Kids com Team KCMG completed in-season testing on 6-7 June at Fuji Speedway with positives to take, as the squad looks to continue its points scoring streak when Super Formula returns next month.
The team has had at least one car in the top-10 in a run that stretches back to April 2023, and came into the test aiming to build on this, after three visits to the podium last season.
Nirei Fukuzumi was joined by Rikuto Kobayashi and Yuhi Sekiguchi, who stepped in to replace Kamui Kobayashi for the two days of testing, due to the Japanese driver’s World Endurance Championship commitments.
Fukuzumi enjoyed a solid first day, finishing the morning session in fifth and the afternoon in 12th. Kobayashi recorded the best result of Friday for the #7 car, clinching seventh, while Sekiguchi completed 33 tours of the Fuji Speedway circuit later on.
Saturday saw Fukuzumi take a pair of eighth places as the former Super GT300 champion racked up 105 laps across the day. Sekiguchi started Saturday in the #7 car, as he improved up to 13th, while in the final session, 2024 Super Formula Lights runner-up Kobayashi secured an impressive fifth.
The data collected from this test will be extremely important, with four of the remaining seven Super Formula races taking place at Fuji Speedway. The first double-header at the venue and next on-track action for the championship gets underway on 18-20 July.
#8 NIREI FUKUZUMI
“The aim of this test was to improve our long run and one-lap performance, which has been an issue for us so far this season. We managed to complete all four sessions with no issues which was positive as we collected crucial data. I felt like we improved on the second day, but we still have some areas that we need to look at deeper before returning next month.”
#7 RIKUTO KOBAYASHI
“I was able to gain valuable experience throughout this test and felt like I gained confidence after an early spin on Friday. I developed as the sessions went on and managed to get into the top 10 on both days, finishing P5 on Saturday afternoon. The knowledge I’ve gained from this test will help me in the future and I would like to thank the team for this incredible opportunity.”
#7 YUHI SEKIGUCHI
“I haven’t driven a Super Formula car since the end of last season so coming back from the break was a challenge, but I was able to gradually progress during the test. The aim from my side was to help improve the long run pace ahead of the team returning to Fuji next month. We set competitive lap times, and I think overall it was a good test.”
Media enquires: Cristina Villar
Email address: cristina@kcmg.com.hk
For more information about KCMG please visit www.kcmg.com.hk. To keep track of all the latest updates, please like KCMG’s Facebook page or follow on Twitter and Instagram.
Who is KCMG?
KC Motorgroup Ltd (KCMG) is an international motorsport services group established in 2007 by Paul Ip. The group, with its headquarters located in Hong Kong, has operations reaching across the Asia Pacific region. KCMG operates closely with many partner companies and racing organisations around the world to provide unrivalled motorsport services, equipment, team management and quality distribution in the automotive industry. This includes the FIA Motorsport Games, where KCMG is the official supplier of hybrid F4 cars, and the KCMG Driver Development Project. For more information on all of the team’s activities please visit www.kcmg.com.hk or email info@kcmg.com.hk.
