Jack Doohan tames Suzuka, Leitch fifth

Sixteen-year-old Australian Jack Doohan swept to victory in Race 7 of the F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA as the series made its debut in Japan at the legendary 5.807km Suzuka Circuit. Team mate and championship leader Ukyo Sasahara crossed the line just over half a second behind, continuing Hitech GP’s unbroken run of 1-2 finishes this season. Taking the final podium place was another 16-year-old talent, championship newcomer Petr Ptacek of the Czech Republic, racing with new team Seven GP.

In the Masters category, BlackArts Racing’s Thomas Luedi took the win having mastered the notoriously-unforgiving figure-of-eight FIA Grade 1 track. Second over the line was Masters championship-leader Paul Wong of the 852 Challengers. The race finished prematurely for category pole-sitter Takashi Hata after a collision with Super License team mate Tomoki Takahashi off the grid.

After seven of this season’s 15 races, Sasahara retains his lead in the championship, but team mate Doohan’s third win reduces the Japanese driver’s advantage at the top of the leaderboard to just seven points. Absolute Racing’s Daniel Cao of China remains third, while BlackArts Racing’s Brendon Leitch is now just three points behind, eight points clear of Cao’s team mate Eshan Pieris of Sri Lanka in fifth. 

Race 7

Starting from pole, Sasahara didn’t make the best getaway on his home track when the lights went out. Doohan, on the other hand, has mastered the challenging track with astonishing speed and got a superb launch from the grid, immediately snatching the lead from his team mate. Making his first-ever series start, Ptacek also didn’t get away fast enough, and Pinnacle Motorsport’s Jordan Dempsey didn’t need a second invitation, diving past and up to third.

The opening seconds of the race were high on drama, however, when Super License driver Takahashi failed to get away when the lights went out. While several drivers were able to swerve and avoid the stationery car, team mate and Masters driver Hata made contact. The collision ended the race for the Super License pair, both of whom were unhurt in the incident.

As a result of the incident an extended Safety Car period ensued, and the 17-strong field was released with around 10 minutes remaining on the clock. Doohan controlled the restart, getting away well and skillfully keeping Sasahara at arm’s length.

By the end of lap 6, Ptacek had reclaimed third place from Dempsey, the Irishman then coming under fire from series debutant Jackson Walls.

As the minutes ticked down, Sasahara tried to reel in Doohan, but with his third championship victory within sight, the determined Australian kept his team mate firmly at bay, setting the fastest lap of the race and securing pole position for Race 8.

Leitch was a man on the move meanwhile. Starting from P11 after a challenging qualifying session, the New Zealander was up to ninth by the Safety Car period and resumed his charge once the field was released. Seventh by the end of lap 7, he then dived past Walls before getting by Dempsey to climb to fifth by the flag behind Cao.

There was late-race drama for Tommy Smith on Lap 10, when the Pinnacle Motorsport driver fell victim to the notoriously tricky circuit, going off at the Esses just two laps from the flag.

As the chequered flag came out for the first time on the F3 Asian Championship in Japan after 11 laps of the challenging Suzuka Circuit it was Doohan who took the historic win for the series, crossing the line 0.611 of a second ahead of Sasahara with Ptacek taking a well-deserved podium place on his debut. Fourth over the line was Absolute Racing’s Cao, ahead of Leitch, Dempsey, Walls and series newcomer Kiyoto Fujinami of B-Max Racing Team.

Races 8 and 9 continue tomorrow (Sunday).

Results – Race 7

Fastest lap: Jack Doohan/Hitech GP/2:00.688/173.22km/h/Lap 6F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA Drivers’ Classification after Race 7