KCMG made significant progress as the team competed in Super Formula’s second round at the scenic Autopolis International Racing Course over the weekend. KCMG Super Formula driver Richard Bradley got off to a positive start and gained ground as the team edged towards the race last Sunday.
The 21 year old British driver’s Autopolis outing was a baptism of fire as it was his first time to compete on the undulating track and to drive a Super Formula car in wet conditions. Unfazed, Bradley was running 8th fastest before red flags were signaled halting Saturday’s intense qualifying session due to heavy rains.
Qualifying resumed the following morning, but track conditions remained wet for the start of the rescheduled session. Amidst the race weekend’s red flags and crashes, Bradley conquered the circuit’s trying conditions and completed his qualifying run in 19th position.
Along with other international drivers from across the globe, Bradley braced himself for a challenging race on Autopolis’ drying circuit. The British driver was off to a superb start and moved up to 16th position after completing the opening lap.
As track conditions changed, Bradley was called into the pit to switch from wet to dry tyres on Lap 7. The team’s flawless pit work allowed Bradley to overtake Koki Saga, but unfortunately, the British driver spun off at Turn 10, resulting in an unexpected retirement on Lap 9.
Bradley maintains his optimism and is determined to make more progress in Super Formula’s next round at Fuji Speedway in July. He was quoted, “It was a difficult weekend for me having never been to Autopolis before, and with it raining from the start of the race weekend, it also meant that it was my first time in the wet in Super Formula! We showed some good promise in the race and we called the change of tyres perfectly. The team did a great job in the stops to get me past Saga. We also made some good steps this weekend in terms of car development. The team and I are looking forward to putting them to use at Fuji where I know the track very well!”
KCMG Japan General Manager Ryuji Doi commended Bradley for his efforts and is confident that the team will reap stronger results in Fuji. “Autopolis provided Richard and the team a new challenge which allowed everyone to learn more about the car. It was unfortunate that we lost a valuable amount of track time last Sunday but we’ve made a lot of improvements over the weekend and we’re looking forward to take our steady progress to Fuji in July.”
Interact with Richard Bradley and know more about Super Formula by checking out his posts on the KCMG blog, visit www.kcmg-blog.com.
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