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Double Points Finish for Red Archer After Wild Suzuka Start

Suzuka, Japan – April 10, 2025 | Round 3/16

The iconic Suzuka circuit played host to one of the most dramatic races of the 2025 Superleague season so far — and Red Archer emerged with a strong double-points finish, capitalizing on chaos, clever strategy, and a well-prepared car that delivered exactly when it mattered most.

💥 Lap 1 Mayhem and Masterclass Recovery

The race erupted in drama from the opening corners, with a major incident unfolding in first lap unique "S" curves. As several cars tangled and tumbled out of the running, Chris Shepherd, starting from P16, navigated through the wreckage with precision and nerve, gaining key positions early on. Rait Kilk, launching from the very back in P30, was delayed but managed to avoid damage and rejoined without losing too much ground.

That early moment set the tone for the rest of the race: survival, strategy, and seizing opportunities.

🧠 Strategy and Execution

Red Archer came into Suzuka with a clear game plan — and the tools to execute it. The team brought a pair of key chassis upgrades to Japan: reduced aerodynamic drag and a chassis mass reduction, aimed at sharpening the car’s agility and straight-line efficiency. On top of that, a coinciding engine mass upgrade from the team’s supplier added an extra edge at just the right time.

These improvements played a crucial role in maximizing the car’s strongest sector — Sector 1 — where both drivers consistently made up time throughout the race.

Chris delivered a textbook performance, sticking to a one-stop medium–hard strategy that had been carefully mapped out ahead of race day. His pace, tire management, and calm under pressure brought him home in P9, scoring his best result with Red Archer since 2022 — and marking a return to form that had been building all season.

Rait, forced to adapt after the Lap 1 incident, switched to a two-stop soft–medium–medium strategy and delivered one of the standout drives of the race. Gaining 18 positions and clocking the third-fastest lap, he crossed the line in P12, scoring valuable points and underlining his raw speed in recovery mode.

🔜 Onward to Jeddah

With both drivers scoring and signs that the development path is paying off, Red Archer heads into the next round in Jeddah in two weeks with momentum and optimism. The fast-paced Saudi circuit could prove to be another opportunity to extract performance from the evolving package — and keep the upward trend alive.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Point at "reds" comeback 

In a race that the difficulty was not only the increased Superleague drivers level but also the one year inactivity of the team and the new pair of drivers behind the wheel.

 

Chris Shepherd and Rait Kilk had one simple goal for this race, to finish it fighting for every possible position and the goal was achieved.

 

In a fierce qualifying session that top 15 were under half a second Rait Kilk positioned his car in P15 while Chris P22, forced to release a different race plan.

 

The race start was clean but the decision to go for early pit stop did not help.

 

Hard tyres had to be used with the wear being on the limit could not help for a strong fight for points.

 

Despite such race evolution Rait pushed hard and took advantage of opponents mistakes to grab his first point after Singapore 2021 and the first for Red Archer after Brazil 2023.

 

Istanbul race coming next with upgraded cars and more experienced team for a better result.

 

 

racer red rait 1racer red chris

RED ARCHER 2025


Red archer returns to GPVWC Superleague after one season of inactivity and presents the opening line up.

Chris Shepherd
The British takes his 2023 seat back to start over as a permanent season driver, more willing and dedicated to help for a decent comeback.

Rait Kilk

An other ex "red" from 2021 season will pair Shepherd for at least the first three races of the season. The Estonian can give the "Greeks" the boost they need for their season start.

Michael Falkenhain

The new face in the team, talented rookie that draw manager's attention, the next best project of the "reds" will get his chance to display skills at the higher level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special credits to Douglas Hilliard for this fantastic livery