KMSA Motorsport drivers dominate TCR Japan’s opener
TCR Japan began with a field of only four cars at Twin Ring Motegi and a clear domination from the pair of KMSA Motorsport Hyundai Elantra cars driven by Choi Jeong Weon and Masanobu Kato. The championship has adopted a new three-race format, with two qualifying sessions, one sets the grid for Race 1 and the second for Race 2 and Race 3, with the grid of the last race determined by the second fastest lap.
Race 1 – Choi had beaten Kato to the pole by 91 thousandths and led at the start ahead of his new teammate. Behind them, Ryosuke Niikura’s Audi went off during the first lap and rejoined behind Kim Sung Hyun that he re-passed in lap 2. In lap 3, Kato took the lead from Choi who retired with electric problems. Kato had a comfortable lead, Niikura tried to close the gap but to no avail and settled for second.
Race 2 – At the start, Kato had a better reflex and led from Choi who had been fastest by three tenths in the second qualifying, but the Korean driver re-established the order during the first lap. The pair pulled away and Choi’s pace proved too fast also for Kato who lost ground until the last pair of laps when Choi slowed down so that they could cross the line in close formation.
Race 3 – The field shrank further as Kim Sung Yun’s Hyundai i30 was sidelined by technical issues. Once again Kato got away faster than Choi who was also passed by Niikura into T1. They swapped places a couple of times during the first lap until Choi moved ahead for good. It took a few laps to Choi for closing the gap to Kato and eventually he took the lead in lap 7. Afterwards, they replayed the same script as in the previous race and finished one-two, with Niikura a distant third.
The championship will resume at Suzuka, on October 5/6.
Championship points
- M. Kato, 73 pts; 2. Choi Jeong Weon, 65; 3. R. Niikura, 57
Picture: TCR Japan
