Jack Doohan endured a troublesome start to his time in Super Formula, suffering three crashes in three days during a test at Suzuka.
On the final day of the annual December test in Suzuka, there was a mix of race drivers, rookies, and new-generation fuel regulations.
But Doohan’s debut with Kondo Racing proved far from straightforward.
The Australian crashed at the Degner Curve on each day of running, limiting his overall testing time; thus, he was unable to have any meaningful long-run evaluation.
His final run occurred during the rookie-only session on the last day of testing.
Doohan only returned to the track in the closing 30 minutes of the day, ultimately managing a 1:38.350s. It was enough for ninth among the 14 rookies present on Friday and 26th overall.
Ugochukwu shines in ‘perfect’ conditions
Despite disrupted sessions, ex-McLaren-backed driver Ugo Ugochukwu topped proceedings.
Driving the #1 TOM’S Dallara-Toyota, the American took full advantage of ideal temperatures and a powerful tailwind down Suzuka’s main straight.
His late-afternoon lap of 1:36.682s was the fastest across all three days, sealing a clean sweep of the rookie sessions and beating Igor Fraga’s early benchmark of 1:37.158s.
However, Ugochukwu wasn’t the only rookie talent on show in Japan.
Japanese F4 champion Tokiya Suzuki, stepping in for an unwell Kalle Rovanpera, was second-fastest on Friday and sixth overall for KCMG.
Fellow Toyota junior Rikuto Kobayashi also made the overall top 10 with TGM Grand Prix.
Formula Regional European Champion, Freddie Slater, ranked fourth among rookies and 11th overall in the second TOM’S car.
Meanwhile, Williams junior Luke Browning completed a productive second day of running for Kondo Racing, placing fifth among the rookies and 13th overall.
Zak O’Sullivan delivered a promising performance on Thursday, finishing 10th on the day and 17th overall for team Impul as it prepares to downsize its single-seater operations.
Whilst impressive times across the board, they were nearly a second off Tadasuke Makino’s 1:35.597s benchmark from last year.
This was due to Super Formula’s new E10 ethanol-blend fuel and a reduced fuel-flow limit. The original fuel-flow limit was 90 kg/h was reduced to 88.
With the final day of testing completed, Teams will return to Suzuka on 25–26 February for the official pre-season test.
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