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Round11 [Suzuka]
‘July 12 , Round11 :Suzuka circuit Participation cars: 9 all-Japan class, 7 National class.Weather:Sunny (DRY)
Van Dam got the fourth win in this season at proud Suzuka! Kunimoto and Yamamoto climbed up on winner's podium.

@On July 12, the eleventh series round was performed at Suzuka circuit in severe condition of temperature 35 degrees and road surface 52 degrees.
@It was Carlo Van Dam of TOM'S who took the pole position at qualifying in the morning. He got in Suzuka as a point leader and said "I won the first championship at here in May. I can drive comfortably at this circuit." He recorded 1 '56.418, and got a seat of the fifth pole sitter in this season. His teammate Keisuke Kunimoto followed as the second position, Takuto Iguchi and Naoki Yamamoto of Honda Team Real lined up to the second line of their behind, and Yuki Nakayama and Kei Cozzolino of NMS followed them.
@At 4:00 p.m., a formation lap of the eleventh round final with 12 laps started while it became hotter than qualifying. Katsuaki Kubota of the National class who debuted in this race had lost some time at the start, but he started again following to the tail.
@When the red lights went out at 4:05 p.m. Van dam did good start. Kunimoto followed him, and Yamamoto overtook Iguchi who said "my acceleration after having begun to move was bad", and moved up to the third place. Moreover, Iguchi took an offensive of Nakayama from the out side of first to second corner, and then slightly came into contact with him who got ahead by approach to 2nd corner. Nakayama did spinning out and finished the race in gravel. When completed the first lap, Van dam, Kunimoto, Yamamoto, Iguchi, Cozzolino, Koki Saga filled up for top 6.
@Van dam updated the fastest lap while the second and third lap, "I pushed beginning the race, because wanted to make a gap" and separated following 2nd place step by step.
In the behind, Kunimoto, Yamamoto, and Iguchi competed for developed the race. Saga who approached Cozzolino lost the balance in the fifth lap at degner approach and did spinning out .Then he returned to the race, but dropped to the tail. After that, Kunimoto pulled ahead of the 2nd place fight by 3 gradually. Yamamoto and Iguchi developed the third place fierce fight at the second half, but Yamamoto who said "I did not mind behind, and concentrated on my drive" bore pressure of Iguchi and defended the third place desperately.
@After all "It was a narrow margin in qualifying, but added the gap a lot unexpectedly in the final" Van dam made five second margin to followers and succeeded in escaping to won the championship. Kunimoto was the second and saidh I had good drive to push, but some small mistakes piled up and have been lost by Van dam as the result.h Yamamoto was the third place. Iguchi, Cozzolino follow them, and Hironobu Yasuda of ThreeBond was 6th position with a new engine that became an actual fighting debut in this race.

@In National class, Hideki Yamauchi who was the qualifying top settled the start without a mistake and defended the top desperately. On the contrary, Alexandre Imperatori of the second position has fallen a lot by an engine stall. After this Masaki Matsushita, Hideto Yasuoka, and Zahir Ali raised order one by one, and Imperatori got the fifth position. Matsushita followed Yamauchi to the second lap clingingly, but after that the gap of them spread gradually. When a difference expanded in one and half second, Yamauchi set spurt, but he went off the track in the eighth lap at Degner curve! He returned immediately, but allowed to approach of Matsushita and Yasuoka again. Then Yamauchi recorded the fastest at the next lap whether there was nothing happen, he spread a gap for two seconds at the tenth lap, and succeeded marked the fifth win in this season. He said "I was glad for this race, but could not control my mind yet." and seemed to have left a reflection point for race details. Matsushita, Yasuoka, Ali, Imperatori finished with complete places of second to fourth.

œ Round11/12uSuzukavResult

Hankook
TOYOTA
ThreeBond
J SPORTS
AUTOSPORT
TOYOTA TECHNOCRAFT
Dallara