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.