2008 Formula Nippon Championship

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The 2008 Formula Nippon Championship was the thirty-sixth season of the premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing series. The series for Formula Nippon racing cars was contested over eight rounds. All teams were required to use Lola chassis (Lola FN06) and have the choice between utilising Mugen Honda (Mugen HF386E) or Toyota (Toyota RV8J) engines.

Contents

Defending champion Tsugio Matsuda secured the championship with a round in hand. Together with teammate Benoît Tréluyer, Matsuda's Team Impul also secured the teams championship with a round to go.

Teams and drivers

Team#DriverChassisEngineRounds
Lawson Team Impul 1 Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Lola FN06 Toyota RV8JAll
2 Flag of France.svg Benoît Tréluyer Lola FN06 Toyota RV8JAll
Kondo Racing 3 Flag of Japan.svg Naoki Yokomizo Lola FN06 Toyota RV8JAll
4 Flag of Brazil.svg João Paulo de Oliveira Lola FN06 Toyota RV8JAll
SG Team 5Zigen 5 Flag of Japan.svg Toshihiro Kaneishi Lola FN06 Honda HF386EAll
6 Flag of Japan.svg Katsuyuki Hiranaka Lola FN06 Honda HF386E1–4, 7–8
Flag of Japan.svg Hiroki Yoshimoto 5–6
Team LeMans 7 Flag of Japan.svg Satoshi Motoyama Lola FN06 Toyota RV8JAll
8 Flag of Japan.svg Hiroaki Ishiura Lola FN06 Toyota RV8JAll
TP Checker Team Impul 20 Flag of Japan.svg Kohei Hirate Lola FN06 Toyota RV8J1–6, 8
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Lyons 7
PIAA Nakajima Racing 31 Flag of France.svg Loïc Duval Lola FN06 Honda HF386EAll
32 Flag of Japan.svg Takashi Kogure Lola FN06 Honda HF386EAll
Petronas Team TOM'S 36 Flag of Germany.svg André Lotterer Lola FN06 Toyota RV8JAll
37 Flag of Japan.svg Seiji Ara Lola FN06 Toyota RV8JAll
DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing 40 Flag of Japan.svg Kosuke Matsuura Lola FN06 Honda HF386EAll
41 Flag of Japan.svg Takeshi Tsuchiya Lola FN06 Honda HF386EAll
Cerumo/Inging 47 Flag of Italy.svg Ronnie Quintarelli Lola FN06 Toyota RV8JAll
48 Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Tachikawa Lola FN06 Toyota RV8JAll
Autobacs Racing Team Aguri 55 Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Ide Lola FN06 Honda HF386EAll
56 Flag of Japan.svg Takuya Izawa Lola FN06 Honda HF386EAll
Stonemarket Blaak Cerumo/Inging 67 Flag of Brazil.svg Roberto Streit Lola FN06 Toyota RV8JAll

Calendar

RoundCircuitDatePole PositionFastest LapWinning DriverWinning Team
1 Fuji Speedway 6 April Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Tachikawa Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Team Impul
2 Suzuka Circuit 11 May Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Tachikawa Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Team Impul
3 Twin Ring Motegi 25 May Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Team Impul
4 Okayama International Circuit 8 June Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Flag of Japan.svg Satoshi Motoyama Flag of France.svg Loïc Duval Nakajima Racing
5 Suzuka Circuit 13 July Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Flag of Japan.svg Hiroaki Ishiura Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Team Impul
Flag of Japan.svg Satoshi Motoyama 1 Flag of Brazil.svg Roberto Streit Flag of Japan.svg Kohei Hirate Team Impul
6 Twin Ring Motegi 10 August Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Flag of Brazil.svg Roberto Streit Flag of France.svg Loïc Duval Nakajima Racing
Flag of Japan.svg Takeshi Tsuchiya 1 Flag of Japan.svg Takeshi Tsuchiya Flag of Japan.svg Seiji Ara TOM'S Racing
7 Fuji Speedway 31 August Flag of Brazil.svg João Paulo de Oliveira Flag of Japan.svg Takashi Kogure Flag of Brazil.svg João Paulo de Oliveira Kondō Racing
Flag of Japan.svg Kosuke Matsuura 1 Flag of Japan.svg Toshihiro Kaneishi Flag of Japan.svg Kosuke Matsuura Dandelion Racing
8 Sportsland SUGO 21 September Flag of Japan.svg Satoshi Motoyama Flag of France.svg Loïc Duval Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda Team Impul

Championship standings

Drivers' Championship

Scoring system
Position12345678910PP
Rds 14, 8Points15121086543211
Rds 57
R1
Points10865432101
Rds 57
R2
Points543210

* – In race 2 at the August Fuji meeting, the race was run behind the safety car for five laps before the race was halted. Half points were awarded.

PosDriver FUJ SUZ MOT OKA SUZ MOT FUJ SUG Pts
1 Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda 111Ret182245193.5
2 Flag of France.svg Loïc Duval 101031621Ret27362
3 Flag of Germany.svg André Lotterer Ret32224117541249
4 Flag of Japan.svg Kohei Hirate Ret26351RetDNS542
5 Flag of Japan.svg Takashi Kogure 65Ret9375Ret36241
6 Flag of Brazil.svg João Paulo de Oliveira RetRet911453318633
7 Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Tachikawa 21774171244991531
8 Flag of France.svg Benoît Tréluyer 47Ret8Ret1315Ret72427
9 Flag of Italy.svg Ronnie Quintarelli 58Ret7109Ret1363721.5
10 Flag of Japan.svg Takuya Izawa Ret94512RetRet121817819
11 Flag of Japan.svg Satoshi Motoyama Ret416Ret83951414Ret14
12 Flag of Japan.svg Naoki Yokomizo NC611676Ret111212Ret12
13 Flag of Brazil.svg Roberto Streit 315RetRet1110Ret919181011
14 Flag of Japan.svg Seiji Ara Ret1110101311711010169
15 Flag of Japan.svg Toshihiro Kaneishi 11Ret514Ret146Ret1620119
16 Flag of Japan.svg Hiroaki Ishiura 7138Ret14Ret138171699
17 Flag of Japan.svg Takeshi Tsuchiya 814141216Ret8141111144
18 Flag of Japan.svg Kosuke Matsuura 121612139Ret10681133.5
19 Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Ide 91815NC15Ret12RetNC19172
20 Flag of Japan.svg Hiroki Yoshimoto 181514100
21 Flag of Japan.svg Katsuyuki Hiranaka Ret1213151515Ret0
22 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Lyons 13130
PosDriver FUJ SUZ MOT OKA SUZ MOT FUJ SUG Pts
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenPoints classification
BlueNon-points classification
Non-classified finish (NC)
PurpleRetired, not classified (Ret)
RedDid not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
BlankDid not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

Bold - Pole
Italics - Fastest Lap

Teams' Championship

Scoring system
Position12345678910
Rds 1–4, 8Points1512108654321
Rds 5–7
R1
Points1086543210
Rds 5–7
R2
Points543210
PosTeamCar FUJ SUZ MOT OKA SUZ MOT FUJ SUG Pts
1 Lawson Team Impul 1111Ret1822451114.5
247Ret8Ret1315Ret724
2 PIAA Nakajima Racing 31101031621Ret273103
3265Ret9375Ret362
3 Petronas Team TOM'S 36Ret32224117541258
37Ret111010131171101016
4 Cerumo/Inging 4758Ret7109Ret1363752.5
48217741712449915
5 Kondo Racing 3NC611676Ret111212Ret44
4RetRet9114533186
6 TP Checker Impul 20Ret26351RetDNS1313542
7 Team LeMans 7Ret416Ret83951414Ret22
87138Ret14Ret13817169
8 Autobacs Racing Team Aguri 5591815NC15Ret12RetNC191721
56Ret94512RetRet1218178
9Stonemarket Cerumo/Inging 67315RetRet1110Ret919181011
10 SG Team 5Zigen 511Ret514Ret146Ret1620119
6Ret121315181514101515Ret
11 DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing 40121612139Ret10681137.5
41814141216Ret814111114

Notes

  1. For the doubleheader race weekends, the driver that finished 8th in Race 1 was awarded pole for Race 2 in a reverse grid from 8th to 1st. These are not officially counted as poles by JRP.