JAF ALL JAPAN CHAMPIONSHIP KF1 RD.1 & 2 –KF2 RD.1 TWIN RING AT MOTEGI, APRIL 13, 2008

IN RACE 2, THE PODIUM IS MONOPOLIZED BY KATSUTA, OHTANI AND MAEHARA

ISHII WAS VERY UNFORTUNATE: DISQUALIFIED IN RACE 1 BY AN EXIT FROM THE TRACK AFTER HAVING WON AND FORCED TO WITHDRAW IN RACE 2.

KF1 –Round 1 – Starting this year, the KF1 racing format was changed in respect to the past. In fact, the top class ran two separate races on Saturday and Sunday, each one with qualifying rounds, matches and Finals. Starting with the free trials on Friday, Ishii was the fastest and most constant in all track conditions. The drivers with IAME engines quickly made themselves known, ending up performing better than the feared Vortex. During the qualifying round, Ishii (Birel-Iame) with Bridgestone tyres won the first seasonal pole of the KF1 and Iijima (Superwinforce SWF Y32-A Parilla) with Dunlop tyres made third place a few hundredths from Satoh (FA Kart -Vortex).
In the matches, Ishii knew how to manage his race with few problems and achieving success while the two Toyota BP Racing Team drivers were involved in an accident in the first lap: Ohtani had to come back from the rear and the debutant Katsuta was forced to withdraw due to his rear spoiler being broken. In the Final, on the other hand, Ishii and Sasaki were pitted against each other throughout the entire race in a locked dual which was resolved only during the last laps that were raced in a light rain: Sasaki was in front, with Ishii beside him, but the leader closed the gap causing an inevitable contact. Ishii was faster in regaining the track, winning the race, but the commissioner then excluded him from the classification (not without controversy) for having taken a curve inside the kerb and re-entering the track.
Thus the victory went to Sasaki, while Maehara won an excellent 2nd place with his Birel R 31. Ohtani, on the other hand, succeeded in moving back up to finish in fourth place, registering the fastest lap in the race.

Race 1 Finish

1. D.Sasaki Kosmic/Vortex/BS
2. Y.Maehara Birel R31-SE/TM/BS
3. H.Inoue Tony/Vortex/BS
4. R.Ohtani Winforce SWF Y32-A/IAME/BS
5. A.Takaboshi Intrepid/Vortex/BS
6. S.Satoh FA Kart/Vortex/BS
10.T.Sritrai Birel R31-SE/IAME/BS

KF1 –Round 2 – The second race highlighted the superiority of the Birel chassis more, both in the R31-SE version and the Winforce SWF Y32-A model. In the qualifier, 5 Birel drivers placed themselves between first and 10th and, even though the pole slipped in favour of Sasaki, Ishii and Katsuta obtained excellent 2nd and 3rd times. The Thailand driver from Birel Pacific, Tin Sritrai also had an excellent race. After a year of experience in Japan he entered directly among the top drivers, winning 7th place in the start-up.
In the matches, Ohtani was quickly involved in a contact and moved back up to 11th place, registering the fastest lap. Katsuta, on the other hand, won ahead of Ishii after his misfortune in the 1st Final. An excellent sixth place went to Sritrai. In the Final, there was another surprise by Katsura who, up until last year, ran in the FP Jr. class. The Toyota BP driver quickly gained the lead with great determination ahead of team-mates Ishii and Ohtani. The rhythm of the tyres was very fast and no one could counteract the success of young Katsuta. Maehara came in fourth place, slowed down by a clutch problem. Up until the 6th lap from the end a good 4 Birel drivers were in the lead but unfortunately, Ishii was again stopped by an inconvenient technical problem which forced him to withdraw. Thus Katsuta moved ahead of Ohtani, with a great one-two finish for the Toyota BP Racing Team. The talented Maehara, on the other hand, carried his Birel/TM to the podium, ahead of Takaboshi (Intrepid) and Sasaki (Kosmic).

Race 2 Finish

1. T.Katsuta Winforce SWF Y32-A/IAME/BS
2. R.Ohtani Winforce SWF Y32-A/IAME/BS
3. Y.Maehara Birel R31-SE/TM/BS
4. A.Takaboshi Intrepid/Vortex/BS
5. D.Sasaki Kosmic/Vortex/BS
6. H.Inoue Tony/Vortex/BS
7. K.Kawaguchi Birel R31-SE/Vortex/DL
8. T.Sritrai Birel R31-SE/IAME/BS

JAF All Japan Championship KF2 Rd.1 - East

Hiroki Ohtsu dominate the scene

The Winforce –Parilla colours dominate, winning the pole, the qualifying match and the victory.

KF2 Round 1 – The KF2 during the Montegi weekend raced only a single trial and, for the Winforce and Birel colours, the racetrack confirmed the impressive competitiveness already shown in the KF1. In the qualifying round, Ohtsu (Winforce-Parilla) had no problems winning the best absolute performance, but even Asano and Kurosawa easily placed themselves among the top drivers. The match then confirmed Ohtsu’s superiority as he won without any problems and with a large margin over his adversaries. In the Final the script didn’t change and Ohtsu won again with a clear advantage over Kiyohara (Tony Kart). Another positive racer was Asano who, with his Birel R 31-SE and TM engine, won an excellent 4th place overall ahead of Nakamura (Tony Kart) and the Kurosawa team-mates.

1. H.Ohtsu Winforce SWF Y32-A/IAME/BS
2. S.Kiyohara Tony/Vortex/BS
3. R.Tateishi Tony/Vortex/BS
4. Y.Asano Birel R31-SE/TM/DL
5. H.Nakamura Tony/Vortex/DL
6. H.Kurosawa Birel R31-SE/TM/BS

JAF Zone Championship FS125 Rd.1 - East

Kojima is third

The first trial of the FS 125 was run from the outlying to the KF classes; the FS 125 being the single-brand with Iame engines and Dunlop tyres that saw great participation. In fact, while the Rok -Vortex class, with only 5 participants was cancelled by the organizers, the FS 125 - IAME X30 race in the Eastern Area had a good 34 registered participants. This success marks it as the best learning category before moving up to the KF classes. And in this category, even if success passed them by, the Birel and Winforce drivers were important players. An excellent race was won by Kojima reaching 3rd place on the podium with his Birel R 31-SE, while the Winforce colours reached 5th and 6th place with Shinohara and Shimada.

1. R.Takahashi Kosmic
2. T.Takahashi Kosmic
3. D.Kojima Birel R31-SE
4. K.Hiraoka Tony
5. T.Shinohara Winforce SWF Y32-A
6. M.Shimada Winforce SWF Y32-A

JAF All Japan Junior Championship Rd.1 - East

Tsuboi from 23rd to the podium

The single-brand Yamaha KT100 engines with Yokohama SL02 tyres finished the racing program on the Montegi track. Even this youth class highlighted the Birel drivers and, in particular Tsuboi who, after having been in 23rd place during the first phases of the race due to a contact, moved back up with an exciting climb to end up on the podium. With a single-brand of engines and tires where the chassis and the driver play a determining role, this performance is very significant. Yamada did better than Tsuboi with his Birel R 31, winning 2nd over all behind the winner, Sasahara. Saitoh also ran a positive race, winning 6th place.

1. U.Sasahara Tony
2. H.Yamada Birel R31-SE
3. S.Tsuboi Winforce SWF Y32-A
4. T.Morito Corse
5. S.Tanabe Rakama
6. T.Saitoh Winforce SWF Y32-A