Honda junior Kato gets French F4 lead with Ledenon race three win

Photo: FFSA Academy

Honda junior Taito Kato took a lights-to-flag win in French Formula 4’s third race at Ledenon to move into the points lead.

Kato made a great start from pole to have a gap to the chasing pack before reaching turn one for the first time, while Chester Kieffer went side-by-side with Jules Caranta to take second place.

Yani Stevenheydens, who started fifth, also got past Caranta and the top four quickly sprinted away.

Kato’s lead howevered betwen 0.5 and 0.7 seconds for most of the race, only putting a second between himself and Kieffer with two laps to go.

Stevenheydens started to drop back on lap nine, and was 2.9s behind by lap 11. On the next lap he lost third to Caranta, who pulled off a great dummy move at the Carrierrasse hairpin. However he similarly lacked the pace of the two, and finished 3.506s behind in third.

Behind Stevenheydens was a lonely Jules Roussel in fifth, then Augustin Bernier, Rayan Caretti and Alex O’Grady. Their positions were all settled on the opening lap.

Race two winner Frank Porte Ruiz held ninth place until lap 14 when he ended his race in the pits with a problem, and Jason Leung had been in 10th after passing Arthur Dorison on lap two. Dylan Estre demoted Dorison to 12th a lap later, but late in the race their order shuffled around and Dorison got up to ninth ahead of Estre and Leung. A five-second penalty for track limits abuse then dropped Leung to 15th.

The only official retiree was Mathilda Paatz, who spent most of the race in the pits, although neither Porte Ruiz or Karel Schulz saw the chequered flag.

Race results (16 laps)