Teams and drivers
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2013 Formula Challenge Japan was a multi-event motor racing championship for open-wheel formula racing cars, and the eighth and final 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 30 March and ended on 10 November. [1] [2]
The championship was won by Toyota-backed rookie Kenta Yamashita after a season-long battle where the championship lead changed hands numerous times. Yamashita claimed the title after a hat-trick of wins at the final round in Fuji, more than doubling his points tally to emerge victorious in front of Honda-supported Tsubasa Takahashi and fellow Toyota junior Keishi Ishikawa. Hiroki Shinotani, who had led the championship going into the final round, slipped to fourth in the standings. The season saw five winners, with Yamashita claiming four, Takahashi winning thrice, Shinotani and Shō Tsuboi claiming two each, and Shōta Kiyohara dominating a single round.
This was the final season of Formula Challenge Japan before it was replaced by Japan Formula 4 in 2014, and by the FIA F4 Japanese Championship in 2015.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 30 March |  Kiyoto Fujinami | Keishi Ishikawa | Shō Tsuboi |
| 2 | 31 March | Kiyoto Fujinami | Shō Tsuboi | Tsubasa Takahashi | |
| 3 | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi | 11 May |  Nanin Indra-Payoong | Kenta Yamashita | Kenta Yamashita |
| 4 | 12 May | Shinya Sean Michimi | Hiroki Shinotani | Tsubasa Takahashi | |
| 5 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 22 June | Kiyoto Fujinami | Hiroki Shinotani | Hiroki Shinotani |
| 6 | Kiyoto Fujinami | Hiroki Shinotani | |||
| 7 | 23 June | Hiroki Shinotani | Tsubasa Takahashi | ||
| 8 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 24 August | Shōta Kiyohara | Shōta Kiyohara | Shōta Kiyohara |
| 9 | 25 August | Shinya Sean Michimi | Keishi Ishikawa | Shō Tsuboi | |
| 10 | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | 9 November | Kenta Yamashita | Kenta Yamashita | Kenta Yamashita |
| 11 | Kenta Yamashita | Kenta Yamashita | Kenta Yamashita | ||
| 12 | 10 November | Tsubasa Takahashi | Kenta Yamashita |
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 |
|
Bold – Pole | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuya Oshima is a Japanese racing driver, currently racing in the Super GT Series and the Super Formula Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing and ROOKIE Racing.
Ryō Hirakawa is a Japanese racing driver who is currently competing for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He was Super GT GT500 champion in 2017, and finished runner-up in Super Formula in 2020. He has competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the Hypercar class since 2022, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in his debut season and the championship title in 2022 and 2023 alongside co-drivers Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley. Hirakawa is also signed to McLaren's Driver Development Programme as a reserve driver for the 2024 Formula One season.
The 2014 Japanese Formula 3 Championship was the 36th edition of the Japanese Formula 3 Championship. It was held over 7 rounds and a total of 15 races, commencing on 12 April at Suzuka and culminating on 12 October at Fuji Speedway.
Nobuharu Matsushita is a Japanese racing driver currently competing in Super GT for ARTA and Super Formula for TGM Grand Prix.
Ukyō Sasahara is a Japanese racing driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing who is currently competing in Super GT and Super Formula for TOM'S. He was previously a factory driver for Honda, and has achieved successes in a wide variety of motorsport disciplines.
Kenta Yamashita is a Japanese racing driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing who is currently competing in Super GT for ROOKIE Racing and in Super Formula for Kondō Racing. He won the GT500-class Super GT championship title in 2019, driving alongside Kazuya Oshima, and previously won the 2016 All-Japan Formula 3 Championship and the 2013 Formula Challenge Japan titles.
Le Mans Ltd., headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo is an automobile parts manufacturer founded in 1967. The original company name was Le Mans Chamber of Commerce. The company is mainly engaged in the development and sales of motorsport parts and the import and sale of race cars overseas.
The 2017 Japanese Super Formula Championship was the forty-fifth season of premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing, and the fifth under the moniker of Super Formula. Yuji Kunimoto was the defending series champion.
The 2018 Autobacs Super GT Series was the twenty-sixth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship including the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era and the fourteenth season the series has competed under the Super GT name. It was the thirty-sixth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The season began on April 8 and ended on November 11, after 8 races.
The 2019 Super GT Series was a 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-seventh season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era and the fifteenth season the series has competed under the Super GT name. It was the thirty-seventh overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The season began on April 14 and ended on November 24, after 8 championship races & 2 non-championship races.
Sho Tsuboi is a Japanese racing driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing and TOM'S Racing, who currently competes in the Super GT Series GT500 class and Super Formula Championship.
The 2020 Japanese Super Formula Championship was the forty-eighth season of premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing, and the eighth under the moniker of Super Formula.
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.
Sena Sakaguchi is a Japanese racing driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing who is currently competing in Super GT for Racing Project Bandoh and in Super Formula for Cerumo・INGING. He is the champion of the 2020 Formula Regional Japanese Championship.
The 2022 Japanese Super Formula Championship was the fiftieth season of premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing, and the tenth under the moniker of Super Formula. It started in April 2022 and was contested over ten rounds across seven race meetings.
Kiyoto Fujinami is a Japanese professional racing driver who currently competes in Super GT for Team Mach. He is a two-time champion in the series, having won the GT300 class title with Kondō Racing in 2020 and 2022.
The 2023 Japanese Super Formula Championship was the fifty-first season of premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing, and the eleventh under the moniker of Super Formula. It started in April 2023 and was contested over seven weekends, comprising nine races. Tomoki Nojiri entered the season as the two-time and defending series champion.
The 2012 Formula Challenge Japan was a multi-event motor racing championship for open-wheel formula racing cars, and the seventh running of the Formula Challenge Japan 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 7 April and ended on 4 November.
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.
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. 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.