Following Yamamoto’s big crash last time at Sugo, Kimura has been scouted to join Makino Makino in the Team Kunimitsu Honda NSX-GT at Autopolis and next month’s season finale at Motegi.
After participating in the now-defunct ARTA GT300 operation last season, Kimura spent 2023 on the sidelines as a reserve driver for top-class Honda, concentrating solely on his mainstay Super Formula Lights.
The Russian-Japanese was registered as the third driver for the ARTA to be held at Fuji in August, when Toshiki Oyu’s participation was in doubt due to a collarbone injury, but Oyu was not fit to drive. However, although Kimura completed a few laps during the full run, Kimura completed a few laps during the full run – a practice session on the course yellow.
There was a risk that Makino would miss the race after his Super Formula crash at Motegi the previous week, so Kimura was on standby again at the next race at Suzuka, this time with Team Kunimitsu.
Following Yamamoto’s accident at Sugo, where Honda’s Talisman driver suffered a serious neck injury, Kimura will get his chance in a race that puts the brand in the spotlight. de facto Number one team.
Team Kunimitsu’s cars have a message on the hood that says, “We aim for a comeback!” (“We are waiting for your return!”)
However, after Makino set the fourth fastest time in the opening segment, Kimura was eighth and slowest in Q2, making the first day at the office as difficult as expected.
“During free practice, I was able to get used to the used tires by driving a lot, and was able to consistently set good lap times,” Kimura told Motorsport.com.
“but I pushed hard in qualifying, but I pushed too hard and locked up, breaking my tire. That was just my mistake.
“It was really tougher than I imagined.In practice it was 1 minute 34.1 seconds, but Paul’s time was 1 minute 31.1 seconds, which was 3 seconds faster than any record he had ever experienced. I couldn’t imagine how it could go that fast. That was really hard for me. ”
On the plus side, Kimura kept his heel clean on the tricky Autopolis circuit, which could not have been better for Oyu, who had ARTA mechanics make extensive repairs after suffering a shunt in free practice.
Asked about the goal the team had set for him, Kimura said that despite Makino being out of title contention, 20 points behind the championship-leading NDDP Racing Nissan team, the goal is to get through the day without any major incidents. emphasized the importance of
“Of course the team wants to finish on the podium and we know the car has the performance to achieve that,” he said. “But the team knows I’m still learning.
“The team told me not to crash, because if I crash, I’ll lose the opportunity to do more laps and gain experience. I’m really focused on that. Even if I fail, I won’t push myself and step up. You just have to learn.” I did a little bit of that in the preliminaries! ”
Kimura was able to get a bit of a head start on his GT500 debut thanks to spending the Suzuka weekend with Team Kunimitsu. Even though he would only be absent on Saturday before returning on race day along with Makino.
“The approach is different from ARTA, so I’m really glad I was able to experience working with Team Kunimitsu so early,” he added. “Makino-san has given me a lot of advice, just like Yamamoto-san did, and it has been a great help.”
For Kimura, the timing is important as he gets the chance with Team Kunimitsu, just as Honda is considering its 2024 GT500 lineup.
In the Super Formula Lights, there is only the final race at Motegi next month remaining, and he is trailing Toyota’s young Hibiki Taira with a 10-point difference. However, I feel that if I can compete in two races with a GT500 machine during that time, I will be able to gain the edge I need to completely overhaul my rivals.
When asked what his performance with Team Kunimitsu would mean for his future, he answered, “I have to get results in Super Formula Lights.” “However, even if we get a good result here, if the Lights are bad, we might not have a chance. We don’t know what Honda will decide.
“But the good thing is that the last race for Lights is over.” [at Okayama] It’s mid-September and the next race is in November. [the week after the Motegi] SUPER GT final race. I wasn’t planning on driving anything for two months, but I got the chance to drive a GT500.
“Even if it’s difficult, I can apply the techniques at Lights. That’s why I’m confident of winning.”
Kimura was a driver who was under pressure heading into this season. After losing to Kakunoshin Ota in the battle to be Honda’s top junior driver in the 2022 Super Formula Lites, he faced a similar challenge from fellow Honda stable member Shun Koide.
His recent momentum is firmly on Koide’s side with 4 wins out of the last 5 races, but Kimura’s unexpected invitation to the GT500 rank changes the tide and gives him a chance to stake his claim to become the next Honda Junior. Become. Called up to the major leagues.
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