August 10, 2016 Japan Race Promotion Inc. Round 4 : August 20 (Saturday) – August 21 (Sunday) 2016 Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship : Twin Ring Motegi Japan Race Promotion Inc. (President: Akira Kurashita, Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan) today announced details of Round 3 of the 2016 Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship Series, scheduled to take place on August 20-21 at the Twin Ring Motegi Road Course (length = 4.801km) in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The 2016 Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship Series is the only internationally accredited driver championship in Asia, run over seven rounds and six circuits across Japan. A total of 11 teams (entrants) and 19 drivers (cars) from Japan and overseas* are competing to win this year’s series. * 12 drivers from Japan and seven from five other countries: UK (2), India (1), Germany (1), Brazil (1) and Belgium (2) Round 4 of the series will be run over 52 laps of the Twin Ring Motegi Road Course (length = 4.801km) for a total distance of 249.652km. Round 3 at Fuji Speedway featured plenty of head-to-head driver action, but Joao Paulo de Oliveira (ITOCHU ENEX TEAM IMPUL), who was forced to retire in Round 2 at Okayama International Circuit due to mechanical problems caused by heavy rain, ultimately emerged from the melee to take a hard-fought victory. Kazuki Nakaiima (VANTELIN TEAM TOM'S) secured his first points of the season with a second place finish, followed by promising rookie Yuhi Sekiguchi (ITOCHU ENEX TEAM IMPUL) in third. With all three drivers making their first appearance on the podium this season after languishing down the rankings, the battle for the top positions is now incredibly tight. Naoki Yamamoto (TEAM MUGEN) leads the rankings, but only 10 points separate the top 12 drivers. The main point to watch in the next round is the tires. In the first three rounds, the teams could only use one type of tire, but from Round 4 they also have access to a different compound tire (existing tire: medium compound, new tire: soft compound). This will give the teams more options in fire strategy and lead to greater interest in how the teams decide to use their tires during qualifying rounds and the championship race. Also, the Super Formula Championship moves into the second half of the season with Round 4, which will see Honda and Toyota introduce engines with set ups for the second part of the competition. A Honda-powered car daimed first place in the opening round, but Toyota engines secured victories in Round 2 and 3. The focus will now be on what impact the new engines have on the rivalry between the engine makers in the second half of the season. No. 19 Joao Paulo de Oliveira (ITOCHU ENEX TEAM IMPUL) emerged to take control in an unusually tight race in Round 3 at Fuji Speedway, securing his first win of the season. Series Supporter Promotion Partner
HITACHI SONY Action Cam 2016 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
* Team points: Team Points are the total number of points won by the driver or drivers attached to that team (entrant). Should a team (entrant) enter more than two cars at a only the best two results shall be taken into account. Pole position points shall not be included in Team Points. Promotion Partner
GET TO KNOW THE BASICS
■ WHAT IS SUPER FORMULA?
Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship Series is the top category of Japanese formula racing featuring purpose-built racing cars with single-seat, open cockpit and open wheel. Organized by Japan Race Promotion Inc. and fully sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF), SUPER FORMULA traces back its origins to the Japanese Championship Formula NIPPON first launched in 1996. 2013 saw the relaunch of the series given a new name of SUPER FORMULA
■ CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2016 Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship Series is the only internationally accredited driver championship in Asia, run over seven rounds and six circuits across Japan. A total of 11 teams (entrants) and 19 drivers (cars) from Japan and overseas* are competing to win this year's series. * 12 drivers from Japan and seven from five other countries: UK (2), India (1), Germany (1), Brazil (1) and Belgium (2)
※ PP=Pole Position (a driver who set the fastest tap in the qualifying session). One point is awarded to the pole sitter (only to the driver but not to the team). ＊ In the 2-race rounds, half points are awarded for both Race 1 & Race 2. ※ In the 2-race rounds, , three extra points are awarded to each race winner of Race 1 & Race 2 (i.e. up to a maximum of 18 points are awarded to the driver who daimed pole position and wins of both Race 1 & Race 2). ※ In case two or more driversiteams are in a dead heat for a championship standing at the end of the season, the driveriteam with the higher number of superior race results is awarded the position.
■ CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS
The Drivers' Championship title is awarded to the driver who scores the most points over the course of the season. The Driver Champion is given the Series Driver's Champion Cup and prize money by Japan Race Promotion Inc. On top of this, he receives the Confederation's Cup offered by Parliamentary Association for Motorsport Promotion of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, as well as the Commissioner's Cup from the Japan Tourism Agency. Towards the Team Champion, the Minister's Cup will be awarded by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, plus prize money by Japan Race Promotion Inc.
■ RACE CAR
Chassis Since 2014, SUPER FORMULA race cars have used the SF14 chassis, which is made by Italian company Dallara and is based on the "quick and light" design concept. Leveraging the characteristics of this "quick and light" chassis, SUPER FORMULA race cars are capable of cornering speeds higher than those in Formula One. The adoption of the SF14 chassis has led to a dramatic improvement in the quality of races, leading to greater interest in SUPER FORMULA overseas.
Engine
Honda and Toyota, two of Japan's leading automakers, have developed engines for SUPER FORMULA based on the NRE engine concept", which is part of automaker efforts to develop next-generation engines. SUPER FORMULA cars are currently powered by the Honda HR-414E or the Toyota R14A.
All engines are fitted with fuel flow restrictors. By setting fuel flow limits, the key to winning races is how efficiently fuel can be converted into power. Competitive development between automakers has resulted in a highly efficient engine with higher brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and net thermal efficiency than hybrid vehicles currently on the market, helping to advance the development of next-generation engines. * 1 NRE engine specifications Honda, Toyota and Nissan together agreed on a number of criteria for race engines that incorporate environmental technology while also preserving the excitement of motor sport.
： 95kg/h for Suzuka and Fuji Speedway circuits, 90kg/h for other circuits Overtaking System SUPER FORMULA introduced an overtaking system (OTS) in 2009 as part of initiatives to make races more exciting. SUPER FORMULA was the first competition in the world to adopt this system. The OTS encourages drivers to make more overtaking maneuvers, one of the most exciting parts of motorsport. The SF14 OTS system uses the fuel flow restrictor fitted to engines to temporarily increase fuel flow to the engine, boosting power ". Drivers use a button on the steering wheel to activate the system for 20 seconds up to five times each race. Overtaking lamps (OTL) on the roll hoop indicate when the system is in use, allowing spectators to see when drivers have activated their OTS. The racing driver with the most Championship points has the distinction of an OTL with red lamps, called "leader's red." *² Overtaking system specifications Mechanism    :    Activating the overtaking system boosts fuel flow by 10kg/h Impact : Activating the overtaking system increases engine output by around 60PS, or 10% Rules : Drivers are allowed to use the system up to five times per race for 20 seconds each time.
Tires
Yokohama Rubber became the sole tire supplier this season. The company has not been involved in top-flight motorsport in Japan since 1996, a hiatus of 20 years. Yokohama Rubber's ADVAN racing tires perform well against SUPER FORMULA's rigorous criteria for grip, durability and safety, adding to the excitement of race events. From Round 4, the teams will be able to use a soft compound tire, as well as the existing medium compound tire. From qualifying through to the championship race, each team will be allowed to use a total of six sets of tires (one set comprises two front and two rear tires). They will have two sets of new medium tires, two sets of new soft tires, and two sets of used tires from the previous round. The soft tires have red sidewall stripes to distinguish them from the medium compound tires.
■    OFFICIAL QUALIFYING    KNOCK-OUT STYLE
Qualifying will be based on a knockout format, with each team (driver) given one lap in a set time segment to secure their fastest lap of the Twin Ring Motegi Road Course (length = 4.801km). Qualifying will take place over three knock-out sessions to determine places on the starting grid for the Championship race. In the event of 19 entries, the five slowest cars during the 20-minute long Q1 session will be knocked out of the next session and assigned the 15th to 19th positions on the grid. After a 10-minute interval, the 7-minute long Q2 session will determine the 9th to 14th positions in the same way. After another 10-minute interval, the final 7-minute long Q3 session will decide the top 8 positions on the starting grid. As the name of the qualifying round suggests, drivers are knocked out if they do not post strong qualifying times.
■　RACE
Twin Ring Motegi Road Course (Circuit length 4.801km): 52 laps / total distance 249.652km. As before, each team will be required to change tires at least once during the championship race, but with the introduction of the new tires, they will also have to use both types of tire compounds. However, the teams will not be allowed to mix different tire compounds (for example, two soft front tires and two medium rear tires). Series Supporter
*1 The 15th JAF GRAND PRIX SUZUKA" *2 Round 5 at AUTOPOLIS has been canceled due to the Kumamoto earthquake. The Okayama International Circuit will host Round 5 as the alternative verue.
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Twin Ring Motegi Road Course
The Road Course is a European style track with a total distance of 4.8km. Motegi is an internationally accredited circuit with 14 corners (8 right and 6 left), a longest straight of 762m and a maximum elevation change of 30.4m. The layout helps to create varied, exciting racing. The course is also extremely hard on race car brakes. Series Supporter Promotion Partner
ABOUT THE TWIN RING MOTEGI ROUND
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HONDA TV Coverage & Race Footage Delivery
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*On-air schedule is subject to change. Visit SUPER FORMULA official website <http://www.superformula.net/> for updates. | Super Formula to be seen on TV in 182 countries worldwide From this season, a new 52-minute English language TV highlights package will be broadcast in 121 countries. At the mornent, the confirmed potential viewing audience is roughly 35 million households. Adding on TV news reports about the races, the number of countries that will able to see Super Formula action rises to 182.
Series Supporter Ticket Information & Enquiries ■ Advance purchase
■ At the door Junior high school students and younger are eligible for free entry with their guardian; high school students and * older are required to show their student ID Ticket details: Please visit the Twin Ring Motegi official website for more details. < http://www.twinring.jp/2and4/ticket/ > Please visit the : SUPER FORMULA Official website    : < http://www.superformula.net/> SUPER FORMULA Official facebook : < https://www.facebook.com/superformula.official > SUPER FORMULA Official twitter : < https://twitter.com/SUPER_FORMULA> FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT USAT :
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