Gary Thompson will be looking to up the pace in his push for the Japanese Formula 3 Championship National Class title at Okayama this weekend (27/28 August) by building on the momentum of his recent breakthrough series win. One of the brightest young prospects in Irish motorsport, Thompson took his maiden Japanese F3 triumph with a commanding display at Twin Ring Motegi earlier this month. The victory came off the back of three previous podium finishes in 2011 and gave fresh impetus to the 19-year-old's pursuit of the National Class title. The Aviation Display and Cebu Pacific Air-backed Dubliner and his SGC by KCMG team will look to draw closer to the top of the standings as they travel to the Okayama International Circuit for rounds ten and eleven of the 2011 campaign. Thompson's Motegi victory brought him within 23 points of the championship lead and with 24 on offer across the Okayama weekend he knows a strong showing at the former grand prix venue is a must.  Having scored that all-important breakthrough win Thompson's season is hitting its stride at the ideal moment. With the momentum and renewed confidence that a maiden triumph brings he is now well placed to launch a serious bid for the title and will seek to confirm that in this weekend's races.  Gary Thompson: "Okayama is an interesting circuit with a mix of high and low-speed corners, which makes set-up very tricky. Last year's event went well: we showed good pace throughout and with the improvements we've made over the past 12 months I'm confident we can enjoy even better results this time around. "We'll pay special attention to qualifying as it's been our weak point this year. Our race pace has been fantastic so if we can squeeze a bit more from one-lap runs we'll be in a strong position.  "As far as the rest of the season goes, from now on we need to be perfect. The championship is still very much up for grabs but I don't want to think about it at the moment. I'm focused on getting as much from the car as possible and winning races. If we can do that then we'll have plenty to be proud of and perhaps find ourselves in with a shot at the title."