Super Formula

Super Formula
Category Single seaters
Country Japan Japan
Inaugural season 1973
Drivers 19
Teams 11
Constructors Dallara
Engine suppliers Toyota, Honda
Tire suppliers Yokohama
Drivers' champion Japan Hiroaki Ishiura
Teams' champion Petronas Team TOM'S
Official website superformula.net
Current season

Super Formula, formerly known as Formula Nippon, is a type of formula racing and the top level of single-seater racing in Japan.

Formula Nippon evolved from the Japanese Formula 2000 series begun in 1973 by way of the Japanese Formula Two and Japanese Formula 3000 championships. For the most part, the Japanese racing series have closely followed their European counterparts in terms of technical regulations, but there have been some important exceptions.

History

The previous Formula Nippon logo.

When European Formula 2 ended in 1984, its Japanese counterpart did not follow suit, continuing to use Formula 2 regulations (with almost-exclusively 2.0 L Honda engines) for another three years, finally switching to the open Formula 3000 standard in 1987. Once again, Japanese and European regulations paralleled one another, until 1996, when the International Formula 3000 series became a one-make format to lower costs. The Japanese Formula broke away at this time, and made it official by changing the series name to Formula Nippon.

Until recently, Formula Nippon was an open formula, where a variety of chassis builders and engine manufacturers could compete. Chassis were supplied by Lola, Reynard, and G-Force, while Mugen-Honda supplied the vast majority of the engines (though Cosworth engines were found in the Formula 3000 era). However, with the bankruptcy of Reynard in 2002, and the withdrawal of G-Force a year earlier, Formula Nippon once again followed F3000's lead in becoming a one-make series. Formula Nippon cars were now all Lola B03/50 chassis powered by Mugen-Honda engines; however, unlike F3000, engines in Formula Nippon are open-tuned by private companies.

In 2006 Formula Nippon underwent a drastic revision of its regulations. The current Lola B03/50 chassis was replaced by a new Lola FN06 chassis, while the engine formula underwent drastic revision. Blocks were provided by Toyota and Honda, using the same block specifications as found in the 2005 Indy Racing League, with open-tuning still permitted.

The 2006 season got off to one of the strangest starts in motorsport history. Because of heavy rain, the opener at Fuji was called after two safety car laps, and Benoît Tréluyer awarded the win with half points awarded.

However, despite the more technically demanding regulations, Formula Nippon remains a national series, with second tier status compared to the pan-European GP2 Series and its predecessor Formula 3000. Foreign drivers have always been regular participants in Formula Nippon, and there have been several drivers to come from a Japanese Formula 3000 or Formula Nippon drive to a prominent Formula One role; the best-known of these are Eddie Irvine, Ralf Schumacher, the 1996 Formula Nippon champion, and Pedro de la Rosa, the 1997 Formula Nippon champion.

Nowadays, many Formula Nippon drivers double in the Japanese Super GT championship.

The previous Formula Nippon chassis, the Swift FN09 (also known as the Swift 017.n), introduced in the 2009 season and raced until the end of the 2013 season.

The base chassis for the series is the Dallara SF14, which was unveiled in Tokyo on 25 March 2013. The car weighs 650 kg and is powered by two litre turbo engines from Honda and Toyota, similar to the specification to be used in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and in Super GT GT500 (any DTM or Super GT500 manufacturer can participate). It also has the drag reduction system used in Formula 1. 30% of the car is manufactured in Japan.[1]

Swift Engineering in San Clemente, California produced the FN09 chassis that was used from 2009 through 2013.

Scoring System

Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th Pole
Points 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1 1

Champions

Season Series Name Champion Team Champion Chassis Engine
1973 All-Japan Formula 2000 Japan Motoharu Kurosawa Not awarded
1974 All-Japan Formula 2000 Japan Noritake Takahara
1975 All-Japan Formula 2000 Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino
1976 All-Japan Formula 2000 Japan Noritake Takahara
1977 All-Japan Formula 2000 Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino
1978 Japanese Formula Two Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino
1979 Japanese Formula Two Japan Keiji Matsumoto
1980 Japanese Formula Two Japan Masahiro Hasemi
1981 Japanese Formula Two Japan Satoru Nakajima
1982 Japanese Formula Two Japan Satoru Nakajima
1983 Japanese Formula Two United Kingdom Geoff Lees
1984 Japanese Formula Two Japan Satoru Nakajima
1985 Japanese Formula Two Japan Satoru Nakajima
1986 Japanese Formula Two Japan Satoru Nakajima March Honda 86J
1987 Japanese Formula 3000 Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino
1988 Japanese Formula 3000 Japan Aguri Suzuki
1989 Japanese Formula 3000 Japan Hitoshi Ogawa Lola T89/50 Mugen MF308
1990 Japanese Formula 3000 Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino Lola T90/50 Mugen MF308
1991 Japanese Formula 3000 Japan Ukyo Katayama Lola T91/50 Cosworth DFV
1992 Japanese Formula 3000 Italy Mauro Martini Lola T92/50 Mugen MF308
1993 Japanese Formula 3000 Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino Lola T92/50 Cosworth DFV
1994 Japanese Formula 3000 Italy Marco Apicella Dome F104 Mugen MF308
1995 Japanese Formula 3000 Japan Toshio Suzuki Lola T94/50 Mugen MF308
1996 Formula Nippon Germany Ralf Schumacher X-Japan Racing Team LeMans Reynard 96D Mugen MF308
1997 Formula Nippon Spain Pedro de la Rosa Shionogi Team Nova Lola T97/51 Mugen MF308
1998 Formula Nippon Japan Satoshi Motoyama LEMONed Racing Team LeMans Reynard 97D Mugen MF308
1999 Formula Nippon Netherlands Tom Coronel PIAA Nakajima Racing Reynard 99L Mugen MF308
2000 Formula Nippon Japan Toranosuke Takagi PIAA Nakajima Racing Reynard 2KL Mugen MF308
2001 Formula Nippon Japan Satoshi Motoyama Team 5Zigen Reynard 99L Mugen MF308
2002 Formula Nippon Republic of Ireland Ralph Firman PIAA Nakajima Racing Reynard 01L Mugen MF308
2003 Formula Nippon Japan Satoshi Motoyama Team Impul Lola B3/51 Mugen MF308
2004 Formula Nippon United Kingdom Richard Lyons DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing Lola B3/51 Mugen MF308
2005 Formula Nippon Japan Satoshi Motoyama Mobilecast Team Impul
arting Racing Team with Impul
Lola B3/51 Mugen MF308
2006 Formula Nippon France Benoît Tréluyer Mobilecast Team Impul Lola B06/51 (FN06) Toyota RV8J
2007 Formula Nippon Japan Tsugio Matsuda Mobilecast Team Impul Lola B06/51 (FN06) Toyota RV8J
2008 Formula Nippon Japan Tsugio Matsuda Lawson Team Impul Lola B06/51 (FN06) Toyota RV8J
2009 Formula Nippon France Loïc Duval Nakajima Racing Swift 017.n (FN09) Honda HR09E
2010 Formula Nippon Brazil João Paulo de Oliveira Mobil 1 Team Impul Swift 017.n (FN09) Toyota RV8K
2011 Formula Nippon Germany André Lotterer Petronas Team TOM'S Swift 017.n (FN09) Toyota RV8K
2012 Formula Nippon Japan Kazuki Nakajima DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing Swift 017.n (FN09) Toyota RV8K
2013 Super Formula Japan Naoki Yamamoto Petronas Team TOM'S Swift 017.n (SF13) Honda HR12E
2014 Super Formula Japan Kazuki Nakajima Petronas Team TOM'S Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A
2015 Super Formula Japan Hiroaki Ishiura Petronas Team TOM'S Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A

References

  1. Sam (26 March 2013). "2014 Super Formula concept revealed". Racecar Engineering.

External links

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