Table of Contents
- 1 Ohta shines in qualifying training
- 2 Disastrous start for Ayumu Iwasa
- 3 Juju Noda shortly before the first points
- 4 Nojiri takes the last pole of the year
- 5 Ohta on the way to his third Suzuka victory
- 6 Sho Tsuboi becomes champion of the 2024 Super Formula season
- 7 * Given the close competition for second place, what does the outcome of the 2024 season suggest about the level of parity within the Super Formula field?
Sho Tsuboi traveled to Suzuka as the championship leader and was on the verge of winning a second consecutive championship for TOM’S.
Tadasuke Makino and Tomoki Nojiri also traveled to Suzuka with title chances. The team championship was still completely open, Team Mugen traveled to Mie Prefecture as the leading team.
Ohta shines in qualifying training
Saturday started with a bitter disappointment for Tomoki Nojiri, he failed to finish in the top 12 during the weekend’s qualifying session. Kakunoshin Ohta (6), on the other hand, secured his first pole position in the Super Formula.
Ex-Formula 2 driver Ayumu Iwasa (15) started the race from 2, followed by Ren Sato (65), Tadasuke Makino (5), Sho Tsuboi (36) and Naoki Yamamoto (64), who will finish before the weekend Super Formula activities announced.
Sena Sakaguchi (38), Nirei Fukuzumi (8), Toshiki Oyu (39) and Ukyo Sasahara (37) Top 10.
Disastrous start for Ayumu Iwasa
At the start of the penultimate race of the year, Kakunoshin Ohta (6) entered turn 1 as the leader, Ayumu Iwasa (15), who had started 2nd, stopped at the start and had to follow the field. Atsushi Miyake (12) had to park his vehicle completely on lap 1.
The field remained relatively quiet until lap 6, Tomoki Nojiri (16) overtook Ukyo Sasahara (37) for 9th position, then Kenta Yamashita (3) also attacked Sasahara (37) for 10th position.
On lap 11 the first pit stops, including Makino (5) and Nojiri (16). A lap later, second-placed Ren Sato (65) came into the pits, but the Nakajima Racing crew did not attach the left rear wheel properly and he rolled out in the pit lane with 3 wheels.
Sho Tsuboi (36) was also in the pits and left the pit lane directly in front of his championship rival Tadasuke Makino (5). Makino (5) had to pass Tsuboi (36), but he defended his position until the end of the race.
On lap 16, Otsu (55) also had to park his vehicle. On lap 19 a tire rolled across the race track again and Hbiki Taira (19) also had to finish the race on 3 wheels. The tire had enough momentum to complete the first two corners without Taira.
The safety car left the pit lane with 11 laps to go, while Kotaka (4) also had to park his vehicle in the pits.
Juju Noda shortly before the first points
Ohta (6) did his best to give his third-placed teammate (5) a good chance at the restart, but Tsuboi (36) didn’t let up and defended his second position again.
With seven laps to go, Juju Noda (53) fought against Ayumu Iwasa (15) for 10th position, just shortly after Kobayashi (7) and Oshima (14) slowed down. The reason for this was that Sasahara (37) spun, which hit Oshima (14)’s vehicle. Oshima (14) and Sasahara (37) dropped out of the race.
Kamui Kobayashi (7) later received a penalty for a failed overtaking maneuver against Juju Noda (53). Noda’s (53) development was astonishing, at the beginning of the year she was still losing one second per lap to the competition, and in the penultimate race of the season she fought against ex-Formula 1 driver Kamui Kobayashi (7) and ex-Formula 2 driver Ayumu Iwasa (15).
Another safety car interrupted the race and reopened it with 3 laps to go. Iori Kimura (50) overtook Juju Noda (53) with a better timed boost and Tomoki Nojiri (16) overtook Nirei Fukuzumi (8) on the outside in the 130R.
Kakunoshin Ohta (6) gewann sein zweites Super Formula Rennen, vor Sho Tsuboi (36) und Tadasuke Makino (5). 3), Iwasa (15) and Oyu (39).
Nojiri takes the last pole of the year
Tomoki Nojiri (16) took pole position on Sunday, ahead of Kakunoshin Ohta (6), Sho Tsuboi (36) and Ren Sato (65). Fukuzumi (8) started from 5, followed by Sakaguchi (38), Sasahara (37), Yamashita (3), Yamamoto (64) and Tadasuke Makino (5), who had lost almost all championship chances.
Juju Noda (53) was back in her last position, despite a strong learning curve, she currently does not have a contract for 2025. There are also some rumors that TGM Grand Prix (formerly Team Goh Motorsports) will leave the series in 2025, an official one However, there has been no statement on this yet.
Team Goh is one of the more unknown teams in the world, but with Tom Kristensen, Rinaldo Capello and Seiji Ara they were able to record a 24h Le Mans victory in 2004.
For Naoki Yamamoto it was the last qualification of his Super Formula career; the three-time Super Formula champion started from 9th place.
Ohta on the way to his third Suzuka victory
Ohta (6) had another great start and passed Tomoki Nojiri (16), Sho Tsuboi (36) overtook Nojiri (16) just one lap later. At the end of Round 2, Nirei Fukuzumi (8) also overtook the 2021 and 2022 champion (16).
In lap 6, Ren Sato (65) and Nojiri (16) also passed. Later, Kenta Yamashita (3) and Ayumu Iwasa (15) passed Toshiki Oyu (39), but the field remained largely sorted.
The pit stop phase began on lap 11, with Fukuzumi (8), Nojiri (16), Sakaguchi (37), Yamamoto (64), Sasahara (37), Kunimoto (20), Miyake (12) and Juju (53) stopping. Sasahara (37) was able to gain two positions and left the pits ahead of Naoki Yamamoto (64).
On the same lap, Yamamoto (64) overtook Sasahara (37) on the outside in the 130R. Makino (5) lost another position after his pit stop, Toshiki Oyu (39) overtook him around the outside in the hairpin.
A lap later, race leader Kakunoshin Ohta (6) also stopped, only just able to defend against the attacks of Sho Tsuboi (36). Nojiri (16) was able to gain fourth position from Ren Sato (65) during the pit stop phase.
Tadasuke Makino (5) overtook Oyu (39) in the 130R and once again stuck to the rear of Ukyo Sasahara (37). This time it only took one lap for Makino (5) to overtake Sasahara (37).
Sho Tsuboi becomes champion of the 2024 Super Formula season
Ayumu Iwasa (15) stopped late and used the fresher tires to overtake Tadasuke Makino (5) shortly before the end. This overtaking maneuver helped his teammate Tomoki Nojiri (16) become runner-up.
Kakunoshin Ohta (6) crossed the finish line first and won a Super Formula race in Suzuka for the third time in his young career. Sho Tsuboi (36) came second and secured the 2024 Super Formula Drivers’ Championship.
Nirei Fukuzumi (8) completed the podium in third place. Tomoki Nojiri (16) came fourth and thus runner-up. Sato (65) finished fifth, ahead of his teammate Naoki Yamamoto (64) in his final Super Formula race. Ayumu Iwasa came seventh, ahead of Tadasuke Makino (5), Kenta Yamashita (3) and Kamui Kobayashi (7).
In the championship, Makino came third, ahead of Ohta, Iwasa, Fukuzumi, Yamashita, Yamamoto, Oyu and Kobayashi. The team championship was secured by Team Dandelion Racing, ahead of Team Mugen, Team TOM’S, KCMG, Nakajima Racing, Kondo Racing and Inging.
* Given the close competition for second place, what does the outcome of the 2024 season suggest about the level of parity within the Super Formula field?
Here are some open-ended questions to spark discussion based on the Super Formula race article:
**Section 1: The Rise of Kakunoshin Ohta**
* Ohta achieved his first pole position and secured two race victories in this penultimate weekend. What factors do you think contributed to his sudden rise in performance?
* How significant is it for the Super Formula series to have new, emerging talents like Ohta challenging the established champions?
* Do you think Ohta has what it takes to become a consistent frontrunner in the series next season, or are these performances more of a flash in the pan?
**Section 2: Tsuboi’s Championsip Victory and the Battle for 2nd**
* Sho Tsuboi secured the 2024 Super Formula Drivers’ Championship with a consistent season. What were the key factors that led to his success?
* The battle for second place was intensely contested between Tomoki Nojiri and Tadasuke Makino. How did their driving styles and team strategies play into this close finish?
* What does Tadasuke Makino need to do in the future to challenge for the championship title?
**Section 3: Notable Performances and Developing Talent**
* Juju Noda showed significant development throughout the weekend, aggressively fighting with established drivers. How important is it for young drivers like Noda to be given opportunities in competitive series like Super Formula?
* Naoki Yamamoto announced his retirement from Super Formula. What legacy will he leave behind in the series?
* Ayumu Iwasa had both highs and lows during the weekend, experiencing mechanical issues and strong passing maneuvers. What does his performance trajectory suggest for his future career?
**Section 4: The Future of Super Formula**
* Rumors are circulating about TGM Grand Prix potentially leaving the series. What impact would the departure of such a historic team have on Super Formula?
* The article mentioned Tomoki Nojiri’s struggles in qualifying. What are some potential reasons behind his qualifying difficulties compared to his race performance?
* Looking ahead to the next season, which drivers and teams will you be watching closely, and why?
These open-ended questions encourage deeper analysis, discussion of different perspectives, and ultimately a more engaging conversation about the exciting events that unfolded in this Super Formula weekend.
