MUGEN

2015.4.24

TEAM MUGEN aimed for victory from the pole position, but with disappointing results.

Series name: 2015 Japanese Championship SUPER FORMULA Round 1 - Suzuka Circuit
Event: SUZUKA 2&4 RACE
Course: 5.807km × 43 laps (249.701km)
Qualifying: April 18 (Sat) / Fine / Attendance 23,000 (Announcement from the organizer)
Race: April 19 (Sun) / Fine / Attendance 28,000 (Announcement from the organizer)

Japan's top formula category last year conducted a full review of the vehicle rules, and as a result we have changed to a newly developed chassis and engine. TEAM MUGEN is racing again this year with a chassis developed by Dallara Automobile (Italy) and the Honda HR-414E, a 2,000 cc in-line four-cylinder direct-injection turbocharged engine developed by Honda based on the NRE (Nippon Race Engine) standard.

Running with the same package as last year, we approached the opening race in the second year of the season, held on the Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture. TEAM MUGEN readied driver Naoki Yamamoto, who became the last series champion with the 2013 specification vehicle, and the traditional MUGEN car number 16.
This marked the 6th year that TEAM MUGEN has raced in the top formula series.

April 18 (Sat)

■  Exclusive drive (1st)
#16 Naoki Yamamoto, 1st position (00:01:38.745)

We conducted an exclusive drive on a dry road surface beginning at 9:00 on Saturday the 18th, and lasting for 1 hour. Beginning from this season, the regulation restricting the number of tires that can be used during race week has been changed. The previous restriction of “4 sets of new tires, and 1 set of used tires brought by each team” has been changed to “3 sets of new tires, and 3 sets of used tires brought by each team”, complicating the race week tire allocation strategy.

At this race, most teams brought “used tires” that were in fact nearly new, having been just broken in during off-season testing. They used these tires first and kept their new tires for later use. During the off season, the Honda HR-414E engine underwent considerable refinement to produce more advanced 2015 specifications.

During the first exclusive drive, each team started with the used tires, then changed tires when around 5 minutes were left in the session to simulate a time attack in preparation for the qualifying session. It was #16 Naoki Yamamoto who recorded the best time during the exclusive drive, clocking 00:01:38.745 to finish the session.

■  Qualifying session
#16 Naoki Yamamoto (Q1:1st position, 00:01:38.756, Q2: 3rd position, 00:01:38.903, Q3: 1st position, 00:01:38.585)

The weather at the circuit on Saturday was fine, and Q1 of the knockout format qualifying session was started at 13:50 as both the air and road surface temperatures were climbing. After entering the course, #16 Naoki Yamamoto spent the first half of the 20 minute session driving several laps at a stable pace before returning to the pit.

With new tires installed, he returned to the course with just under 7 minutes remaining for the time attack. #16 Naoki Yamamoto easily clocked the top time of 00:01:38.756 to take the top spot. None of the following drivers bested his time, and #16 Naoki Yamamoto remained in the top position at the start of Q2.

14 cars proceeded to Q2, where #16 Naoki Yamamoto clocked 00:01.38.903 to again take the top position. However this time was later beaten by 2 other vehicles with Honda engines, and he advanced to Q3 in the number 3 position.

8 cars drove in Q3. #16 Naoki Yamamoto ran a focused time attack and produced his best time of 00:01:38.585. He finished the session 0.3 seconds ahead of the 2nd place car to take the pole position.

April 19 (Sun)

■   Exlusive drive (2nd)
#16 Naoki Yamamot, 12th position (00:01:56.721)

The second exclusive drive was conducted for 30 minutes starting at 9:05 on Sunday morning. It had rained the previous night until morning, and although the rain had stopped by the time when the course was opened, the road surface was wet. The team installed rain tires onto the machine and sent it onto the course. #16 Naoki Yamamoto was not worried about time on a road that was wet enough to send up a trail of spray, and instead focused as always on checking how the machine handled with a full tank of fuel in preparation for the final race. His top time was 00:01:56.721, putting him in 12th position and 1.302 seconds behind the leader.

■   Final Race
#16 Naoki Yamamoto, 15th position (42 laps / 01:12:29.394 / Best lap 00:01:41.021)

After the end of the exclusive drive, the skies clouded over but no rain fell and the final race started in questionable conditions. Although the road surface was dry, the road still felt damp. The 43-lap final race was started at 15:00. At the instant of the start signal, #16 Naoki Yamamoto was momentarily slow to accelerate, and was passed by the 2 cars in the second grid and 1 car in the third grid, as he raced into the first corner in 4th place.

In order to make up for his slow start, #16 Naoki Yamamoto drove aggressively against the driver ahead beginning from lap 1. When the cars entered the final corner, he twice used the overtake system (OTS) and moved from behind to alongside the other car, and on the second corner of lap 2 succeeded in overtaking the other car, moving into 3rd place.

Several laps then followed with #16 Naoki Yamamoto approximately 1 second behind the car ahead, as the top three cars pulled away from the rest and formed a leader group. However the cars remained deadlocked and he was unable to close the distance with the car ahead.

After the race passed the halfway point, on lap 28 the car ahead entered the pit for tire change and refueling, and #16 Naoki Yamamoto then appeared to be in 2nd place. However, he had been waiting for this, and also drove into the pit at the end of lap 29. The strategy was to use this pit stop as an opportunity to return to the course in a position ahead of the car ahead if possible. However after a refueling and tire change time that was nearly the same as #16, the car ahead returned to its original pace immediately upon returning to the course. When #16 Naoki Yamamoto returned to the course, the leading car was ahead of him in the same way as before the pit stop, and he had not succeeded in reversing their positions.

#16 Naoki Yamamoto picked up the pace and in lap 31 clocked the fastest lap of the race at 00:01:41.021 as he again pursued the car ahead. However he was unable to close the distance sufficiently to pass. Even so, #16 Naoki Yamamoto persisted, continuing to drive hard and make a passing opportunity. However when the cars entered the final lap, #16's engine sound changed and the car began producing white smoke, forcing #16 Naoki Yamamoto to exit the race. Stopping the machine in the green belt to the side of the course, he ended the race without taking the checkered flag. However even though he did not take the checkered flag, because he had completed the prescribe number of laps, he was considered to have completed the race in 15th place.

Despite consistently dominating in speed during nearly all sessions over the weekend, #16 Naoki Yamamoto ended the race unexpectedly with no points. #16 Naoki Yamamoto and TEAM MUGEN are planning to rally at the second 2015 Japanese Championship SUPER FORMULA race that will be held on the Okayama International Circuit in Okayama Prefecture on May 23 (Sat) and 24 (Sun).

■ Comments from driver, Naoki Yamamoto

In a word, it was disappointing. Everything throughout the weekend, including the qualifying session and the final race, had been going according to plan. However at the start of the final race, when I engaged the clutch there was no reaction and the car did not move. I was aware of this issue even before the start of the race, and I had tried a variety of different ways to engage the clutch. But then right there at the start, I was not able to accelerate. Anybody in this situation could blame the clutch, but that was not the problem. It was my mistake.

After the start, the car ran well, however when you are stuck behind another car it is impossible to pick the pace any further. All you can do is move close to the leading vehicle and put pressure on it, waiting for a mistake. The driver ahead of me was Kazutaka Nakajima, a driver who does not make mistakes, so I knew that getting past him would not be easy. Failing that, I had to rely on our [pit] strategy, but that did not go as well as I had hoped. To be sure there was lost time, but even without it I don't think I would have been able to reverse our positions.

I did not give up, and was still aiming for 2nd place. However getting the points is also important, so I was driving to protect my 3rd place position when I suddenly lost power. Although I struggled through another half a lap, I could not drive the car any further. Of all times, it had to happen in the last lap.

[The team and driver which won] are an opponent who makes cars that are strong in competition, and who operates strategically. This race made me think that both myself and the team will also have to raise our own levels.

■ Comments from the team director, Nagataka Tezuka

Today was really disappointing. Up through the qualifying sessions, the team and driver did their work as planned and we took the pole position. The mechanics worked hard preparing for the final race on Sunday, and the engineers used all their knowledge and experience in getting us ready. In fact, we had been worried about the clutch engagement, and took the clutch completely apart to adjust it. However in the end, this happened and we ended up being passed by the cars behind.

It was most unfortunate since, unlike last year, we had succeeded in creating a position to fight for the championship. We will not know what went wrong until we take the machine back with us, but it looks like there was a problem in the engine system. We will work urgently to identify and correct the cause.
In addition, there are a lot of matters both large and small that we need to fix in both the vehicle and the team. We must make solid improvements and make ourselves stronger. We want to correct the problems and improve ourselves so that we can win as soon as possible.

I would like to ask for the continued support of all related parties and of course our fans.

♦ Photo Gallery (Round1)