- Motul lubricants power Team Mugen to fourth win in Super Formula season
- Long straights at Fuji Speedway test Motul’s performance in sweltering conditions
- Liam Lawson closes gap to championship lead to mere 1 point
New Zealand’s Liam Lawson secured yet another win in the Motul-powered Team Mugen in the highly competitive Super Formula Championship at Fuji from 14th to 16th July with Motul’s specially formulated range of lubricants playing a key role in the Kiwi’s title charge. Set in the sights of the famous Mount Fuji, the Fuji Speedway possesses one of the longest straights in the world, pushing the #15 Honda open-wheel formula car to its maximum limit. Nevertheless, thanks to Motul’s advanced lubrication formulations, Team Mugen’s Lawson was able to extract the most out of the engine for the entirety of the race and come from P2 on the grid to eventually take a dominant win.
The Super Formula Championship is considered one of the most competitive and prestigious titles in all of Japanese motorsports. It is crucial for Team Mugen to work with partners like Motul, that align on brand values to always strive for the best, and compete at peak performance. Team Mugen makes use of the Motul MS-P 0W-30 engine oil in their Super Formula race cars, which the French oil manufacturer has developed in tandem with Honda and Mugen over several years. This lubricant helps push the Honda HR-417E engine by improving the air tightness of the piston rings and allows better power delivery at lower speeds. Motul has been able to achieve this feat by understanding the special requirements of the team and studying years of valuable data gathered from the championship to formulate the most optimal lubricant for the car
Despite starting in second place, Liam Lawson managed to keep the pressure on the pole sitter for the first part of the race until the pit stop on lap 12, where he managed to undercut the leader by overtaking him on the subsequent lap. Further complemented by Motul’s bespoke lubricants such as Hi-Performance Oil MS-R and Hi-Performance Brake Fluid, Lawson was able to extract superior performance from his car, and clock in consistent lap times. Over this course he even managed to extend his lead to over 5 seconds, finally crossing the finish line in P1. Motul has remained steadfast in its approach to bring the same level of performance from the race track to the everyday consumer in the Asian market.
This victory is a testament that Motul’s lubricants can be utilized to their full potential on the highest stage of motorsports because of its unique product offerings, which assist race cars to perform to the absolute limit of their capabilities. In the Japanese formula car championship, Motul’s partnership with Team Mugen has proven successful time and again, with this win extending Team Mugen’s lead to a healthy 50-point margin on the top of the team’s championship. Furthermore, this triumph also reaffirmed Lawson’s push to be the second-ever Kiwi to win the championship in Super Formula. His brilliant start to the season which has yielded 3 wins has allowed him to close the gap to the lead in the drivers’ standings to just 1 point. As Lawson continues his title charge, Motul will continue to support the young Kiwi and th unstoppable Team Mugen in their championship bid by providing racing-grade lubricants for the remaining 3 rounds of the championship.
Liam Lawson | Driver, #15 Team Mugen “I am stoked with the result of the race. Third win of the season and we are just 1 point away from the championship lead. The car was amazing and super-fast – all thanks to the team and our key partners that help develop the car. A big thank you to Motul, it’s great to have this strong technical partnership with them this year. Their products have been monumental in getting the most out of the car, especially seeing the improvement we have made in our low-speed cornering. Thanks for support this season, I hope I can bring home the championship!”
