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| 2007.5.15 |
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Ryuji Yamamoto, the Quest Continues
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Formula Renault UK Championship
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Thruxton Circuit, UK (May 6, 2007)
Rounds 5 and 6 of the British Formula Renault Championship were held at Thruxton in central England, and 18 year-old Ryuji Yamamoto, contesting the series through a Nissan/NISMO Scholarship, started from 9th after the morning qualifying session, finishing the race in 16th place. For Round 6, held later the same afternoon, he started from 9th but did not record a finish as the race ended while he was having work done in the pits.
Thruxton is a 3.77km track located on the plains about 100km west of London and features its own local airport, located with the premises.
The high-speed track is almost completely flat and has only two braking points. On the day of the double-header, the weather was clear with temperatures ranging from 15 - 23 degrees Celsius. This event was unusual as it ran without the regular Friday practice session, running only on Saturday and Sunday.
Yamamoto qualified 9th for Round 5. Still, he was only 0.8 seconds off pole and a scant 0.2 seconds behind the car in 6th place. This clearly illustrates the increasing closeness of drivers as the season progresses. During the 15-lap race, Yamamoto fell to 11th in the confusion right after the start. However, on lap 6 while running in 10th place, he made contact with the #34 machine of Adriano Buzaid as he was about to overtake. Yamamoto dropped to 18th out of 19 cars competing but went back to 17th on lap 7 and 16th to lap 11 before the checkered flag.
Round 6 was shortened to 15 laps due to a change in the schedule. Yamamoto again started from 9th, this time just 0.6 seconds away from pole. He dropped to 11th on the first lap, had contact with another car at the chicane on lap 3 which dropped him to 15th, and then fell to 16th on lap 4. His pursuit began from there, and he had recovered to 13th by lap 7, was 12th on lap 9, and on lap 12 he caught the #35 car of Kris Loane at the chicane and took back 11th position after some contact. But then, that contact cost him in terms of damage to his rear tyre and he was forced to return to the pits for repairs. The race finished while he was in his pit, and his car was given a DNF.
Ryuji Yamamoto
"This track is very unique because there are only two braking points. So, once you are caught in traffic and slow down, you lose top speed on the long straight as well. In that circumstance, you don't find many chances to overtake. If I could have started from a better position I wouldn't have been caught in traffic with slow cars and the race would have been different. The drivers in the middle group tend to battle a lot to get to a better position, so the whole group loses speed. I am more used to braking with my left foot now. For qualifying, I am sometimes as fast as the cars in the top group in some sectors. What I need to do now is to find a way I could put it all together in one fast lap. I know if I was 0.2 seconds faster, I would have been in the top 4. If I could work more on my qualifying, my race results would be very different as well."
Nissan Drivers Developing Program (NISSAN D.D.P.)
In 2006, Nissan, Toyota and Honda launched Formula Challenge Japan (FCJ), a new formula car series started in order to raise young drivers who will be competitive around the world. Nissan, along with the two other manufacturers, have introduced a scholarship program to a couple of selected drivers. In 2006, Nissan supported four drivers.
Yamamoto was ranked 2nd in the Championship, losing only by the number of victories. This season, he has been given the opportunity to participate in the Formula Renault UK Championship with Nissan's unique 'Advanced Scholarship' .
The series uses Italian-made Tatuus chassis-based formula cars with Renault inline 4 cylinder 2000cc production engines. It is one level below Formula 3 in the hierarchy, and categorized as a 'middle formula' like FCJ.
Nissan/NISMO continues to support four young drivers with scholarships and in their entry to FCJ.
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