On Saturday, as the sun began to set at Suzuka Circuit, the drivers of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Japan Round 4 rolled onto the track for Race 1. Temperatures of 32° Celsius and track surface of 42° Celsius were not affecting the show put in place by the drivers.
Trofeo Pirelli. Yudai Uchida led the Trofeo Pirelli class charge, dominating the 30-minute race from pole-to-win. In the seven-car Am class, Motohiro Kotani surged from third after a turbulent first lap to regain the lead on the second lap, taking first place and an 18-second lead over the rest of the field. With his first-ever victory in the Trofeo Pirelli Am class, the day undeniably belonged to Kotani.
Coppa Shell. Ryuichi Kunihiro started off pole position in the Coppa Shell class, but Kazutaka Miura, a Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Japan debutant, made a remarkable move when on Lap 7. Miura then put the pedal to the metal, increasing his lead and taking the victory in his first ever race. Yuji Ueda in the Coppa Shell Am class, also made a strong debut, securing the fastest time and pole position and completing a pole-to-win performance in the final race with an impressive margin over second place.