Formula Toyota

Last updated
Category Single seaters
Inaugural season1990
Folded2007
Constructors Argo-Tom's (1990–1994)
Tom's (1995–2001)
Toyota (2002–2007)
Engine suppliers Toyota
Tyre suppliers Bridgestone (2002–2007)
Last Drivers' champion Flag of Italy.svg Kei Cozzolino
Last Teams' champion Flag of Japan.svg Team Le Beauset
Official website Formula Toyota

Formula Toyota was a spec racing series in Japan between 1991 and 2007. Many Japanese Formula One drivers, like Kazuki Nakajima and Toranosuke Takagi, made their racing debut in the Formula Toyota. The class folded after the 2007 season when it was effectively replaced by the Formula Challenge Japan.

Contents

History

The Formula Toyota held its inaugural race in 1990, this race was won by Masami Kageyama. Toyota launched their first Formula 3 engine in 1991 and won both the drivers title and engine title in the 1991 Japanese Formula Three Championship. [1] Together with their Formula 3 engine Toyota launched their own racing class, Formula Toyota. The first generation car, the Argo-Tom's FT10, uses an aluminium monocoque. The car was powered by a Toyota 4A-GE engine, which produced 140hp. The FT10 was used until 1994 when it was replaced by a Tom's built FT20. This car was powered by a 5-valve engine, replacing the previous 4-valve engine. In 1995 the Formula Toyota Racing School was founded and the best driver from each class won a fully funded drive in the Formula Toyota championship. Between 1991 and 1999 there were two Formula Toyota championships, Main and West. But after the fields became smaller Toyota merged the two classes into one class for the 2000 season. The championships last race was on November 25, 2007 at Fuji International Speedway. The race was won by Italian-Japanese driver Kei Cozzolino. Team Le Beauset was the most successful team in Formula Toyota, their drivers won the championship six times.

The series folded after the creation of the Formula Challenge Japan. Nissan, Honda and Toyota joined forces and created this racing class in 2006. The Formula Challenge Japan was replaced by the Japan Formula 4 after the 2013 season. In New Zealand the Toyota Racing Series, also known as Formula Toyota, currently uses a Tatuus built Toyota FT40. There is no relationship between the Japanese series and this one except the use of Toyota engines.

Champions

YearChampionshipCar
1990 Flag of Japan.svg Masami Kageyama [2] Argo-Tom's FT10
MainWest
1991 Flag of Japan.svg Eiichi Tajima Flag of Japan.svg Hidehiro Mochizuki Argo-Tom's FT10
1992 Flag of Japan.svg Tomoyuki Hosono Flag of Japan.svg Masayuki Yamamoto Argo-Tom's FT10
1993 Flag of Japan.svg Mitsuhiro Kinoshita Flag of Japan.svg Eiji Sengoku Argo-Tom's FT10
1994 Flag of Japan.svg Shigeaki Hattori Flag of Japan.svg Jiro Nakatani Argo-Tom's FT10
1995 Flag of Japan.svg Takahiro Fujita Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Tachikawa Tom's FT20
1996 Flag of Japan.svg Yasuhisa Fujiwara Flag of Japan.svg Shinya Kurushima Tom's FT20
1997 Flag of Argentina.svg Rubén Derfler Flag of Japan.svg Shinichi Takagi Tom's FT20
1998 Flag of Japan.svg Masahiro Tsukiji Flag of Japan.svg Tomoyuki Inoue Tom's FT20
1999 Flag of Japan.svg Kaichi Sato Flag of Japan.svg Satoshi Inoue Tom's FT20
Championship
2000 Flag of Japan.svg Satoshi Goto [3] Tom's FT20
2001 Flag of Japan.svg Naoki Yokomizo [4] Tom's FT20
2002 Flag of Japan.svg Wataru Kobayakawa [5] FT30
2003 Flag of Japan.svg Kazuki Nakajima [6] FT30
2004 Flag of Japan.svg Hideto Yasuoka [7] FT30
2005 Flag of Japan.svg Kazuya Oshima [8] FT30
2006 Flag of Japan.svg Yuhi Sekiguchi [9] FT30
2007 Flag of Italy.svg Kei Cozzolino [10] FT30

Other notable drivers

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References

  1. ↑ "History of Toyota's Motor Sports Activities". Toyota Motor Corporation. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Formula Toyota". Japan Racing History. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "チャンプ後藤聡との激しい攻防戦を制し、 ジェフ・ライトが２勝目を挙げて、シリーズ閉幕". Toyota Motor Sports. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "予選での苦悩を吹き飛ばした横溝直輝 ポールシッター片岡龍也の連勝阻止して、有終の美を飾る!". Toyota Motor Sports. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "平手晃平が4勝目を挙げて、今季最後の戦いを締めくくる! チャンプ小早川は無念のリタイア。有終の美を飾れず". Toyota Motor Sports. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "後半戦のヒーロー、池田大祐が3連勝、年間最多4勝目を飾る！ 小林可夢偉は無念のリタイア、3位でゴールの中嶋一貴が王座に". Toyota Motor Sports. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  7. ↑ "後半戦伸び調子の嵯峨宏紀が、30戦目の卒業レースで初優勝！ ポール石浦、チャンプ安岡は、それぞれ無念の結果に……". Toyota Motor Sports. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "苦しいレース展開を耐え抜いた、大嶋和也がタイトルを獲得！ 阿部翼がラスト３連勝、坂本雄也と１-２フィニッシュを果たす". Toyota Motor Sports. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  9. ↑ "新チャンピオン関口雄飛、卒業レースで有終の美を飾る 得意のウェットコンディション、６勝目は圧勝で！". Toyota Motor Sports. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  10. ↑ "三つ巴のタイトル争いは、まさかまさかの結末に 3連勝飾って、ケイ・コッツォリーノが王者に輝く！". Toyota Motor Sports. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
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