Ryuji Yamamoto Takes Second Consecutive 2nd Place on Podium at Formula Renault UK Championship

April 17, 2008 -- 12-13 April, Rockingham Circuit, UK, Rounds 3 and 4 of this year’s Formula Renault UK championship took place at Rockingham Circuit (1 lap, 3.122kms), located in Northamptonshire, approximately 2 hours north of the capital, London. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd (hereafter Nissan), Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd (hereafter NISMO) scholarship recipient and series’ participant Ryuji Yamamoto (19) took 2nd place in both races, in what were his first podium finishes in Britain.

In the qualifying session held on Saturday, 12th April, Ryuji Yamamoto acquired proper usage of the tyres currently used in qualifying which was his issue. Starting Round 3 third and Round 4 from second on the grid were the best starting positions he has had to date. At 5:15 on the afternoon of the 12th, the 16-lap race got underway. Yamamoto made a strong dash off the line, getting into the first corner ahead of Adriano Buzaido (Brazil), stealing the position from the 2nd-place starter to move up to 2nd. In the opening stages, Britain’s Alexander Sims, 8th in last season’s rankings, moved up to third, giving chase to Yamamoto who was approximately one second ahead. Yamamoto ran calmly from start to finish, skaing off any attempts from behind, taking 2nd at the flag.

Round 4 (18 laps) was run on the following day, Sunday, the race getting underway at 2:15pm. Starting 3rd, Yamamoto’s teammate last year, Rikki Christodoulou(UK) ran side-by-side with Yamamoto, who didn’t give an inch into the first corner, defending to the death and finishing the opening lap in 2nd. On the second lap, a crash further down the field brought out the Safety Car, which circulated for three laps. Yamamoto, considering his tyres, maintained a steady pace. In the final stages, he put in a spurt, pulling away from those behind, taking the checkered flag in 2nd place.

Ryuji Yamamoto:
“My hard work in last year rewarded with the result this time. This weekend, from the first Free Practice session I was able to fight in top threes, and a good flow followed from there. Anyway, I felt that everything went well. I feel I’ve gained the team’s trust by getting these results. However, the season isn’t decided by today’s race alone. Because I know now that I can get on the podium, the question now is how many more times can I get there(podium) this season? In the meantime, I’ll focus on getting wins.”

NISMO engineer Ebisawa:
“Things went very well from the pre-season test, so we expected some podiums, though we hadn’t guessed they’d come this soon. Last year was a learning experience, the circumstance of both life and the circuits were different to those in Japan, and that hindered him I think. It’s clear that whoever judged Yamamoto worthy of a second year chance was not wrong. To be honest, I’m relieved.”

NISSAN Driver Development Program (NISSAN D.D.P.)
In 2006, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda established a new formula car series (single-seater machines, like in F1), Formula Challenge Japan (FCJ), with the vision of educating young drivers to become world class competitors. At the same time, Nissan and the two other makers started a scholarship program for several drivers. In 2006 and 2007, Nissan supported 4 drivers.

The inaugural season of FCJ in 2006, saw Yamamoto 2nd overall, having scored the same number of points as the champion (the difference being the number of wins). Same as last year, he received an Advance Scholarship, a program unique to Nissan, to participate in the Formula Renault UK championship in Britain this year as well. This category uses formula cars built from a chassis made by Italian racing car maker Tatuus, with a 2000cc in-line 4 cylinder production engine of Renault. It is positioned one rank lower than F3 and is the same “middle formula” as FCJ.

For the 2008 season, Nissan/NISMO provides scholarships to 4 young drivers, carrying on from the previous season, supporting their participation in FCJ.

Source: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. / Nissan Motor Sports International Co., Ltd. (NISMO)

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