Qualifying Report 2018/5/26 Rd-3 SPORTSLAND SUGO Weather: Fine Temperature：26℃ 18cars

SUGO round, which had been held in the end of seasons and had made a lot of dramatic scenes to control the championship before, is held as Rd3 in the early stage of this season. Since Rd2 was cancelled due to the bad weather, each race becomes more important, and it makes this season tense and exciting. In Knock-out QF1, two cars of DOCOMO TEAM began to attack with medium tires. Matsushita finished second by only 3/100sec behind the top. When Nojiri was attacking with a good feeling, QF was interrupted by a red flag because of a car span just around Sec1. It was restarted with 2min and 20sec remaining. Even though Nojiri’s tires were not in the best condition any more, he finished in 6th position and moved onto QF2. In following QF2, Matsushita changed set-up a little bit and went on track with soft tires. He managed space between other cars in this short and narrow course of SUGO, and took the first place. Nojiri was 4th, and they both made into QF3. In QF3, Matsushita went on track first and attacked one lap more than others. He warmed tires up carefully before an attack lap, however, because of the big change of the surface condition, he ended up in 5th position. On the other hand, Nojiri exactly grasped the condition change of his favorite track, and took the pole position. He showed excellent performance with Course Record.

#5: Position 1st (QF1 5th, QF2 4th, QF3 1st) 1st among users In practice session on Friday, I didn’t have a good feeling about my car. However, my team brought an exact set-up and I could make the most of it in Free Practice this morning. They kept developing my car in a short period after , and I am sure it produced good results. Race is another story. We will talk over possible strategies and will bring out our best.

#6: Position 5th (QF1 2nd, QF2 1st, QF3 5th) 2nd among HONDA users My car balance was very good in QF2, and I was confident about QF3. However, the surface condition changed much more than I expected, and I realized how tricky Super Formula QF was. My starting position will be good enough for the podium with the total capabilities of mine and my team’s. So, I will focus on a start and aim for finishing on the podium.

Race Report 2018/5/27 Rd-3 SUPORTSLAND SUGO Weather：Fine Temperature：24℃ 19 cars Audience：7,700/ 26th(Sat.)、16,500/ 27th(Sun)

Rd3 at Sportsland SUGO, the key to 2018 title in the early stage of the championship, started before a large crowd on the grandstand in the fresh air of May. Nojiri in the pole position made a good start. Blocking the followers to keep his position, he ran into the first corner. Delayed by clutch handling, Matsushita was caught in traffic in the first corner, and dropped his position to 9th. While leading Nojiri and Kobayashi in 2nd position were pushing each other hard, an accident occurred by another car on Lap16. The safety car came in to remove the disabled car. Nojiri missed the right timing to go back to the pits, and after one lap blocked by the safety car, he finally made his pit-stop. When he finished changing tires and refueling, he had to join the end of the line on-track. Matsushita decided to stay on-track, and started to push very hard from Lap24 when the race was restarted. With various strategies going on among teams and drivers, Nojiri who fought through to the end against competitors finished in 7th. Matsushita did not reach a points-paying position and finished the 68-lap survival game in 10th position.

#5: Tomoki Nojiri 7th (3rd among HONDA users) I couldn’t match the timing of the safety car, so I missed a chance. Looking back now, I should have made my pit stop whether a safety car would come in or not. My mistake was that I didn’t dare to make that decision. I can bring out my potential stably from QF through the race. Now, I need to train to judge a situation instantly and act accordingly. Facing this issue with my team, I will improve for the next race.

#6: Nobuharu Matsushita 10th (4th among HONDA users) I am disappointed that I made a bad start. Also, when the safety car came in, my decision turned to be a failure. I am frustrated all the more because my driving in QF and my pace in the race were good enough to compete with the leading group. Among the teams with different strategies, in conditions changing rapidly, we must stay strong. We will use this experience in preparing for FUJI.