Super Formula

Super Formula

Category	Single seaters
Country	Japan
Inaugural season	1973
Drivers	19
Teams	11
Constructors	Dallara
Engine suppliers	Toyota, Honda
Tire suppliers	Yokohama
Drivers' champion	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

• Points are awarded in line with the standard FIA system used from 2003 to 2009, but with a bonus point given for pole position.

Champions

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

References

External links

• Japanese Championship Super Formula official website (English)