Kyojo Cup: Aimi Saito clinches second series title with third win of the season
Following a dominant start to the weekend, Aimi Saito led all 15 laps in the KYOJO Final to clinch her second Kyojo Cup title in three years and her first with TOM'S, with Kokoro Sato and Miki Onaga joined her on the podium.
Following a dominant start to the weekend, Aimi Saito led all 15 laps in the KYOJO Final to clinch her second Kyojo Cup title in three years and her first with TOM'S, with Kokoro Sato and Miki Onaga joined her on the podium.
Having taken pole and the KYOJO Sprint win on Saturday, Aimi Saito continued her dominant performance on Sunday, winning the final race of the season from pole and with it, securing her second Kyojo Cup title and becoming the first driver to win a championship in each of the series' eras.
Starting on pole for the finale, Saito kept the lead at the start, as the running order largely remained intact on the opening lap.
At the start of lap two though, Ai Miura moved up to fifth by passing Hana Burton at Turn 1, before the American retook the position two corners later. Just behind them, Paige Raddatz spun down the order at the Hairpin, as Itsumo Shiraishi lost her front wing and retired on the spot, forcing the safety car to be deployed.
During the safety car period, Hana Burton had an unscheduled pit stop to change rear tires and thus fell down the order.
On the lap six restart, Saito held off Kokoro Sato to maintain the lead, as Rio Shimono overtook Mako Hirakawa for eighth on lap seven at Turn 1. The Osaka native's charge through the field after starting from the back then continued, as she and Hirakawa moved up a place on the following lap after passing Kilei Kanemoto.
On lap nine, Rina Ito pulled into the pits to retire, while Burton had a second trip to the pits, but later came back out on track.
At the front, Saito controlled the race and remained unchallenged as she cruised home to her third win of the season, as she took her second Kyojo Cup title in three years. Sato held on to take second, as Miki Onaga rounded out the podium.
Title favorite Riona Tomishita was fourth, as Miura held off Sara Matsui to take fifth. Shimono crossed the line seventh ahead of Hirakawa and Kanemoto, while an uphill race from Joanne Ciconte saw her take the final point in tenth.
Marie Iwaoka finished 11th, while Raddatz rebounded from her early-race spin to take 12th. Series returnee Maaya Orido finished 13th ahead of Sitarvee Limnantharak and Zhao Yunqing, as Rami Sasaki had a difficult end to the season in 16th.
Ryu Yamamoto crossed the line in 17th, as Kelsey Pinkowski and Burton were the last cars to finish the race in 18th and 19th respectively.
