Choi Jeong Weon is crowned TCR Japan champion

KMSA Motorsport’s Choi Jeong Weon was crowned TCR Japan champion in the season finale at Twin Ring Motegi. The Korean driver steered his Hyundai Elantra N to a double victory in Saturday’s races and secured the title while his teammate Masanobu Kato was struggling to recover after experiencing technical failures in qualifying. Kato finished the season in style, claiming a well-deserved victory in Sunday’s Race 3, beating Choi by inches after a thrilling battle.

In the standings, Choi and Kato finished 1-2 for KMSA Motorsport, split by 40 points, having won all races but one.

Race 1 – Choi had set the pole beating Junichi Umemoto’s Honda by seven tenths, while Kato was last on the grid due to a power steering issue. At the start, Choi rejected an attempt from Umemoto and led the field, while Kato passed ‘Mototino’ for P5 in lap 1 and Resshu Shioya for P4 in lap 2. Choi pulled away, while Umemoto defended the second place from Kato. Further behind, ‘Mototino’ overtook Shioya for fourth in lap 10, before the safety car was deployed to recover Kim Sung Hyun’s Hyundai i30 N that had stopped on the track. The green flag was waved for a last lap, but positions did not change, and Choi won by one second over Umemoto, with Kato third.

Race 2 – In the second qualifying held 40 minutes after the first one, Choi had been the fastest again, with Umemoto eight tenths behind and Kato relegated to the last spot, still struggling with the power steering issue. Umemoto made a better start than Choi and led into T1, but the Korean driver took the lead during the first lap. Behind them, Kato quickly moved up to third and began to put the pressure on Umemoto, eventually passing him in lap 4, while ‘Mototino’ overtook Shioya for P4. In the last part of the race, Kato and Umemoto closed in on Choi who was able to keep them at bay and won by five tenths, securing the title before the last race.

Race 3 – The Honda cars of Hideo Kubota, ‘Mototino’ and Shioya had topped the third qualifying, with Kubota outpacing the rest of the field by 1.5 seconds; Kato and Choi were fourth and fifth fastest, both their Hyundai cars affected by technical issues. Kubota made a good start, but he was immediately under pressure from Choi and Kato who had sprinted past ‘Mototino’ and Shioya. During the first lap, Choi took the lead, while Kubota defended the second place from Kato. Behind them, ‘Mototino’ and Shioya were fighting for P4, but then Shioya had to serve a drive-through for jump start. In lap 4, Kubota overtook Choi and retook the lead, but this was not to last, because in the following lap Choi made a move, lost control of his car and punted Kubota’s car into a spin. Kato benefitted from the situation and moved up to the front, while Kubota rejoined in fourth place. During the final three laps, Kato and Choi delivered a thrilling battle and swapped the lead a few times, until Kato was able to win by 0.136 seconds; behind them ‘Mototino’ kept Kubota at bay to complete the podium.

Motegi - Race 1

1. Choi J.W. (KMSA Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 13 laps
2. J. Umemoto (J'S Racing, Honda Civic FL5), 1.072
3. M. Kato (KMSA Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 2.260

Motegi - Race 2

1. Choi J.W. (KMSA Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 13 laps
2. M. Kato (KMSA Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 0.571
3. J. Umemoto (J'S Racing, Honda Civic FL5), 1.199

Motegi - Race 3

1. M. Kato (KMSA Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 13 laps
2. Choi J.W. (KMSA Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 0.136
3. 'Mototino' (55 Moto Racing, Honda Civic FK7), 8.151

Championship points

1. Choi J.W., 249 pts; 2. M. Kato, 209; 3. Kim S.H., 82

Picture: TCR Japan