Team Mugen driver Lawson set a best lap of 1m36.442s to take the top spot in qualifying for the first time this year, beating nearest rival Kakunoshin Ota by a little under two tenths of a second.
The three bonus points mean that Lawson closes to within 12 points of championship leader Ritomo Miyata, who failed to score by qualifying fourth, ahead of Sunday afternoon's race.
