Kyojo Cup: Saito wins final Sprint of the season to take championship lead ahead of the finale
Aimi Saito had a flawless lights-to-flag performance in the final KYOJO Sprint of the season to take her second win of the season and the championship lead with the title decider around the corner.
Aimi Saito had a flawless lights-to-flag performance in the final KYOJO Sprint of the season to take her second win of the season and the championship lead with the title decider around the corner. Kokoro Sato and Miki Onaga joined her on the podium, as Joanne Ciconte encountered trouble.
Bouncing back from her retirement in round four's KYOJO Final, Aimi Saito dominated Saturday's action by taking pole and leading all 10 laps in the KYOJO Sprint to retake the points lead with one more race to decide it all.
At the start of the day, KCMG's Joanne Ciconte led the early stages of qualifying, but her time at the top didn't last long, as Saito then led the second half of the session en route to her second pole of the season.
Kokoro Sato joined her on the front row, whilst Ciconte was third ahead of KCMG teammate Miki Onaga. The Australian ultimately started down in seventh after having her lap cancelled.
The rolling start procedure was brought back for the final round, a procedure that Saito mastered at the start of the KYOJO Sprint to hold off Sato and maintain the lead on the opening lap.
Just behind them though, Ciconte and Rio Shimono collided on the run down to Dunlop, sending both cars into a half spin and down the order. While Ciconte continued with minimal damage, Shimono broke her front wing and retired from the race, putting an end to her title chances.
Saito continued to lead the way up front as the field began spreading out. On lap five, TOM'S teammate Hana Burton began holding off Ai Miura to maintain fifth. Two laps later, the AiWin racer tried an ambitious attack on the inside at Turn 1, but was still unable to pass the American, who went around the outside to maintain fifth.
With two laps to go, Miki Onaga made a similar move on Sato at Turn 1 to take second, before the Cerumo/INGING racer retook the position in brave fashion around the outside of Turn 3.
Up ahead, Saito led all ten laps to take the KYOJO Sprint win and the championship lead, as title contenders Sato and Onaga joined her on the podium. Riona Tomishita finished fourth, while Burton held on to fifth ahead of Miura, Sara Matsui and Paige Raddatz, who took the final point. Itsumo Shiraishi finished ninth, ahead of Mako Hirakawa, who rounded out the top ten.
Rami Sasaki finished 11th, as Kilei Kanemoto and Marie Iwaoka trailed her in 12th and 13th respectively. Ciconte salvaged 14th after her early-race collision, ahead of Zhao Yunqing and KYOJO cup returnee Maaya Orido.
Sitarvee Limnantharak finished 17th, ahead of Ryu Yamamoto, Rina Ito and Kelsey Pinkowski, the last car to cross the line.
