Italian Formula 4 and the Kyojo Cup began their 2026 seasons at Misano and Fuji respectively, while rain spiced up British F4’s second round at Brands Hatch and the IndyCar ladder’s Indianapolis event. Feeder Series reviews all the action.

By Feeder Series

May is in full swing, and with it, junior single-seater motorsport is back in its busy period. We covered six different championships in depth this weekend. Five were affected in some way by damp conditions, with only the all-female Kyojo Cup series in Japan being spared from the elements.

Perhaps the most attention fell on Italian F4, which held its season opener at Misano. A record 47 drivers appeared in at least one session over the weekend – the most ever recorded in an F4 championship in Europe – and 30 notched points across the four races thanks to the series’ new points system. That tally is just one shy of the total number who have now scored in the 2026 British F4 season after two rounds, the second of which also took place this weekend at Brands Hatch.

This was also the busiest weekend of racing yet in the Americas as the IndyCar circuit kicked off its Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On Friday and Saturday, Indy NXT, USF Pro 2000 and USF2000 held a combined seven races, which each added a new layer of complexity to the title battles brewing in each. Keep reading to find out more about what took place, and keep an ear out for our Race Recap podcast releasing later today for another perspective on the weekend’s action.

Over in Denmark, Richard Olson took pole position in Nordic 4’s bespoke Aquila car, 0.838 seconds ahead of Matteis Stigsen in the first-generation F4 car. Many of the teething issues for the new machine were left in round one, with Olson and teammate Leonél Skaar both finishing on the podium in the first race, split by Stigsen.

With the top five reversed for race two, it was Milla Sjöstrand who started on pole, although she lost out on the lead to F5 driver Mille Hoe on lap five. Stigsen finished third despite damaging his front wing on the second lap. The podium for the third race mirrored the first race’s, and as such Stigsen extended his championship lead to 15 points over Hoe, with Olson’s double win elevating him to third overall.

Additional reporting by Mitchell Ash

1. Italian F4: Rookie Aksoy leaves Misano as championship leader with two wins
2. British F4: Van Langendonck extends points lead with win in dramatic split-strategy race
3. Indy NXT: Fittipaldi and Kucharczyk win as title picture heats up
4. USF Pro 2000: Jeffers and Mossman leave IMS tied on points after chaotic races
5. USF2000: Garzón strengthens title ambitions as Wheldon impresses on debut
6. Kyojo Cup: Tomishita takes back-to-back victories at season opener

Italian F4: Rookie Aksoy leaves Misano as championship leader with two wins

Turkish driver Alp Aksoy leaves Italian F4’s first round of 2026 at the Misano World Circuit with wins in both race one and the final race, leading both the drivers’ and rookies’ championship. But he was not without opposition, as fellow rookie Niccolò Maccagnani of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy won race three and crossed the line first in race one before a 10-second penalty dropped him to fourth place. 

While the two rookies have taken an edge in the standings, every session was highly contested. The event set a record for the largest number of cars fielded in the series, with a total of 47 drivers competing over the weekend and several of those starring and surprising.

That number, however, decreased by two at the end of the weekend. After qualifying, Elia Weiss withdrew from the round after feeling unwell, while Alexander Chartier sustained a wrist injury after being involved in a collision with Augustus Toniolo in race one and took no further part in the weekend.

Aksoy started on pole for that first race alongside teammate Maccagnani. Oleksandr Bondarev started seventh, but shortly after the lights went out, the Ukrainian overtook four drivers to take third position just before other teammate Kingsley Zheng was spun out by Jenzer’s Levi Arn, bringing the safety car out.

At the restart, Aksoy was quickly overrun by teammate Maccagnani, who held his position for the remainder of the race. The Prema trio initially conquered the entire podium, with Maccagnani winning the race followed by Aksoy and Bondarev, but the podium quickly changed after Maccagnani lost his win to a 10-second penalty for starting his engine before the one-minute signal on the grid. He dropped to fourth, with Aksoy inheriting the win and Bondarev gaining second place. Ary Bansal inherited the last podium place for his first-ever podium in Italian F4.

Behind Aksoy, the rookie podium was completed by Florentin Hattemer, who finished eighth overall, and Knud Nielsen, who finished 10th to bring valuable points for the small Romanian outfit Real Racing.

Race two saw Luka Sammalisto starting on pole after dominating qualifying. From start to finish, Sammalisto kept first place, fending off David Cosma Cristofor and Aksoy, who took back-to-back rookie class wins. Contact between Georgiy Zasov and Fabrício Fogaça that left the former stricken briefly brought out the safety car mid-race. The rookie podium behind Aksoy was completed by Oscar Repetto and Mercedes junior Kenzo Craigie.

For race three, Sammalisto started on pole followed by the Premas of Maccagnani and Cosma Cristofor, a sign of the Italian outfit’s great form. Rain earlier in the morning created greasy conditions, forcing the drivers to take the start under safety car conditions for two laps. Given that context, the race was relatively calm until Vittorio Orsini went into the gravel on lap nine and hit the wall, bringing out the safety car..

Drama unfolded under the safety car as Sammalisto suddenly lost power on the back straight, retiring from the lead and thus handing first place to Maccagnani. The race resumed for a final-lap shootout that confirmed Maccagnani’s victory, with Cosma Cristofor reinforcing Prema’s domination. Most surprisingly, David Walther earned his first podium with third place for what was also a historic maiden Italian F4 podium for the small Maffi Racing team.

The final race put the best 36 drivers of the weekend in a final showdown. The Premas of Aksoy, Cosma Cristofor, Maccagnani and Bondarev locked down the top four positions on the grid. Right after the start, a huge crash happened at the back. Thomas Bearman’s car stalled and got collected by Nicolás Cortés, with Toniolo and Andre Rodriguez retiring after picking up damage in the aftermath. All drivers were uninjured.

After the restart, leader Maccagnani lost grip on a slick track and dropped all the way to sixth place, while Aksoy, Bansal and Walther locked out the podium after a thrilling late-race battle. It was a huge result not only for Aksoy, who leads both championships, but also for Prema, who are currently dominating the teams’ championship with a 34-point lead over US Racing. Maffi are 114 points further back but in third place for the first time in Italian F4.

Report by Julien Thoinet

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying 1	Luka Sammalisto, 1:35.492	Niccolò Maccagnani, +0.406s	Edu Robinson, +0.416s
Qualifying 2	Alp Aksoy, 1:35.637	David Cosma Cristofor, +0.042s	Andy Consani, +0.152s
Race 1 (16 laps)	Alp Aksoy, 27:53.770	Oleksandr Bondarev, +2.154s	Ary Bansal, +8.339s
Race 2 (16 laps)	Luka Sammalisto, 26:48.745	David Cosma Cristofor, +1.138s	Alp Aksoy, +2.782s
Race 3 (14 laps)	Niccolò Maccagnani, 27:02.458	David Cosma Cristofor, +0.526s	David Walther, +0.985s
Race 4 (15 laps)	Alp Aksoy, 27:18.352	Ary Bansal, +0.265s	David Walther, +0.555s

Standings	Drivers	Teams	Rookies
P1	Alp Aksoy, 82	Prema Racing, 206	Alp Aksoy, 90
P2	Niccolò Maccagnani, 66	US Racing, 172	Oscar Repetto, 68
P3	David Cosma Cristofor, 61	Maffi Racing, 58	Kenzo Craigie, 56
P4	Ary Bansal, 60	Van Amersfoort Racing, 56	Florentin Hattemer, 54
P5	David Walther, 58	R-ace GP, 41	Levi Arn, 54
P6	Oleksandr Bondarev, 54	Jenzer Motorsport, 37	Christian Costoya, 54
P7	Oleksandr Savinkov, 50	PHM Racing, 26	Knud Nielsen, 50
P8	Luka Sammalisto, 48	Trident, 23	Bernardo Bernoldi, 43
P9	Arjen Kräling, 46	Real Racing, 9	Roland Kuklane, 42
P10	Andy Consani, 32	AKM Motorsport, 0	Kingsley Zheng, 36

British F4: Van Langendonck extends points lead with win in dramatic split-strategy race

British F4 returned to Brands Hatch’s shorter Indy layout after a year away for its second round of 2026 , bringing with it safety cars aplenty, last-minute tyre changes and large championship shake-ups. 

British F4 debuted a new qualifying format for their return to the 1.9-kilometre Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Fifteen cars each took to the track for one of two shortened sessions, with Hitech’s Adam Al Azhari taking double pole ahead of Ethan Lennon and Lewis Wherrell. 

From row three in race one, Tommy Harfield got a strong start and snatched third as the field barrelled into Paddock Hill Bend, while Jeff-Hall challenged Al Azhari for the lead – though he could not find a way around the outside. 

A red flag was called on lap three for two separate opening-lap incidents. At the restart, another quick launch for Harfield put him right on Al Azhari’s gearbox, but with no space on either side, Harfield had to settle into third while Jeff-Hall completed the round-the-outside move he attempted on lap one to take the lead. 

Jeff-Hall maintained his lead through another safety car period, though Al Azhari remained within eight tenths throughout while Harfield dropped back. Championship leader Van Langendonck, hindered by an ill-timed red flag in qualifying, gained just one spot from his starting position to finish seventh. 

Race two polesitter Jarrett Clark quickly built a gap over Cash Felber and Jaber Al Sabah, gaining more purchase on the greasy track surface that would plague Sunday’s running. 

Al Azhari was one of several drivers caught out by the tricky conditions, running wide at the final corner on lap one and dropping down the order, while two others found themselves in the gravel and unable to continue, bringing out the safety car. 

With an early restart, Clark extended his lead over Felber, ultimately crossing the line 2.431s ahead, with Al Sabah taking his first Rookie Cup win and overall podium in third. Further back, Harfield climbed from eighth to fourth once Joseph Smith was penalised for forcing Van Langendonck off track on lap one.

Drama filled race three even before the start, with 12 drivers – including Harfield and Van Langendonck – pitting at the end of the formation lap to swap from wet to dry tyres.

On lap two, Lennon attempted to pass leader Al Azhari through Paddock Hill and again through Druids before understeering across the damp tarmac and into the grass on the outside of the second turn. 

By lap four, the safety car was back out, giving the slick-shod runners a chance to catch up. With the two clusters of cars, however, the safety car picked up the group led by Chiara Bättig in 14th, not Al Azhari. This cost those on the alternative strategy – who were hoping for as much clear running as possible – several minutes as those incorrectly held returned to the rear of the train. 

When the race resumed, the slick-tyre runners found grip where those on wets couldn’t and began carving through the pack. Harfield, while attempting to clear Cameron Nelson, clipped his front wing on the JHR driver’s gearbox and had to pit for a new nose cone. Fortunately for him, another safety car was called before he reached pit lane, allowing him to remain on the lead lap. 

As the leading slick-shod driver, Van Langendonck could turn his attention to gaining positions. He moved from tenth to third in the three laps immediately after the second safety car. Attempting to pass championship rival Jeff-Hall around Graham Hill Bend, the McLaren junior clipped Jeff-Hall’s front tyre while wrestling the car – but still slotted into second. Moments later, the Belgian driver took the lead from Al Azhari with more traction exiting the final corner.

Behind Van Langendonck, Kit Belofsky rose from 19th at pit exit to second for his first podium – and top-10 finish – in the series. Cole Hewetson was third, while Harfield recovered from his pit stop to cross the line fifth. 

Despite dropping to second in the drivers’ standings after race one, Van Langendonck leaves Brands Hatch 23 points ahead of Jeff-Hall, with Harfield recovering from his opening-round struggles to move up to third. 

Report by Gavin Guthrie

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying 1	Adam Al Azhari, 45.167	Lewis Wherrell, +0.119s	Tommy Harfield, +0.149s
Qualifying 2	Ethan Lennon, 45.381	Ethan Jeff-Hall, +0.003s	Theo Palmer, +0.043s
Race 1 (21 laps)	Ethan Jeff-Hall, 17:23.541	Adam Al Azhari, +0.628s	Tommy Harfield, +2.384s
Race 2 (24 laps)	Jarrett Clark, 20:21.248	Cash Felber, +2.431s	Jaber Al Sabah, +3.120s
Race 3 (25 laps)	Dries Van Langendonck, 25:18.370	Kit Belofsky, +4.018s	Cole Hewetson, +5.349s

Standings	Drivers	Teams	Rookies
P1	Dries Van Langendonck, 85	Rodin Motorsport, 105	Dries Van Langendonck, 106
P2	Ethan Jeff-Hall, 62	Hitech, 98	Jaber Al Sabah, 64
P3	Tommy Harfield, 44	Virtuosi Racing, 73	Lewis Wherrell, 53
P4	Scott Lindblom, 42	Argenti Motorsport, 67	Mate Kobakhidze, 46
P5	Joseph Smith, 39	Fortec Motorsport, 49	Cameron Nelson, 42
P6	Theo Palmer, 39	Xcel Motorsport, 35	Timo Jüngling, 37
P7	Kit Belofsky, 34	Chris Dittmann Racing, 30	León Hedfors, 29
P8	Jarrett Clark, 32	JHR Developments, 25	Jackson Wolny, 29
P9	Adam Al Azhari, 28		Piotr Orzechowski, 22
P10	Lewis Wherrell, 27		Sun Anzhe, 20

Read the previous round’s report here.

Indy NXT: Fittipaldi and Kucharczyk win as title picture heats up

Nikita Johnson remains in the lead of the Indy NXT championship after the series’ fourth weekend of 2026 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but the Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR driver sees new title challengers join the fight. Enzo Fittipaldi and Tymek Kucharczyk took their first career Indy NXT victories, setting up a championship battle in which the top four of the standings are separated by 16 points.

Alessandro de Tullio won his fourth consecutive pole position by being the fastest overall driver across both qualifying groups. Max Taylor was the fastest driver in the other group and started on the front row for race one. Lochie Hughes and Josh Pierson locked out the second row in their best qualifying performances of the season.

Polesitter De Tullio couldn’t enjoy his pole position for long, however, as he ran long at the first corner and had to take to the escape road. Hughes was the biggest beneficiary and took the lead of the race into Turn 2.

Weather played a big role in proceedings in race one. Rain triggered a red flag after 13 laps to allow teams five minutes to prepare their cars for wet conditions.

When the race got back underway, Enzo Fittipaldi was in third place, and he made quick work of Andretti Global driver Taylor on the race start, setting his sights on race leader Hughes. The pair had an intense battle for the lead, from which Fittipaldi emerged victorious on lap 26. Three laps later, the Brazilian crossed the line under caution to score his first Indy NXT win after starting from 10th on the grid.

Hughes in second got his best finish of the season, while championship leader Johnson fought his way from 11th on lap six to the final step of the podium, narrowly beating Tymek Kucharczyk. After his opening-lap error, De Tullio eventually finished ninth.

The grid for race two was set by drivers’ second-fastest laps in qualifying, which put Taylor on pole ahead of De Tullio, Pierson, Johnson, Kucharczyk and Hughes. 

Taylor led the field into the first corner but locked up, forcing himself and Pierson wide and opening the door for Kucharczyk to take the lead into Turn 2. This mistake turned out to be the race-defining moment, as the Pole went on to lead every lap and win his first Indy NXT race. Taylor’s closest attempt at an overtake for the lead came on lap four, but a firm defence from Kucharczyk stopped the Andretti Global driver from completing the pass.

Meanwhile, race one winner Fittipaldi worked his way up from seventh to third in the opening-lap melee. De Tullio and Hughes piled the pressure on the Brazilian, though, leading to some close wheel-to-wheel action between all three drivers. In the end, however, Fittipaldi held on to third place, with Hughes finishing in fourth and De Tullio in fifth after a switch in positions on lap 27 of 30. 

Johnson prevailed in an intense battle with Pierson to finish sixth, with the latter finishing in seventh. He heads into the seventh race at Detroit on 231 points, ahead of Kucharczyk in 220, Taylor on 217 and Fittipaldi on 215.

Report by Vincent van der Hoek

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying, Group 1	Alessandro de Tullio, 1:15.0846	Lochie Hughes, +0.1357s	Nikita Johnson, +0.2319s
Qualifying, Group 2	Max Taylor, 1:15.1509	Josh Pierson, +0.2258s	Matteo Nannini, +0.3207s
Race 1 (29 laps)	Enzo Fittipaldi, 55:29.2590	Lochie Hughes, +0.9070s	Nikita Johnson, +2.0169s
Race 2 (30 laps)	Tymek Kucharczyk, 38:40.1217	Max Taylor, +0.6273s	Enzo Fittipaldi, +8.7135s

Standings	Drivers	Rookies
P1	Nikita Johnson, 231	Nikita Johnson, 231
P2	Tymek Kucharczyk, 220	Tymek Kucharczyk, 220
P3	Max Taylor, 217	Enzo Fittipaldi, 215
P4	Enzo Fittipaldi, 215	Alessandro de Tullio, 162
P5	Lochie Hughes, 167	Jack Beeton, 104
P6	Alessandro de Tullio, 162	Max Garcia, 94
P7	Juan Manuel Correa, 134	Nicolas Stati, 83
P8	Jordan Missig, 125	Alexander Koreiba, 73
P9	Myles Rowe, 119	Nicholas Monteiro, 66
P10	Sebastian Murray, 118	Carson Etter, 59

Read the previous round’s report here.

USF Pro 2000: Jeffers and Mossman leave IMS tied on points after chaotic races

Jack Jeffers and Frankie Mossman leave the second USF Pro 2000 weekend of 2026 at IMS tied on 87 points for the championship lead. Jeffers finished fifth in race one and won race two, while Mossman finished seventh in race one and second in race two. 

Andrés Cárdenas took pole position in a dry qualifying session, with Jeffers in second and Michael Costello in third as Mossman qualified in fourth.

On Saturday morning, the track was declared wet from overnight rain showers, which provided a unique scenario with a switch from the wet to the dry tyre during the 25-lap race.

Cárdenas lost out under braking into the first corner, ending up in fifth place as Mossman stormed to the lead of the race. At the end of lap one, a spin by Sebastian Manson in Turn 7 brought out the first caution of the race, which caused the first split in strategy as nine of the 18 remaining drivers decided to pit for slicks. 

The dry runners were eight seconds slower on the restart on lap six, tough the track dried up so quickly the temporary loss was worth it. This decision turned out to be the right call. By the time the crossover point hit on lap nine, the slick runners were already quicker. Mossman and Jeffers were among the drivers who stayed out, but a caution on lap 13, caused by Tyke Durst spinning, bunched up the field and spurred them to pit for slicks. By that point, however, it was too late, and Douglas, one of those who took the dry tyres, was promoted to the lead of the race. 

The third and final caution of race one, caused by contact between polesitter Cárdenas and Costello, created a six-lap sprint race to the end. Douglas maintained the lead and Christian Cameron finished second on track, but a five-second penalty for a jump start dropped the TJ Speed Motorsports driver to sixth. The penalty promoted Mac Clark to second and Mayer Deonarine to third in his debut weekend in the series.

In race two, Jeffers started from pole position ahead of Douglas. Mossman started in fifth but had moved his way up to second place by the end of lap one. The two emerging title contenders – Jeffers and Mossman – battled it out over the course of the 25-lap race, swapping positions back and forth on several occasions. At the end, however, Jeffers emerged victorious, with Mossman in second and Musella in third. 

The race was interrupted by four cautions, with the biggest victim from them being Leonardo Escorpioni, who forwent a USF2000 entry this weekend to race in USF Pro 2000. On lap seven, the Turn 3 Motorsports driver, who had finished 13th in race one, was hit from behind by Cameron and sent flying at Turn 10. He was unhurt in the accident, but his car was completely destroyed after rolling several times. He is now third in the standings on 58 points entering the Freedom 75.

Report by Vincent van der Hoek

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying	Andrés Cárdenas, 1:21.7057	Jack Jeffers, +0.1036s	Michael Costello, +0.1899s
Race 1 (25 laps)	Jacob Douglas, 44:23.2317	Mac Clark, +3.9732s	Mayer Deonarine, +4.7257s
Race 2 (25 laps)	Jack Jeffers, 43:43.7134	Frankie Mossman, +0.6259s	Teddy Musella, +2.0176s

Standings	Drivers	Teams	Rookies
P1	Jack Jeffers, 87	Exclusive Autosport, 98	Jack Jeffers, 87
P2	Frankie Mossman, 87	Turn 3 Motorsport, 82	Leonardo Escorpioni, 58
P3	Leonardo Escorpioni, 58	VRD Racing, 77	G3 Argyros, 52
P4	Michael Costello, 56	Pabst Racing, 61	Andrés Cárdenas, 50
P5	Brady Golan, 54	TJ Speed Motorsports, 39	Christian Cameron, 45
P6	Jacob Douglas, 52	JHDD powered by ECR, 38	Thomas Schrage, 41
P7	G3 Argyros, 52	Comet/NCMP Racing, 13	Teddy Musella, 39
P8	Andrés Cárdenas, 50	FatBoy Racing!, 8	JT Hoskins, 37
P9	Christian Cameron, 45		Colin Aitken, 37
P10	Mac Clark, 44		Mayer Deonarine, 33

Read the previous round’s report here.

USF2000: Garzón strengthens title ambitions as Wheldon impresses on debut

DEForce Racing’s Sebastián Garzón starred in the second USF2000 round of 2026 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to extend his championship lead with second in race one, victory in race two and third place in race three. 

One of the weekend’s big stories was Oliver Wheldon’s championship debut with VRD Racing after turning the series-minimum 15 in March. The son of late IndyCar legend Dan Wheldon immediately left a huge impression by taking pole position in his first USF2000 qualifying session, defeating Anthony Martella, Brad Majman and championship leader Sebastián Garzón.

In race one, however, Martella took the lead from polesitter Wheldon heading into the first corner. Evan Cooley, who started in sixth, worked his way up to second exiting the opening corners by using the outside line at the rolling start. Garzón got into third on lap two by completing a three-wide pass on Wheldon and Majman into turn one. 

Later that same lap at Turn 13, Wheldon got race-ending suspension damage following contact with Majman, which brought out the race’s only caution. Pabst Racing fixed Majman’s car and sent him back out two laps down, and he eventually finished 15th. 

During the caution period, Lucas Nanji suffered race-ending damage after getting caught out by the accordion effect as the field lined up for a restart, extending the caution by two laps. 

On lap 11, Garzón fought his way past Cooley for second, but Martella was too far ahead. The Exclusive Autosport driver led every lap to win ahead of Garzón, teammate Cooley and Liam Loiacono, who rose from 11th to fourth.

Rainy conditions graced IMS on Saturday morning, leading to a fully wet race two. Wheldon started from pole position again, and this time he held the lead into the first corner under green-flag conditions as cars spread out five-wide into the braking zone. 

Garzón moved from fourth to second by Turn 4 and immediately started hounding Wheldon for the race lead, making the pass into the Turn 7–9 complex.

The Andretti Global–supported driver then fell into the clutches of the drivers behind, leading to intense battles, which gave Garzón the chance to run away to the eventual race win with a 3.4-second lead. Cooley made his way past both Martella and Wheldon on lap eight to finish second as Wheldon held on to the final podium spot.

In race three, the track was completely dry, with Wheldon in pole position again. This time it was Majman who took the lead on the opening lap into Turn 7, and he went on to lead every lap for his first-ever victory in USF2000. He and Wheldon went wheel to wheel during the 15-lap race but kept things clean throughout.

Behind them, Martella appeared to be set for third until his car suffered a mechanical problem on lap 10. With his retirement, Garzón fought back to take third after dropping as low as seventh during the race. He made another three-wide overtake stick into Turn 7 on lap nine to steal third, followed by a four-wide moment into Turn 1 on lap 11 to secure the final podium spot.

After five races, the Colombian has 141 points. Behind him, by an ever-growing margin, are Pabst Racing drivers Majman and Eddie Beswick on 94 and 77 points respectively.

Report by Vincent van der Hoek

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying	Oliver Wheldon, 1:25.1292	Anthony Martella, +0.1887s	Brad Majman, +0.2270s
Race 1 (15 laps)	Anthony Martella, 24:41.6542	Sebastián Garzón, +1.4763s	Evan Cooley, +2.5138s
Race 2 (15 laps)	Sebastián Garzón, 28:45.1304	Evan Cooley, +3.4002s	Oliver Wheldon, +6.1733s
Race 3 (15 laps)	Brad Majman, 23:29.8508	Oliver Wheldon, +0.4041s	Sebastián Garzón, +4.9402s

Standings	Drivers	Teams	Rookies
P1	Sebastián Garzón, 141	DEForce Racing, 115	João Vergara, 65
P2	Brad Majman, 94	Pabst Racing, 113	Ayrton Cahan, 63
P3	Eddie Beswick, 77	Exclusive Autosport, 97	Liam Loiacono, 56
P4	Evan Cooley, 68	VRD Racing, 83	Oliver Wheldon, 51
P5	João Vergara, 65	Zanella Racing, 36	Wesley Gundler, 49
P6	Ayrton Cahan, 63	JHDD powered by ECR, 36	Gabriel Cahan, 46
P7	Liam Loiacono, 56	PFH Racing, 30	Leonardo Escorpioni, 45
P8	Anthony Martella, 54	ENVE Motorsports, 28	Lucas Nanji, 43
P9	Oliver Wheldon, 51		Callahan Peter, 37
P10	Wesley Gundler, 49		Thomas Nordquist, 34

Read the previous round’s report here.

Kyojo Cup: Tomishita takes back-to-back victories at season opener

The Kyojo Cup’s first round of the season saw Riona Tomishita emerge as the driver to beat as she dominated qualifying and both races to take an eight-point lead over former F1 Academy driver Joanne Ciconte.

Starting on pole for the sprint race after topping qualifying, Tomishita carved out an early buffer over Joanne Ciconte .Aimi Saito dropped from third to sixth, overtaken by Kokoro Sato, her teammate Hana Burton, and Miki Onaga at the first corner. Onaga and last year’s champion Rio Shimono, who started eighth on the grid, then passed Burton in the final sector before the American spun at the final corner, relegating her to the very back. 

Tomishita and Ciconte stretched away from the pack, though the latter inched her way closer to the race leader after the first laps. Having failed to pass Onaga in the opening laps, Shimono fell into the clutches of Saito, who got past for fifth place just before the first corner of lap seven.

Tomishita picked up the pace in the second half of the race ahead of her hard-charging competitor to take home her first career win with a 2.108-second margin. Ciconte slotted into second, and Sato rounded out the podium ahead of Onaga, Saito, Shimono, and Ai Miura, as Sasaki finished eighth from 13th on the grid to clinch the final point.

In the final race, Tomishita and Ciconte again made a clean getaway, the Australian getting close to her competitor but unable to pass. Onaga overtook Sato for third place into the first corner as a determined Miura overtook Shimono on the main straight. 

Saito passed the reigning champion on lap two and set her sights on Miura in fifth, whom she overtook on lap four to take back her starting position. Saito took Sato’s fourth position on lap seven after the latter got a poor exit from the Dunlop chicane  as Sasaki and Shimono behind squabbled over seventh place, maintaining position. Miura hunted Sato until lap 10, taking fifth as they entered Turn 4. 

Saito, having set the fastest lap on lap nine, passed Onaga at the start of lap 12 to run in third, which she maintained to the chequered flag. Tomishita took her second victory of the weekend with a comfortable 2.781-second gap over second-placed Ciconte, with Saito finishing in a hard-fought third. Onaga matched her sprint result with fourth, ahead of Miura, Sato, Sasaki and Shimono. Hana Burton and Kilei Kanemoto finished ninth and 10th on track.

After the race, Sasaki earned a five-second penalty for track limits that dropped her to 11th, but she was moved up to 10th when Kanemoto received the same penalty post-race, dropping the latter to 11th and promoting Matsui to ninth. 

Zhao Yun Qing did not compete. 

Report by Anabelle Bremner

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying	Riona Tomishita, 1:43.604	Joanne Ciconte, +0.238s	Aimi Saito, +0.378s
Sprint race (10 laps)	Riona Tomishita, 17:32.401	Joanne Ciconte, +2.108s	Kokoro Sato, +5.555s
Final race (15 laps)	Riona Tomishita, 26:23.751	Joanne Ciconte, +2.781s	Aimi Saito, +6.789s

Standings	Drivers
P1	Riona Tomishita, 33
P2	Joanne Ciconte, 25
P3	Aimi Saito, 16
P4	Miki Onaga, 13
P5	Kokoro Sato, 11
P6	Ai Miura, 8
P7	Rio Shimono, 7
P8	Hana Burton, 3
P9	Rami Sasaki, 2
P10	Sara Matsui, 2

Header photo credit: Federico Basile