Japanese 1/8th Nitro On-road Nationals – Report

The Japanese 1/8th On-road National Championship was held last weekend at the Keitune Circuit, home of the 2013 World Championships. A total of 41 drivers attended including guest drivers from Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, and Thailand. Among them where 9-time World Champion Lamberto Collari as well as Worlds finalist Carmine Raiola. Heavy rain on Friday made for only limited track time and this especially hampered the foreign drivers. Thankfully the weather was good for the remainder of the weekend, allowing for six dry qualifying rounds to be run. Defending champion Shinnosuke Yokoyama (Mugen) took TQ with current FEMCA Champion Syoki Takahata (KM) taking 2nd, and Michihiro Takayasu (Hot Bodies) coming in 3rd.

In the 45-minute final, Shinnosuke lead the race until the 15 minute mark when he came in for his first tire change as he was on a 2-stop tire strategy with 5-minute fuel stints. During his pit stop, Takehiro Terauchi (Mugen) took over the lead and stayed there until some 25 minutes into the race when he did his first tire change. Takehiro opted for a 1-stop tire strategy to make up time for his 4-minute fuel stints. Unfortunately further down the field Takaaki Shimo (Mugen) and Shinya Shimazaki (KM) had to retire mid-race due to an accident. After 40 minutes, Syoki Takahata and Carmine Raiola (Infinity) also stepped down the race due to technical issues. The final then turned into a head-to-head race between Shinnosuke and Takehiro. The second stop for tyres at the 30 minute mark made Shinnosuke fall down to 2nd again, and Takehiro remained 1st until his last fuel stop at minute 42. Catching up on Takehiro with fresh tires, Shinnosuke stormed into the lead. With only a few minutes remaining, Shinnosuke and Takehiro battled to the end and finished the race neck and neck separated by only 1.06 seconds.  With the win Shinnosuke secured his second national title in a row.

Final result:
1. Shinnosuke Yokoyama – Mugen/O.S. – 155L
2. Takehiro Terauchi – Mugen/Novarossi – 155L
3. Michihiro Takayasu  – Hot Bodies/O.S. – 153L
4. Masao Tanaka – Infinity/O.S. – 152L
5. Hideo Kitazawa – Hot Bodies/ O.S. – 151L
6. Keisuke Fukuda – Mugen/ Novarossi – 144L
7. Syoki Takahata – KM/O.S. – 141L
8. Carmine Raiola – Infinity/O.S. – 140L
9. Takaaki Shimo – Mugen/ O.S. – 60L
10.Shinya Shimazaki – KM/ Novarossi – 47L

Source: O.S. Engine [os-engines.co.jp]