KC Motorgroup (KCMG) earned a top 10 finish during Round 10 of the 2026 SUPER FORMULA season last weekend at Fuji Speedway, with Giuliano Alesi crossing the line ninth for the outfit.
Saturday’s Round 9 was the first SUPER FORMULA event in two months, as Kenta Yamashita lined up 17th on the grid. After a challenging start, the Japanese driver settled into an impressive rhythm, making his way up to 12th, which is where he would finish the 41-lap race.
On the other side of the garage, Alesi also showed great pace, recovering from a difficult qualifying performance, gaining eight places to come 16th.
Sunday’s event saw Yamashita move quickly into the top 10 from 13th, with the team executing a brilliant strategy, elevating him up to fourth. However, on the Safety Car restart, he was hit from behind, suffering race ending damage while in contention for the podium places.
In the #9 car, Alesi made solid progress and, after a second Safety Car intervention, was 13th with just 10 laps remaining. The Frenchman produced several excellent overtakes to make his way into the top 10, crossing the line ninth to earn his first points finish for KCMG.
SUPER FORMULA now heads to Suzuka International Racing Course on 20-22 November for a season concluding double-header.
#8 KENTA YAMASHITA
“While we didn’t have the pace required in qualifying, we were much more comfortable during the races and were able to run at a similar speed to the frontrunners. In Round 10, the team executed a perfect strategy which allowed us to move up to fourth place. From there, I was hoping to target the podium, but we were hit from behind by another car, forcing us to retire. It was extremely disappointing, especially given our difficult campaign. Now, we need to put it behind us and focus on the season finale at Suzuka, where we hope to fight for the top positions again.”
#9 GIULIANO ALESI
“Round 9 was a close race, but we lost some ground due to a small mistake and the timing of the pit stop didn’t work out as we’d hoped. We improved throughout the day, so I felt we had the potential to finish higher up the order. A chaotic start to Round 10 made it important to stay out of trouble. Later in the race, we were able to take advantage of fresh tyres and move into the points, making for a positive event overall. Next time out at Suzuka, I’ll be looking to improve my qualifying performance and build on this result by scoring more points and ending the season on a high.”
RYUJI DOI KCMG HEAD OF MOTORSPORT
“This weekend was a good step forward, despite the frustrating outcome. We were able to take away plenty of positives and gain a better understanding for the remaining races. Round 10 in particular was very positive, our strategy and pit stops went smoothly, which made it extremely disappointing for Yamashita to be hit from behind while fighting for a podium finish. On the other side of the garage, Giuliano fought tirelessly until the end, earning valuable points, and the team is very grateful for the effort he put in across the weekend. We will take the positives from this event and work together as a team to prepare thoroughly for the season finale at Suzuka.”
Media enquiries: 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 X and Instagram.
About 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. For more information on all of the team’s activities please visit www.kcmg.com.hk or email info@kcmg.com.hk.
