Teams and drivers
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The 2010 Formula Challenge Japan was a multi-event motor racing championship for open-wheel formula racing cars, and the fifth season of the Formula Challenge Japan racing series, a young driver development series jointly supported by Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. The championship featured a mix of manufacturer-affiliated drivers and independent entries, and commenced on 22 May and ended on 7 November. [1] [2] Four race weekends were run in support of Formula Nippon, with the October round at Suzuka being held in support of the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix.
Toyota junior driver Yūichi Nakayama dominated the championship, taking pole position in every qualifying session and winning ten of the twelve races on the calendar to complete the most successful campaign in series history. Nissan-supported Takamitsu Matsui finished the season as runner-up with one race win, having scored less than half of Nakayama's total points, ahead of top-placed rookie and Honda junior Kazuki Hiramine. Honda stablemate Yūya Motojima claimed the remaining race victory.
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All races were held in Japan. Rounds 1–2, 5–8, and 10–12 were held in support of the Formula Nippon championship, and Round 9 at Suzuka was held as a support race for the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix, the sixteenth round of the 2010 Formula One World Championship.
| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi | 22 May |  Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama |
| 2 | 23 May | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | |
| 3 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 12 June | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama |
| 4 | 13 June | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | |
| 5 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 17 July | Yūichi Nakayama | Ryō Hirakawa | Yūichi Nakayama |
| 6 | 18 July | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūya Motojima | Yūya Motojima | |
| 7 | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi | 7 August | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama |
| 8 | 8 August | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūya Motojima | Takamitsu Matsui | |
| 9 | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | 9 October | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama |
| 10 | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | 6 November | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama |
| 11 | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | ||
| 12 | 7 November | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama | Yūichi Nakayama |
Points were awarded to the top six classified finishers, with one point awarded for pole position and fastest lap respectively.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | PP | FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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Fuji Speedway is a motorsport race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing. Originally managed by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Fuji Speedway was acquired by Toyota Motor Corporation in 2000. The circuit hosted the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix in 2007 after an absence of nearly 30 years, replacing the Suzuka Circuit owned by Honda. After Fuji Speedway hosted the 2008 race, the Japanese Grand Prix returned to Suzuka for races from 2009 onward. The Super GT Fuji 500 km race is held at the racetrack on Golden Week.
The Japanese Super Formula Championship is a formula racing series held primarily in Japan. It is considered to be the pinnacle of single-seater racing in Japan or Asia as a whole, making it one of the top motorsport series in the region. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and managed by Japan Race Promotion (JRP). As of 2023, Super Formula is the second fastest racing series in the world after Formula One.
The Suzuka International Racing Course, more famously known as the Suzuka Circuit, is a 5.807 km (3.608 mi) long motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Honda Mobilityland, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co, Ltd. It has a capacity of 155,000.
Satoshi Motoyama is a Japanese professional racing driver and team manager. He is best known for racing in the Super GT Series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) as a factory driver for Nissan, and for racing in the Formula Nippon Championship. He is a three-time champion of the GT500 class of Super GT, and a four-time Formula Nippon/Super Formula champion, making him one of the most successful Japanese racing drivers of all-time.
Hidetoshi Mitsusada is a former racing driver and current motorsport announcer from Japan. He currently serves as a commentator for Super GT on J Sports, partnering lead announcer Sascha Boeckle on its live broadcasts.
Yuhi Sekiguchi is a Japanese racing driver. He currently competes in the GT500 class of the Super GT Series for TGR Team au TOM's, where he is the 2021 series champion. He also competes in the Super Formula Championship for Carenex Team Impul.
Tsugio Matsuda is a Japanese professional racing driver for Nissan and NISMO in the Super GT Series, and a team principal for KCMG in the Super Formula Championship.
The 2012 Autobacs Super GT Series was the twentieth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship including the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era and the eighth season as the Super GT series. It also marked the thirtieth season of a JAF-sanctioned sports car racing championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The season began on April 1 and ended on November 18, 2012, after eight championship races and a non-championship race.
The 2012 Formula Nippon Championship was the fortieth season of the premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing series. The series for Formula Nippon racing cars was contested over seven rounds with a non-championship final round at Fuji Speedway as part of the JAF Grand Prix. The two-time Le Mans winner André Lotterer was the defending champion.
Naoki Yamamoto is a Japanese racing driver for Honda Racing Corporation, currently driving in the Autobacs Super GT Series with Team Kunimitsu, and the Japanese Super Formula Championship with Nakajima Racing. He is a three-time champion in Super Formula, and a two-time champion in the GT500 class of Super GT. Yamamoto is also the only driver to have won both the Super Formula and GT500 championships in the same season multiple times, a feat which he accomplished in 2018 and 2020.
Nobuharu Matsushita is a Japanese racing driver currently competing in Super GT and Super Formula for Real Racing, and B-Max Racing.
Yuichi Nakayama is a Japanese racing driver, best known for winning the 2013 All-Japan Formula Three Championship.
Tomoki Nojiri is a Japanese racing driver for the Honda Motor Company. He currently drives in the GT500 class of the Autobacs Super GT Series, and the Super Formula Championship, where he is the 2021 and 2022 series champion.
The 2017 Autobacs Super GT Series was the twenty-fifth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship including the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era, and the thirteenth season under the name Super GT. It was the thirty-fifth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The season began on April 9 and ended on November 12, after 8 races.
The 2019 Japanese Super Formula Championship was the forty-seventh season of premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing, and the seventh under the moniker of Super Formula. The season began on 21 April at Suzuka Circuit and ended on 27 October at the same location.
The 2020 Super GT Series was motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and run by the GT Association (GTA). It was the twenty-eighth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era and the sixteenth season the series to compete under the Super GT name. It was the thirty-eighth overall season of a JAF national sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship.
The 2021 Japanese Super Formula Championship was the forty-ninth season of premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing, and the ninth under the moniker of Super Formula. Naoki Yamamoto entered the 2021 season as the defending drivers' champion.
The 2022 Super GT Series was a motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars, sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and run by the GT Association (GTA). It was the thirtieth season of the JAF Super GT Championship which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship era, and the eighteenth season under the Super GT name. It was also the fortieth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Endurance/Sports Prototype Championship.
The 2023 Super GT Series was a motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars, sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and ran by the GT Association (GTA). It was the thirty-first season of the JAF Super GT Championship, which included the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship era, and the nineteenth season under the Super GT name. It was also the forty-first overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Endurance/Sports Prototype Championship.
The 2011 Formula Challenge Japan was a multi-event motor racing championship for open-wheel formula racing cars, and the sixth season of the Formula Challenge Japan racing series, a young driver development series jointly supported by Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. The championship featured a mix of manufacturer-affiliated drivers and independent entries, and commenced on 23 April and ended on 6 November. Three race weekends were run in support of Formula Nippon, with the October round at Suzuka being held in support of the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix.
