Ohta takes pole-to-win to secure Motegi double victory
Mobility Resort Motegi
Qualifying
Qualifying for Round 2 on Sunday, 5 April took place in the morning under overcast skies, with damp patches remaining on parts of the track. Kakunoshin Ohta (DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING), who secured a comeback victory in the season opener the previous day, carried that momentum into qualifying to take pole position. Honda/M-TEC users will occupy four of the first three rows on the grid for the Round 2 race, including Ayumu Iwasa (TEAM MUGEN AUTOBACS) in P3, Tomoki Nojiri (TEAM MUGEN AUTOBACS) in P4, and Syun Koide (ThreeBond Racing) in P6.
Race
In the afternoon race, rookie Yuto Nomura (San-Ei Gen with B-Max) stalled before the formation lap and started from the pit lane. From pole position, Ohta made a clean start, but a slight loss of acceleration allowed Toshiki Oyu (Toyota), who had started second, to draw alongside. Ohta held him into Turn 1, but Oyu took the inside line at Turn 2 to take the lead.
On lap 3, a Safety Car (SC) was deployed after a car went off track. When racing resumed on lap 7, Oyu activated the Overtake System (OTS) to pull away. Ohta responded with OTS, and although an intense battle followed, he was unable to retake the lead.
The race turned on lap 11, when Oyu pitted early for tyres, going against the usual strategy, while Ohta stayed out. Inheriting the lead, Ohta pushed hard before making his stop on lap 20. After rejoining, he emerged ahead of Oyu, who had struggled to overtake cars in the pack.
Ohta then maintained the effective race lead, but with only a few laps remaining, he began to experience drivetrain issues. “I was no longer able to shift up and down properly,” he said. As Sena Sakaguchi (Toyota), now effectively second, closed in, Ohta managed the situation calmly. “If a gear breaks, the problem can worsen and force a retirement, so I focused on shifting carefully.” He crossed the line just 0.958 seconds ahead of Sakaguchi to secure back-to-back wins.
Among the other Honda/M-TEC users, Iwasa finished P8, Koide P9, and Nobuharu Matsushita (DELiGHTWORKS RACING) P10, all scoring points. Koide scored in consecutive races, while Matsushita marked a strong return after an 18-month absence. “There were parts of my driving that had become a bit rusty, but after these two races I feel like I’m back to my old self,” he said.
I need to reflect on losing the position to Oyu on the opening lap. However, our strategy and pit work afterwards were flawless, with no mistakes. I was a bit concerned when the gearbox started to have issues in the final couple of laps, but thanks to the mechanics who always prepare the car so well, it didn’t turn into a major problem and I was able to finish the race.
It was a weekend where both the car and my driving worked well together. I’d like to carry this form through the rest of the season.
I need to reflect on losing the position to Oyu on the opening lap. However, our strategy and pit work afterwards were flawless, with no mistakes. I was a bit concerned when the gearbox started to have issues in the final couple of laps, but thanks to the mechanics who always prepare the car so well, it didn’t turn into a major problem and I was able to finish the race.
It was a weekend where both the car and my driving worked well together. I’d like to carry this form through the rest of the season.
