the grid.
Meanwhile, behind Nonaka, Nakamura (Mobility Chukyo TOM’S 320 TGR-DC) was pushing hard from behind. He nearly caught up with Nonaka at the Atwood Curve, but Nonaka was on the defensive in the hairpin, Revolver Corner, and Piper Corner. On the other hand, Arao (HFDP WITH TODA RACING), who was behind Nakamura, overtook Nakamura. The order was Nonaka, Arao, Nakamura.
Amid this battle, Koide, who was in the lead, recorded the fastest lap of 1 minute 24.658 seconds on the second lap, just like in Round 13. Koide built up a big lead over Frederick who was struggling with car setup and grip. Meanwhile, Kobayashi was closing in on Frederick from behind. This was also a development reminiscent of Round 13.
Koide continued to manage his tires well in the second half of the race to take the win. Meanwhile, the battle for second place continued between Frederick and Kobayashi, with the two cars fighting within one second of each other, and with Nonaka and Arao joining the pack. However, Frederick drove without a mis-step and the order remained the same until the end. Frederick finished second, and Kobayashi came in third, making for the same podium lineup as in the 13th round.
Kaylen Frederick Interview: Sunday Race 15 and 2nd Place Podium:
(PilotONE Racing with B-MAX/Car No.1/B-MAX RACING TEAM)
“My start wasn’t bad, but I couldn’t get ahead. I tried to keep up with Syun for the first few laps, but the pace wasn’t as good as I needed, and I started to struggle with the pace. After that, Kobayashi was closing in from behind and I drove defensively in the second half of the race. In the end, I finished in 2nd, and this is a good position, but there are still many areas where we need to improve the car. There is a long interval of two months until the next race at Suzuka, and Suzuka will also be a new challenge for me as I have never driven at this technical circuit. There is much to do in preparations, and I need to study and learn a lot for this round. However, this week I was able to get good results with the team. I want to have a similar weekend at Suzuka. This is a really cool course for a driver, so I want to do my best to get a good result at such a circuit.”
Kaylen Frederick Okayama Event Summary:
“Overall we came away with some great results this weekend. It was refreshing for the whole team to celebrate these three podium finishes, including two second places and a win. We had to work through multiple issues, but we did well as a team to adapt and maximize everything that we could. We need to get a better understanding as to why we lost pace towards the latter part of the weekend, but we still had a very strong showing.”
Championship Round-up | 9/14/24: 5th Place
Special thanks to BMAX Racing, Kenichi Hasegawa san, and Satoshi Motoyama san for a brilliant weekend!!
Next on the Calendar:
2024 Japan Super Formula Lights F3 | Round 6 | Races 16, 17, & 18
Suzuka International Circuit
November 9-10
Circuit Length: 5.8 KM | 3.6 Miles
(*Round 1 | Races 1, 2, & 3 were cancelled – rescheduled for December 7 & 8)
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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