Goh opts for all-rookie line-up for first Super Formula season

Miyake, who makes the step up from Super Formula Lights, will partner the previously-announced Ren Sato as part of an all-rookie line-up at the Honda-powered squad.

A brief statement from Goh said its decision to hand its vacant second seat to Miyake fits in with its “initiative of pursuing young driver development through international racing”.

Miyake, who finished second to Sato in Japanese Formula 4 in 2019, makes the leap to Super Formula after placing fourth in Super Formula Lights last season driving for the minnow Looney Sports team.

The 22-year-old drove the SF19 for the first time for Toyota outfit KCMG in December’s post-season rookie test at Suzuka.

He was also a race winner in SUPER GT’s lower GT300 division last year, sharing a Max Racing Toyota GR Supra with Yuui Tsutsumi, and will remain with the team for a third season in 2022.

It was revealed last month that Goh would start its own independent team for the 2022 Super Formula season after a season of collaborating with established Honda outfit Mugen, which resulted in the team’s #15 car being entered under the ‘Red Bull Mugen Team Goh’ banner.

The team will be run by Servus Japan, which has operated the #15 Mugen car and the ARTA Honda SUPER GT squad in recent seasons, with Kazuhiro Ikeda serving as team boss.

Ikeda revealed via social media that the team had been targeting a foreign driver for its second car, but Japan’s ongoing travel restrictions forced them to choose from the pool of drivers competing on the domestic scene.

Goh’s choice to partner Sato with Miyake is notably set to leave ex-Mugen driver and Dandelion super-sub Ukyo Sasahara on the sidelines for a second consecutive season.

Fellow Honda team B-Max Racing has one seat left to fill, but has stated it is targeting a foreign driver with a budget and may concentrate on running a single car for Nobuharu Matsushita if a suitable candidate cannot be found.

2022 Super Formula grid so far: