Two superb attacking races marked by a podium for Hiyu Yamakoshi

Hiyu Yamakoshi was disappointed not to have achieved the result he had hoped for when he travelled to Misano in Italy in July, but he had every intention of scoring big points at Lédenon to secure his place in the top five in the overall standings of the FIA French F4 Championship. By finishing 2nd and then 4th in Races 2 and 3, he showed that he remains one of the top drivers in this highly competitive event organised by the FFSA Academy.

For the promising Japanese driver, it all started with an encouraging 4th position in Free Practice, which gave him hope of a successful Qualifying session. “Overall, the performance was there and I had a good feeling in my car on this hilly circuit,” explained Hiyu, “but every time I started to improve my lap times, I was hampered or stopped in my tracks by a red flag. I wasn’t able to exploit the effectiveness of the new tyres as much as I would have liked. At the end of the session, I was on the verge of getting into the top five or six, but I lost time in sector 3 and had to be satisfied with 10th place.”

Due to a penalty, Hiyu Yamakoshi even started P15 in Race 1. This position didn’t bring him any luck, as he was caught up in a collision and had to retire. On the other hand, he found himself on the front row of Race 2, according to the principle of the inverted grid for the top ten finishers in Timed Practice. After a fierce duel with his main rival, the Japanese driver crossed the line in a magnificent 2nd position, having held off one of the strongest drivers in the championship and set the second fastest lap of the race.

In Race 3, Hiyu created a sensation with a spirited comeback on a circuit that doesn’t make overtaking easy. Starting in P9 (based on the best second laps in Qualifying), he scored the points for 4th place. “The car was really efficient, and I was able to attack and push hard to gain places throughout the race. I’m still P5 in the French F4 Championship, having widened the gap on my direct pursuer. There’s just one more race to go in 2023 and I’m going to go for my first win.”

Info Kartcom / Photo © KSP – Guillaume Veuve