Kiwi endurance driver Jono Lester is excited at the prospect of a return to the famous Suzuka circuit for the penultimate round of the 2013 Super Taikyu Series.
On a weekend that supports the World Touring Car Championship, Super Taikyu will again adopt the sprint race format that was trialed with success at South Korea’s Inje Speedium early in the season.
Three 40-minute sprint races will see each driver complete a full race to contribute to an overall points haul. With the pair of PETRONAS Syntium Team Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 now equal at the head of the points table, the importance of three strong Suzuka performances is critical to Lester’s chances of claiming the overall title.
“Suzuka will be the most important round of the season so far,” Lester commented.
“With that in mind, I’m glad this is the circuit where the pressure is on. I won here last year and the car is never better than on tracks of this nature, so I’m confident in an all-round strong performance from #28 to set up the final showdown at Autopolis in November.”
With much of his career to date in sprint racing, Lester has thrived in this format in Super Taikyu over the last two season, winning at Suzuka last season and again at Korea early in 2013 as part of a #28 clean sweep at the Inje Speedium.
“The early years in Porsche Cups have put me in good stead for sprint racing. Some of my toughest races were just 20 or 30 minutes long and the intensity is certainly a lot higher in that environment.
“The margin for error, on the flipside, is a lot lower! We need to ensure no mistakes and – best case scenario – three from three with Fariqe [Hairuman] and “TK” [Tatsuya Kataoka] both on top form after their recent win at Okayama.”
Immediately after Suzuka, Lester returns to New Zealand for the first of three endurance races that make up the V8 SuperTourers Endurance Series. He will again be paired with John McIntyre against a stellar field of Australian motorsport stars.
The following weekend both Lester and McIntyre will join Fastway Racing for the Christchurch round of the 2013 SIERDC at Ruapuna, a 3-hour race driving a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup alongside Simon Ellingham.
Lester is supported throughout the 2013 season by key partners including Vortex Racewear, Lero Global, R Redpath Limited, OPTI-Flex, Fastway Couriers, Robbie Bird Wines, CRC MotorNews.co.nz, Mako Networks, iSign it, Sony New Zealand, Sony Xplod, ThrillPledge and Webdesign.
More details about Jono and his season can be found at www.jonolester.com, or by following ‘Jono Lester’ on Facebook, @jonolester on Twitter and @jono_lester on Instagram. Join the conversation using the hashtag #flyingkiwi on social media platforms.
Follow the action from your smartphone by downloading the free Jono Lester app, simply by visiting http://jonolester.appguppy.com from your iPhone or Android device.
