TONE RT SYNCEDGE4413 BMW Race Report
March 9, 2024 (Saturday) Official Qualifying Weather: Cloudy ~ Snowy at times
March 10, 2024 (Sunday) Final Race Weather: Sunny
Venue: Suzuka Circuit, Mie Prefecture (1 lap = 5.821km)
The opening race of this season was affected by rescheduling due to the F1 event in April, making this Suzuka 2&4 Race nearly a month earlier than usual. With the co-hosting of the four-wheel Super Formula race, only the JSB1000 class was held. In addition to regular rider Hoshino, second-year rider Yoshida, who usually competes in the ST1000 class, and new team member Zechariah Kwame Dzegede (Zech) participated as a wildcard entry, forming a three-bike team. Both riders competed with ST1000-spec machines and ST tires, which put them at a disadvantage compared to JSB vehicles, but their aim was to gain valuable track time before the Motegi event (April 14).
March 9 (Saturday) Official Qualifying Canceled WEATHER: Cloudy ~ Snowy COURSE: Dry
#21 Hoshino Tomoya *Friday ART practice combined results: 20th (2’09.864)
#37 Yoshida Ainosuke *Friday ART practice combined results: 26th (2’13.111)
#38 Zech *Friday ART practice combined results: 28th (2’15.130)
The official qualifying, which was scheduled after the pit walk, was canceled due to the weather conditions at Suzuka, where the temperature remained low with occasional snowfall, and the track temperature was also low, posing risks. As a result, the official qualifying grid was determined based on the combined results of the Friday ART practice. Hoshino steadily improved his lap times since Thursday’s practice, and the machine setup was also heading in a positive direction. He aimed for further improvement in qualifying but started from 20th (7th row) due to its cancellation. Despite not having done long runs during the week, he aimed to make a good start, leveraging his strong suit, and aimed for a finish within the points. Yoshida, who focused on training during the offseason for shape-up, struggled to reach the target time during the two days of practice and hoped for a comeback in qualifying but ended up starting from 26th (9th row). Zech, participating in the All Japan series after a long time, faced many challenges as it was his first time on a BMW machine, but he improved his lap times with each outing and started from 28th (10th row).
March 10 (Sunday) Race 11 LAPS (Ended by Red Flag) WEATHER: Sunny COURSE: Dry
#22 Hoshino Tomoya – DNF
#37 Yoshida Ainosuke – 19th
#38 Zech – 21st
There was a red flag interruption during the morning free practice, but since there was no practice the previous day, the three riders utilized their time fully for practice. Hoshino set his best time of the week and entered the final race with a positive feeling. The JSB1000 class final race saw a turbulent development. The race started on time, but there was a red flag interruption on the fourth lap due to a fall by rider #35 Watanabe Kazuki in the final corner. The race was restarted, and the number of laps remained the same at 14.
Hoshino made an excellent start and improved his position, passing the control line in 13th place. On the second lap, he was overtaken by #9 Ito Kazuki, #11 Akiyoshi, and #36 Watanabe Kazuma but was running in a position where he could make a comeback as the gap was not significant. However, in the hairpin of the third lap, amidst intense positional battles involving four riders, he crashed due to contact with another bike and unfortunately retired from the race. With multiple crashes occurring in the race, the safety car (SC) was deployed on the 10th lap. Due to another crash during the SC run, the race ended with a red flag. In such a chaotic race, Yoshida gained two positions at the start and was 24th after the first lap, steadily chasing the rider ahead, #23 Tsuda. He marked his best time of the week towards the end of the race and finished 19th. Zech focused on finishing the race this time and safely completed it in 21st place. There are still many challenges ahead, but it is exciting to see how things will unfold in the future.
The second round will take place on April 13-14 at Mobility Resort Motegi (Tochigi Prefecture), where all classes will be held, effectively marking the start of the All Japan Series. The JSB1000 class will be a trial event for participation in the Suzuka 8 Hours, with many teams expected to participate. It will be a crucial race for the team. Although Hoshino ended up with a disappointing result in this race, he believes that Motegi is a favorable track for him and hopes to achieve better results there.
– Hoshino Tomoya’s Comment: “Suzuka Circuit imposes a lot of physical strain, so there were some concerns even though I was training. However, I was in good shape from the pre-season tests, and my body was moving well, so I was looking forward to the race week. The weather during the week was difficult with low temperatures and strong winds, but it favored the Dunlop tires, and I could expect a good starting position. However, the qualifying was canceled due to bad weather. In the race, I aimed to make a strong start as usual and move up without hesitation. I passed the first lap in 11th place. However, due to a crash caused by contact with another bike on the third lap, I retired. It’s disappointing not to score points in a race that was a chance, but I want to achieve good results in the next race at Motegi, so please continue to support me.”
– Yoshida Ainosuke’s Comment: “Thank you for your continued support. I couldn’t achieve the desired performance from the pre-season tests, but I gradually improved my lap times during the race week. Unfortunately, the qualifying was canceled due to safety concerns. In the final race, I gradually fell behind the rider in front, but I was able to set a personal best time, which was good. I gained valuable experience in the 2&4 races. There is still a big gap between me and the top riders, so I will work harder to close it. I appreciate your support.”
– Zech’s Comment: “Participating in the JSB1000 class in the All Japan series for the first time served as a very good practice round before the season opener. It was my first time at Suzuka in several years, and I struggled a lot to adapt to the riding style and cold conditions. In this race, I found many areas that need to be addressed to start the season on a high note. I’m grateful to the team and sponsors for giving me the opportunity to participate in the Suzuka 2&4 race before the opening race.”
Chief Mechanic Takamura Yoshikazu’s Comment: “The 2024 season has finally begun. We updated the suspension from last year. We welcomed new staff and riders this year, and we started afresh, aiming for more efficient team management while communicating with each other. Yoshida has been with us since last year, and it seems that he has prepared well during the off-season, as his riding and approach have improved significantly. As this is the first time working with Zech, we focused on understanding his strengths and weaknesses. Hoshino had to deal with setting up the updated chassis while riding, but he did well. Although Hoshino retired from the race due to contact with other riders, I think the content was positive. All three
riders showed promising performances that will lead to the next step.”
Director Yamashita Yu’s Comment: “The 2024 season opener took place in early March, a month earlier than usual. The three riders have started their journey towards their respective goals. The team has undergone significant changes and started aiming for more efficient team management. Hoshino has been actively leading both his own setup from the pre-season tests and guiding Yoshida and Zech. He showed his familiar strong start and even rose to 10th place in the first lap of the race before the red flag. Although he ended up with a contact-caused crash and retirement, it was a very promising performance for the next race. Yoshida’s appearance has visibly changed due to the effects of off-season training, and his riding has improved significantly. He chased the rider ahead desperately in the final race and managed to shorten his personal best time by 0.8 seconds. This is also a promising performance for the next race. I think Zech was flustered about his first race with the team, but he worked hard from the pre-season tests and showed growth within the limited time. Although he is still far from the desired state, it is a period to accumulate mileage and experience various things. The 2024 season started with a new system. I believe that the results will improve gradually this year.
Please continue to support our team’s activities!”
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