Super Formula Recap: Kaku Ohta starts the season with an opportunistic wet weather win at Motegi
- Tarun Suresh
- Apr 4
- 3 min read
Written by Tarun Suresh
Qualifying
The tarmac at Motegi seemed to even the playing field and that, combined with the low track temperature of 17°C, made tyre management all the more crucial. It was Iwasa, the man who said he wants to win every race this season, who got everything right, securing pole position with a staggering 1:29.847 lap time, less than a tenth shy of the track record. Despite the impressive lap, Iwasa felt there was more to work on saying, “The car is brilliant! I think I didn’t do the best job possible, there are some things I’d say I could’ve done better.”
Kakunoshin Ohta qualified second, only 99 milliseconds off the polesitter. He didn’t seem too disappointed by the result, saying, “Last year I won from second.” Ren Sato started third. Reigning Super Formula Lights champion, Yuto Nomura, was the leading rookie, starting fourth on his debut.
Fifth through ninth were taken up by: Igor Fraga, Syun Koide, Sacha Fenestraz, lap record holder Tomoki Nojiri and Roman Staněk. Tadasuke Makino and 2024 champion Sho Tsuboi were major disappointments, rounding off the Qualifying 2 sheets, only 10th and 11th fastest respectively.
Nirei Fukuzumi was fourth fastest in Q2, but all his laptimes were deleted due to his car being under the weight limit and started last in 24th.
Race
Rain kept pouring before and into the race. The race started under the safety car. After 3 laps under safety car, the race was red flagged and the cars were brought back to the starting grid.
Around an hour after red flag, the race resumed under safety car. With 17 minutes left on the clock, the safety car pulled into the pits and racing began for the season opener.
Iwasa led through the restart with Ohta right behind and Sato in third. Nomura lost three places at the restart to Fraga, Koide and Fenestraz and dropped to seventh. Tsuboi didn’t waste any time and climbed up to ninth, ahead of Staněk.
Racing didn’t go on for long as Kamui Kobayashi and Ukyo Sasahara made contact, taking both of them out of the race. Zak O’Sullivan pulled into the pits with a broken front left suspension and retired from the race.
The safety car came back in with just 6 minutes left on the clock. Ohta immediately jumped on the OTS and took the lead down turn two. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much more green flag racing as Juju Noda spun out and banked the car in the gravel, bringing out the safety car again, under which the race ended.
Only 23 laps were completed, just two of which saw green flag racing, meaning only half points were awarded.
Kakunoshin Ohta crossed the line first to score his first win of the season and Dandelion’s fourth consecutive win at Motegi, starting his campaign for the title on a high. Iwasa finished second, and Ren Sato finished third, grabbing his fourth podium.
Sato’s teammate, Igor Fraga, finished fourth, and Koide an impressive fifth. Fenestraz was the leading Toyota in sixth. Nomura was the leading rookie in seventh, scoring points on debut. Tomoki Nojiri, in his hundredth start, finished eighth, grabbing a point and a half to mark the occasion. Tsuboi, Toyota’s favourite for the title this year, only finished ninth. Staněk ended his debut by grabbing the final points scoring position, scoring half a point.
There is still one more round left this weekend, to be held tomorrow. Rain is not expected for tomorrow, and the race is expected to be held in dry conditions. Qualifying will take place at 10:10 JST, and the race at 14:45 JST.
Hi there! That was an incredible session to watch. When the track temperature drops to 17°C, engineers have to make rapid and significant adjustments to the suspension geometry and starting tyre pressures. They usually soften the mechanical setup to generate more friction and heat into the tyre carcass, which helps the driver find that crucial grip on a leveled tarmac like Motegi. It's exactly why rookies like Yuto Nomura can suddenly jump to fourth on their debut, while veterans like Sho Tsuboi struggle down in 11th if they miss that narrow setup window.
Honestly, analyzing that much telemetry data and suspension physics all weekend can be incredibly mentally exhausting. After a long day of reviewing lap times and track data,…
That race was a perfect example of how unpredictable motorsport can be, especially in tricky weather conditions. Ohta really made the most of the situation — starting near the front and keeping the pressure on after the restart clearly paid off in the end. The fact that so many laps were run under safety car just made the timing and consistency even more important.
I’ve been following similar race breakdowns and discussions lately, and it’s interesting how strategy often matters just as much as raw pace. Found some solid insights and recaps here as well: 888starz login — worth checking if you're into detailed race analysis and different perspectives on events like this.
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