Miki Koyama concluded an impressive debut season in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia, finishing as vice-champion with ten podiums, while showcasing her talent at the Lamborghini World Finals with competitive performances against a global field to claim a class top-10 following a brilliant second qualifying.
Miki Koyama became the vice-champion in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia championship during her first participation in the series, completing the season with two class podiums in the final round contested at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, in conjunction with the Lamborghini World Finals.
Koyama, the 2022 Formula Regional Japan Champion, has since raced in a part-time Super GT program in both 2023 and 2024, as well as in the Super Taikyu championship, where she claimed race victories. The 27-year-old Japanese driver made her debut this year in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia with SJM Iron Lynx Theodore Racing, teaming up with Macau GP winner Charles Leong.
Koyama and Leong had a brilliant start to the season, with a pair of second-place finishes at the Sepang opener. They added two more podiums at The Bend, Australia, during the second round. A second and a third-place finish at Inje Speedium, South Korea, propelled them into the championship lead.
At the fourth round at Fuji Speedway, Japan, the duo had their first non-podium result of the year with a fifth-place finish in Race 1, however they bounced back in Race 2 with a runner-up finish. At the series’ visit to Shanghai International Circuit for round five, Koyama was tied at the top of the PRO championship standings. A third-place finish in Race 2 marked a return to the rostrum, although the Iron Lynx Theodore Racing duo lost points to the DW Evans GT crew, with one round remaining at Jerez.
The race week followed a positive experience for Koyama at Jarama, where she tested the FIA Formula E car in the all-female test.
At Jerez, Koyama focused on learning the track despite challenging mixed weather conditions throughout the week.
In practice, Koyama and Leong were third-fastest overall and second in PRO, setting a 1:58.321 lap in the rain. Conditions slightly improved but remained wet for the second session, where they again finished second in class, just two-tenths off the overall pace setters.
Later in the day, with the track drying, Charles Leong took over for the first qualifying session of the weekend. He set a 1:44.598, claiming pole position in the AM class and second overall. It was Koyama and Leong’s first pole position of the season, earning them an extra point.
Miki Koyama then took the wheel for the 20-minute second qualifying session and went even faster: her 1:44.230 lap resulted in a second-place start for Race 2, with Johnny Cecotto taking the top spot.
ROUND 6
Leong started Race 1 from pole position in wet conditions, with teams deciding on the grid which tyres to use. Everyone eventually opted for slicks, but the track remained treacherous, with cars spinning on the formation lap and struggling to stay on track. The safety car stayed out due to several incidents before the green flag.
Jaafar had a slow start, Leong to lead into Turn 1; however, the Iron Lynx driver suffered wheelspin on exit and was overtaken by Daniel Wells, who took the lead in the PRO class.
As the race settled, Leong began closing in on Wells and building a gap over Jaafar.
With 40 minutes remaining, Huang ended up in the gravel, triggering the first safety car.
The restart came with 33 minutes left; Leong executed a great restart and immediately attacked Wells. After an intense battle, he completed a spectacular pass a few corners later to retake the overall and class lead.
Leong set the fastest lap of the race and continued to push, creating a gap despite increasingly tricky conditions. The Macanese driver pitted with 23 minutes to go, handing the car over to Koyama. She rejoined the race in the lead, ahead of Carde, who had taken over from Wells. However, Thomas Lee went off at the final corner shortly after, bringing out the safety car and erasing Koyama’s five-second lead.
The race resumed with 11 minutes to go. Koyama defended against Carde but was overtaken by Cecotto in a stunning double pass at the chicane. Miki eventually dropped to third in class after Lee passed her at Turn 1. Despite this, she kept her composure and secured her ninth podium of the season.
On Thursday morning, the second and final race of the Asian championship took place under damp but drying conditions. Miki Koyama started from the top spot alongside Cecotto, who had received a one-place grid drop after qualifying. The race began behind the safety car due to a spin by Xinyang He during the formation lap.
Koyama had a great start but went deep into Turn 1, allowing Cecotto to take the lead. She held onto second place ahead of AM leader Lee.
After defending her position early, Koyama settled into a strong rhythm. A safety car was then deployed with 40 minutes remaining when Xie Wenjun went off into the gravel.
The restart with 34 minutes to go allowed Koyama to close back up to Cecotto; she continued to defend against Emilien Carde at the green flag, maintaining second place in the PRO class.
The pit window opened, and Koyama pitted from second in class after a hard-fought battle with Carde. Leong took over, rejoining in second.
Miki's teammate began logging fast laps, setting the new benchmark with a 1:51.402. He closed in on Huang, who was leading after Cecotto's pit stop. After recovering over 5 seconds, Leong went on the attack and unfortunately contact during a side-by-side battle caused both cars to spin off track.
Huang sustained damage, while Leong rejoined after an unscheduled pit stop, ultimately finishing eighth overall and second in PRO class. Despite missing out on their first win of the season, the duo’s performance was remarkable, with 10 podiums in 12 races and a pole position to secure the vice-champion title.
Lamborghini World Finals
Just days after completing their successful Asian championship campaign, Miki Koyama and Charles Leong shifted focus to the Lamborghini World Finals. This prestigious event brought together the top competitors from Lamborghini Super Trofeo’s regional series for a high-stakes weekend of racing.
Qualifying for the World Finals began on Saturday morning. Charles Leong took the wheel for Qualifying 1, setting a lap time of 1:45.480. This placed the #232 SJM Iron Lynx Theodore Racing Lamborghini Huracán 22nd in the PRO class and 27th overall on the grid for Race 1.
Miki Koyama then delivered an exceptional performance in Qualifying 2: her lap of 1:45.604 secured seventh place in the PRO class and eighth overall, putting the team in a strong position for the final race of the weekend.
Leong started Race 1 from the 14th row in challenging conditions. A chaotic start saw a car go off through the grass on the main straight, which Leong skillfully avoided. He gained three positions before a major incident occurred at Turn 1: race leader Amaury Bonduel was spun into the gravel by Danny Formal, forcing many drivers to take evasive action. This triggered an early safety car period, and by the time the race was neutralized, Leong had climbed to 25th overall and 23rd in PRO.
When racing resumed, Leong quickly settled into a rhythm and began chasing Elias De La Torre in a tightly packed group battling for the overall top ten. Leong demonstrated strong pace and gained on several competitors but faced challenges navigating through the traffic.
As the pit window approached, Leong extended his stint to maximize his progress. He moved up to 20th overall before pitting on Lap 11 and handing the car over to Miki Koyama.
Koyama rejoined the race in 30th overall but soon began picking off competitors. A crash involving Andrea Frassinetti and Jesse Salmenautio at Turn 11 brought out another safety car. As the field shuffled during the pit cycle, Koyama climbed to 25th in class.
With eight minutes remaining, a third safety car was deployed following incidents involving Strignano, Levet, and Stewart, who ended up in the gravel. Koyama restarted the race in 23rd in class with just four minutes left on the clock.
In the final laps, Miki engaged in a tense battle with Ibrahim Badawy and other ProAm drivers; she passed Calle Bergman on the last lap to finish 28th overall and 20th in the PRO class. It was a disrupted race, but the team demonstrated good pace and kept it clean, aiming to finish higher on Sunday, in the final race.
The second and final race of the World Finals was held in overcast conditions, with rain in the air. Starting from the fourth row, Koyama aimed to capitalize on her strong qualifying position.
A hectic opening lap saw Paul Levet and Jerzy Spinkiewicz collide, triggering an early safety car. Koyama cautiously navigated the chaos and settled into eighth in the PRO class.
When racing resumed, Koyama immediately regained a position, moving up to seventh in class and into the overall top ten. However, Sebastian Balthasar fought back on Lap 5, reclaiming the spot from Koyama.
As rain began to fall, conditions became increasingly tricky. Despite this, Koyama maintained competitive lap times. On Lap 7, Giano Taurino suffered a massive crash into the tyre barriers, bringing out another safety car just before the pit window opened.
The race resumed before the pit window opened, and Koyama held her ground in seventh. She pitted on Lap 11 after a solid stint, handing the car over to Charles Leong.
Leong rejoined in 15th overall and 11th in class as other drivers extended their stints. As the pit cycle completed, Leong moved back up to seventh in the PRO class and became the highest-placed Asian entry.
In the closing stages, Leong engaged in a fierce battle with ProAm cars and managed to overtake Alessio Ruffini and Anthony McIntosh. He also held off pressure from the fast-charging Nicolas Jamin, who was closing the gap.
Despite losing a position to Jamin in the final five minutes, Leong maintained a strong pace to secure eighth in the PRO class.
At the front, Egor Orudzhev overcame a drive-through penalty to win the race, ahead of Amaury Bonduel and Loris Cabirou. Hampus Eriksson, who finished fourth, was crowned Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Champion.
The Lamborghini World Finals rounded out a very strong season for Miki Koyama and her teammate Charles Leong. Their eighth-place finish in the PRO class was a testament to their progression over the season, as they battled on pace within the overall top ten against the top Lamborghini Super Trofeo drivers from around the world.
"Although we are not satisfied with the results, we were able to finish at the top of our team and in Asia", Koyama commented. "It was a year that taught me the importance of improving as a team, even more so than in single-seaters! I am grateful for the support I have received from so many people overseas."
While their first victory slipped away from them, Koyama's second place in the Asian series as well as her strong qualifying in the World Finals were the highlights of her weekend.
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