Suzuka Circuit : Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan kicked off his 2014 Super Formula campaign on a strong note by qualifying second on the first race weekend of the season.
The completely revamped Super Formula series (erstwhile known as Formula Nippon) has switched to a new Dallara SF14 chassis this year; powered by two-litre, 
Driving for Team Impul Hoshino Racing, Narain, backed by the Tata Sons and Tata Motors,qualified merely a tenth behind 24-hour Le Mans winner and World Endurance champion André Lotterer of Team Tom’s Toyota.
“It is incredible to qualify on the front row on the first weekend of the season, considering the competition. We managed to improve bit by bit over the weekend and hopefully will be in a good place for the race”, said Karthikeyan.
Former Force India reserve driver James Rossiter was fourth while 2010 series champion and Narain’s Team Impul teammate João Paulo de Oliveira qualified fifth.
Like Formula 1, Super Formula features a knockout-based qualifying format with Q1, Q2 & Q3 sessions determining the final grid for the 43-lap, 250km long race on Sunday.
Karthikeyan was consistently in the top five during the practice sessions and managed to make a considerable step forward in qualifying to get closer to the front-running Tom’s Toyota factory team.
“The Tom’s drivers (Lotterer and Nakajima) have been in a class of their own throughout the weekend so splitting them is incredibly satisfying. Just four-tenths cover the top five so it very close at the front”, the Indian remarked.
The first race of the season is set to be a step into the unknown, considering the drivers will have contend with a new launch system, with clutch on the steering (like Formula 1)– fuel loads and tyre degradation being other critical factors.
“The car is amazing, great to drive and it will be a long race with pitstops for fuel and tyres, so quite a bit of strategy is involved. We hope that everything goes to plan and come away with a strong result on the first weekend of the season”, said Narain.
2014 Super Formula, Round 1, Suzuka Circuit
Qualifying results:
Position Driver Laptime
1 André Lotterer
2 Narain Karthikeyan 1’37.148
3 Kazuki Nakajima 1’37.159
4 James Rossiter
5 J P De Oliveira 1’37.399
6 Hiroaki Ishiura 1’37.404
7 Loic Duval 1’37.543
8 Tomoki Nojiri 1’39.380
9 Naoki Yamamoto 1’38.086
10 Hideki Mutoh 1’38.108
11 Ryo Hirakawa 1’38.127
12 Yuji Kunimoto 1’38.223
13 Yuichi Nakayama 1’38.260
14 Koudai Tsukakoshi 1’38.509
15 Vitantonio Liuzzi 1’38.908
16 Takashi Kogure 1’39.063
17 Yuhki Nakayama 1’39.109
18 Daisuke Nakajima 1’39.113
19 Koki Saga 1’39.615
2014 Super Formula Calendar
April 13 Suzuka Circuit
May 18 Fuji Speedway
TBA
July 13 Fuji Speedway
Aug 24 Twin Ring Motegi
Sept 14 Autopolis
Sept 28 Sportsland Sugo
Nov 9 Suzuka Circuit
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Super Formula 2014 specs
Chassis: Dallara SF14
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo with Hybrid system
Power: 550bhp
Weight: 650kg (inclusive of driver)
Gearbox: Ricardo six-speed paddle shift
Brakes: Brembo
Tyres Bridgestone