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MOTORSPORTIMAGES/ISHIHARA22 AUGUST 2019 AUTOSPORT.COM 53Hamlin sorry for DiBenedetto
SUPER FORMULA
MOTEGI (JPN)
18 AUGUST
ROUND 5/7
Ryo Hirakawa took his maiden Super
Formula win with the Kazuyoshi Hoshino-
run, Toyota-powered Team Impul squad,
the Red Bull athlete taking a breakthrough
result in front of Red Bull’s Helmut Marko.
Following his first pole last time out at
Fuji, rookie Alex Palou planted his Nakajima
Racing Dallara-Honda at the front of the
grid again. He led Hirakawa for the first
23 laps of the 51-tour race, before Hirakawa
made an opportunistic pass for the lead in
the double-left near the end of the lap.
Honda protege Nirei Fukuzumi ran third
in his Dandelion Racing car, while Kamui
Kobayashi had a superb start and opening
lap to vault his Toyota-engined KCMG car
from seventh to fourth. Kobayashi then
grabbed third from Fukuzumi on lap 33,
WEEKEND WINNERSRacing
legend Hoshino
(right) celebrates
with his winner
HirakawaFor full results visit motorsportstats.comNASCAR CUP
BRISTOL (USA)
17 AUGUST
ROUND 24/36Denny Hamlin immediately apologised
to second-placed Matt DiBenedetto
after winning at Bristol last Saturday.
The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver’s
late overtake for the lead was perfectly
clean, but denied DiBenedetto a maiden
Cup victory at the end of a week in which
the NASCAR underdog announced that
he will lose his Leavine Family Racing
drive at the end of the season.
“I am so sorry to Matt DiBenedetto,”
Hamlin said after scooping his fourth
win of 2019. “I hate it. I know winningwould mean a lot to that team, but I
have to give 110%.”
Polesitter Hamlin was two laps down
during the second stage after pitting with
a loose wheel just moments before a
caution was called. He rallied back onto
the lead lap with a free pass towards
the end of the stage, before surging
through the field to set up the late-race
showdown with DiBenedetto’s Toyota.
In the playoff battle, a spin for Clint
Bowyer allowed Stewart-Haas Racing
team-mate and rival Daniel Suarez to
scoop nine extra stage points. Suarez
leapfrogs Bowyer and is two points above
the playoff line, while Jimmie Johnson
has slipped to 26 points adrift.
KYRAN GIBBONSSUPER FORMULA
MOTEGI (JPN)
Ryo Hirakawa
Team Impul (Dallara-Toyota)JAPANESE FORMULA 3
MOTEGI (JPN)
Race 1 Sacha Fenestraz
B-Max with Motopark
(Dallara-Spiess F314)
Race 2 Ritomo Miyata
TOM’S (Dallara-Toyota F317)
Race 3 Sacha Fenestraz
B-Max with Motopark
(Dallara-Spiess F314)NASCAR CUP
BRISTOL (USA)
Denny Hamlin (below)
Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota Camry)NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
BRISTOL (USA)
Tyler Reddick
Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet Camaro)ADAC GT MASTERS
NURBURGRING (DEU)
Race 1 Mirko Bortolotti/Christian Engelhart
GRT Grasser Racing Team
(Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo)
Race 2 Franck Perera/Rolf Ineichen
GRT Grasser Racing Team
(Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo)SUPER TC2000
SAN NICOLAS (ARG)
Matias Rossi
Toyota Gazoo Racing Argentina (Toyota Corolla)EUROPEAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
RALLY ZLIN (CZE)
Jan Kopecky/Pavel Dresler
Skoda Motorsport (Skoda Fabia R5 Evo)and began to close on Palou.
The leading four had all started on the
durable but faster soft tyres, and Hirakawa
pitted first for the medium rubber with 14
laps remaining, while Palou went one lap
longer and Kobayashi four laps further
still. Hirakawa remained in the lead once
everyone had resumed, while Kobayashi
had leapfrogged Palou for second.
While Kobayashi finished just under three
seconds adrift of Hirakawa, Palou endured
further gloom at the hands of Nick Cassidy.
The Kiwi qualified his TOM’S Toyota car
12th, started on mediums and made an early
stop. He then went on a charge and passed
Palou to grab the final podium spot with six
laps to go. Cassidy also took the series lead
from Naoki Yamamoto, who stalled at the
start and finished ninth.
JIRO TAKAHASHIRelive this race at Motorsport.tvHirakawa passes Palou to
take first Super Formula win