PETRONAS TEAM TOM'S
All Japan Formula 3 Championship
Rounds 15 & 16, Sportsland Sugo (日本語)
26 - 27 September 2009

　
Weather: Overcast but dry during qualifying, sunny and dry on raceday
Temperature: 19 - 24°C (ambient); 28 - 35°C (track)

Sportsland Sugo (Sendai Miyagi pref.)
Race Format: Rd.15 3.704Km × 18Laps | Rd.16 3.704Km × 25Laps

PETRONAS Team Tom’s trio of F3 drivers played leading role in the final race weekend of the 2009 Japanese F3 championship at the Sportland Sugo circuit on the weekend of 26 - 27 September. Yuji Kunimoto in the car No. 37 took the honours winning the race in Round 15 from pole position, his 4th of the season. Finishing second and third to complete a clean sweep for that race were teammates Marcus Ericsson (car #1) and Takuto Iguchi (car #36), respectively.

An exciting Round 16 proved a contender for the most spectacular race of the season. The initial part of the race saw point-standing leader Iguchi lead the race from Ericsson and Kunimoto though it did not take long for Ericsson to challenge Iguchi. Jumping on a slim opportunity for an overtaking move into the first corner four laps to the end, the Swedish driver took over the lead of the race through to the chequered flag claiming not just the win but also the drivers' championship title.

Qualifying
Qualifying witnessed Kunimoto and Ericsson set the pace with the duo taking pole position for round 15 and 16, respectively. In addition to breaking the lap records in each season, Kunimoto's pole was his fourth of the year, while the Swede claimed his seventh. With Iguchi qualifying third fastest for both races, the Tom’s trio practically dominated the session.

Race
Producing a pole to chequered flag performance for round 15 race, Kunimoto had practically shut out the rest of the competition
en route to a memorable race win on Saturday. With plenty of action abound on Saturday, the final round promised a scintilating prospect of a titanic title showdown. With just three points separating the top two contenders Iguchi and Ericsson, the bout had spectators on the brink of their seats on Sunday.

Despite starting from pole position, Ericsson lost the lead of the race to Iguchi early on, though the gap remained small. Though the Swede had the advantage on the high-speed corners, Iguchi was quicker on the straights. With the race progressing at a nail-biting pace between the top two, there were moments when Iguchi looked to have the race in the bag. However, in the latter stages of the race, Ericsson fought back to close on the race leader. Clearly faster in the corners, Ericsson was crawling all over Iguchi's rear into the first corner, prompting the Japanese to pull out all the stops to defend the race lead.

With four laps of the race remaining, the Swede finally made his move taking the inside line going into the corner to take the lead, forcing Iguchi wide, spinning out of the race, handing the race and drivers' championship crown to the 19-year old Swede. Taking third place was Yuji Kunimoto. 

Marcus Ericsson (SWE) Car #1, Overall Champion 2009 All Japan Formula 3 Championship
Race Round 15: 2nd; Round 16: Winner
"What an exciting race! All the while behind Takuto (Iguchi) in the final race, I was strategising as to how I could take the race lead from him. I knew I was faster than him in the corners so my only opportunity came in the corners. After following him a while, there was an opportunity to overtake him going into the first corner. Fortunately, when I did make the move, I could make the move stick so I am really happy. I am also overjoyed that I could accomplish my goal this season, which was to take the championship crown. It was definitely no walk in the park as the level of racing here is really tough and competitive. I have learned so much from racing at this level and from the great competition I had from my teammates! On that note, I really want to thank everyone on the team for the incredible support and encouragement this season!"

Takuto Iguchi (JPN) Car #36, 2nd Overall in Championship
Race Round 15: 3rd; Round 16: DNF
"I knew with the championship going down to the wire here at Sugo, I had to give it my all. My strategy was to focus on the start as it is very difficult to overtake here in Sugo. In the final race, I am so happy that I managed to make a great start for the race lead. Although he was faster in the corners, I had to make up for it in the straights, as I had much faster straight line speed. It was really hard to pull away from him as I ended up having to drive defensively. Suddenly, I did not expect Marcus to take the inside line going into the first corner as he pulled up beside me. I made a mistake and ran wide, spinning off and out of the race. Naturally, I am unhappy about this, more so as I could not complete my aim to take the drivers' championship. Anyhow, congratulations to Marcus and to the team for taking the overall title and to the team for the championship triple."

Yuji Kunimoto (JPN) Car #37, 3rd Overall in Championship
Race Round 15: Winner; Round 16: 3rd
"The weekend started off on a really good note for me. After taking pole in the qualifying for round 15, my goal was to make it a pole-to-flag win, which I am so happy I managed to do! The final race was a different story for me as I really struggled with a lot of oversteer, but am happy that I managed to hang on and take another podium finish. In general, this season has been a learning experience for me. I started off considerable slower  than my two teammates but over the rounds, I really learned a lot and my confidence grew with every round, which motivated me to improve myself with every round. I am happy that the team have once again captured the team championship title and congratulations to Marcus for taking the drivers' title."

Masanori Sekiya, Team Director
"What a fantastic end to an amazing season! Talk about a spectacular battle between the championship's top three drivers. For sure it is a frustrating end for Takuto with the championship fight so close. However, Marcus had a smart race, using a great strategy to win the race. It was a really great race, which was also great for the spectators! Yuji (Kunimoto) has really matured throughout the season and has learned how to set his car up quite well. With our three drivers taking the top three spots in the drivers' championship, as a team we were also able to defend the team and engine tuners championship again. I am happy that we have managed to fulfil our expectations and goals."

2009 All Japan Formula 3 Championship - Standings

For more on the PETRONAS Team Tom's, visit the team's website at http://36toms.com/
For more information on the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship, visit the official site at: http://www.j-formula3.com/index.html

日本語