Rounds 13 and 14 of the Achievement All-Japan F3 Championship were held on September 25 and 26 at Sportsland SUGO. While the high summer heat continued to be felt during the last round in Okayama 3 weeks before, the round held in late September at SUGO in the Tohoku region exhibited sudden and dramatic changes into autumn weather.

The practice sessions held on the 24th were both cancelled as 2 red flags were drawn - marking a very rough outcome for the day. Each team pushing for aggressive results triggered the red flag cancellations. Kimiya Sato and Daiki Sasaki earned 4th and 5th positions overall.

''The car's condition was good during last year's race at SUGO so we configured it using last year's data as a guideline. Kazuki (Hoshino) monitored us from the sidelines and gave us advice on car set-up and race tactics so I feel confident going into the races,'' remarked Sato.

Sasaki talked about the improvement at SUGO over last year's race in FCJ: ''The speed in the corners at SUGO are so much faster than in FCJ so I had quite a bit of trouble trying to maximize the limits of the car. But after a few practice runs, I now know how to take those turns well so I feel pretty confident going into qualifying and the races.''

However, Sasaki wasn't able to pull out the top performance in qualifying as he had hoped. ''The grip with the new tires was so strong that I couldn't bring out my car's top speed.'' Sasaki remarked at the end of the first qualifying session. His crew performed last minute set-up changes to the car and he finished 4th in the first qualifying session. He recovered during second qualifying and finished just 0.04 seconds short of first place.

Sato finished 3rd in the first qualifying session and improved his time in the 2nd session to finish 2nd - with a time just 0.01 seconds behind the leader proving his statements from the previous day on the superior condition of his car. Although Sato felt some frustration at not being able to earn pole position, his hopes were raised for the race.

The weather was cloudy during the practice sessions, but cleared up dramatically just prior to the evening start that was Round 13. Sato and Sasaki were running neck-and-neck but eventually Sasaki passed Sato at the first corner after Sato's car showed signs of slow acceleration.

Sato's car collided with another machine at the 3rd corner and spun out of control into the gravel trap, ending his race. ''The timing I had at the start of the race was good, however I was getting too much wheel spin...'' said Sato. Fortunately, the damage done to his car was minimal.

Moving up through the field after the start, Sasaki made it to the podium in second place, his career-best finish. ''I'm gradually getting the hang of driving on old tyres, which had some influence on my lap times during the race. Even though I got my best result yet, it's time for me to win.'' As he starts to show signs of challenging for the top position, Sasaki's words convey confidence.

The morning of the 26th dawned warm and sunny. Round 14 began at noon and team advisor Hoshino gave the drivers his last instructions before the start.

Having lost several places on the previous day, Sato managed to hold onto to his position this time. ''Although I was overtaken by Kobayashi (Takashi) once, I was able to recover my place when he took the third corner too wide.''

Races are often decided in the first half, so after consulting with his team Sato set up his car to be quicker in that segment. This contributed to his getting close to the leaders at one stage.

With a second-place podium finish, Sato commented, ''When I'm in good condition, my pace is on par with those of the top group. But I realize we can't keep up that pace as long as the others. I was able to watch the movements of the top cars and get useful information to help us win at Autopolis.''

Toward the end of the race, Sasaki slid off the track on the 22nd lap while running 4th. ''Coming off the track at the end was my mistake. The conditions had changed from yesterday, and that changed the condition of my car. I failed to completely adjust to those changes.''

The All-Japan Formula Three Championship season is soon coming to an end, with only the final round at Autopolis on October 16-17 remaining. We're looking forward to some great races that will enable everyone to finish the season with a smile.