Talented racer Jake Parsons is keen to continue his impressive results and progress as Japanese Formula 3 heads to Motegi’s road course for round five of the championship this weekend. With four class victories, and strong performances against the much higher specification Championship class cars, the young Australian has every reason to be feeling confident and positive.
“I’m really excited for this weekend, and particularly keen to keep pushing and battling with the Championship class cars, which I’ve done more and more as the season has progressed. The last few races have been some of my strongest and most consistent, and I really want to continue that trend forward,” explained the 23-year-old.
With early forecasts of extreme temperatures, the addition of the typhoon cancelled race from Okayama to the schedule is sure to make this weekend’s event even more gruelling and demanding, something the #10 Noda Racing Academy driver is taking completely in his stride.
“Coming into Motegi I’ve heard that it’s going to be extremely hot, certainly making it one of the most challenging rounds physically. I’m looking forward to having a strong event though, from practice throughout all three races. The training I’ve been focusing on this year is really paying off, so it’ll be great to put it to the test again here and really go for it, especially with the extra 45-minute endurance race being added from the previous round!”
Having driven and tested at Motegi during his debut season in SuperGT last year, Parsons is keen to return to the challenging 14 turn, 4.8km/2.983mi long track, which is unusual among Japanese circuits for its relative lack of elevation changes.
“I have some expereince at Motegi, but only in the GT car, so I’m looking forward to driving it in the formula car now. It’s quite a quirky circuit, with many long straights and 90-degree, double apex corners, which I find a lot of fun. The stand-out section for me though is towards the end, with four corners together in a short distance as a sequence that all lead into each other. It’s unique to Motegi and is probably the most challenging part of the track, but also the most interesting and rewarding. Overall, the long, fast straights might make it tricky for us against the Championship cars, with their extra straight-line speed, but I really enjoy this track and think I’ll be able to go well here. We just need to keep focusing and building on our momentum and progress.”
Following a large break between races early in the season, the F3 schedule has been much more balanced and continuous over the past two months. Tokyo based Parsons strongly feels this is helping both him, and the team, build and maintain that momentum.
“Having races closer together definitely makes a big difference. When you have such a big break in the schedule, it’s almost like going back into an off-season mentality, as your focus is solely on training away from the track to be better prepared for the next race. But now that the races are close together, you have that race focus and momentum again, continuing to take steps forward, implementing the improvements and developments we make each weekend.”
Both Parsons and his NRA team have been working hard to carry forward the lessons and progress made in each round so far this season, which the Melbourne born racer is especially pleased with.
“We’ve focused a lot on set-up together, and I’m really happy that I’ve developed my technical input and feedback too. I understand more about how the formula car reacts compared to the GT car, and in different situations. My training is also making a big difference, as F3 is much more physically demanding than SuperGT, especially now during the peak of summer in Japan. The key factor is that we’re all seeing the benefits of the hard work, both physically and mentally.”
Alongside getting back out on track, Parsons is also looking forward to seeing as many of the exceptionally knowledgeable and passionate fans at the Motegi circuit as possible. If you’re planning to attend the event, be sure to drop by the pit walk/autograph session early to pick up some cool JP merchandise.
Round five of the Japanese F3 Championship takes place at Twin Ring Motegi on 18-19 August.
