1998 Formula Nippon Championship

The 1998 Formula Nippon Championship was the twenty-sixth season of premier Japanese single-seater racing, and the third under the Formula Nippon name and Japan Race Promotion (JRP) management. The series was scheduled to take place over ten rounds, though one round at Fuji Speedway was cancelled due to weather, leaving only nine rounds at five venues. Team LeMans driver Satoshi Motoyama won his first career championship.

14 different teams, 29 different drivers, and three different chassis series. It was the first season in which Mugen supplied engines to all teams, though open tuning was still permitted. As was the case in 1997, each round saw a Special Stage after the original qualifying. The best six qualifiers had to compete in a separate session for the pole.

Teams and drivers

All teams used tyres supplied by Bridgestone and Mugen MF308 engines.

Team # Driver Chassis Rounds
Shionogi Team Nova 1 Japan Masami Kageyama Lola T97/51 All
2 Republic of Ireland Ralph Firman Jr. Lola T96/51 All
Asahi Kiko Sports 3 Japan Atsushi Kawamoto Reynard 96D All
Team 5ZIGEN 5 Belgium Marc Goossens Reynard 97D All
6 Japan Shigekazu Wakisaka Reynard 96D All
LEMONed Racing Team LeMans 7 Argentina Norberto Fontana Reynard 97D All
8 Japan Satoshi Motoyama All
Cosmo Oil Racing Team Cerumo 11 Japan Hideki Noda Lola T98/51 All
12 Japan Akira Iida Lola T96/52 3–10
Jaccs Mooncraft M.S.P 14 Japan Ryō Michigami Reynard 96D All
Team TMS 17 Japan Masahiko Kondō Reynard 97D All
18 Japan Tsuyoshi Takahashi 1–2
Japan Yuji Tachikawa 3–10
Maziora Team Impul 19 Japan Takuya Kurosawa Lola T98/51 All
20 Japan Masahiko Kageyama Lola T96/52 All
Be Brides Racing 21 Japan Tetsuya Tanaka Lola T95/50 All
22 Japan Akira Ishikawa Lola T96/52 All
Kyoetsu Stellar
Stellar International 		35 Japan Tokiyasu Soda Reynard 96D 1
Sri Lanka Dilantha Malagamuwa 7–9
Takagi B-1 Racing 36 Japan Tetsuji Tamanaka Lola T96/51 All
37 Japan Masao Yamada[1] Lola T95/50
Lola T94/50 		2–5
Autobacs Racing Team Aguri 55 Japan Katsutomo Kaneishi Lola T98/51 All
56 Japan Juichi Wakisaka Lola T97/51 All
Team LeyJun 62 Japan Shinsuke Shibahara Reynard 95D
Reynard 96D 		All
63 Japan "Osamu" Reynard 95D
Reynard 97D 		1, 4–10
Japan Taichiro Oonishi 2–3
PIAA Nakajima Racing 64 Japan Koji Yamanishi Reynard 97D 1–4, 6–10
Japan Tsugio Matsuda 5
65 Netherlands Tom Coronel All

^ Masao Yamada died from a subarachnoid hemorrhage on 12 July 1998.[1]

Race calendar and results

All races were held in Japan.

Race Track Date Pole position Fastest Race Lap Winning driver Winning team
1 Suzuka Circuit 19 April Republic of Ireland Ralph Firman Jr. Netherlands Tom Coronel Japan Masahiko Kageyama Maziora Team Impul
2 Mine Circuit 17 May Japan Juichi Wakisaka Japan Satoshi Motoyama Japan Satoshi Motoyama LEMONed Racing Team LeMans
3 Fuji Speedway 31 May Japan Satoshi Motoyama Japan Katsutomo Kaneishi Japan Satoshi Motoyama LEMONed Racing Team LeMans
4 Twin Ring Motegi 14 June Argentina Norberto Fontana Japan Hideki Noda Japan Juichi Wakisaka Autobacs Racing Team Aguri
5 Suzuka Circuit 5 July Japan Masahiko Kageyama Japan Juichi Wakisaka Japan Masahiko Kageyama Maziora Team Impul
6 Sportsland SUGO 2 August Japan Masami Kageyama Japan Masami Kageyama Japan Masami Kageyama Shionogi Team Nova
7 Fuji Speedway 30 August Japan Takuya Kurosawa Race cancelled
8 Mine Circuit 20 September Japan Hideki Noda Japan Satoshi Motoyama Japan Satoshi Motoyama LEMONed Racing Team LeMans
9 Fuji Speedway 18 October Japan Masami Kageyama Japan Hideki Noda Argentina Norberto Fontana LEMONed Racing Team LeMans
10 Suzuka Circuit 29 November Japan Satoshi Motoyama Japan Masami Kageyama Japan Masami Kageyama Shionogi Team Nova

Round 7 at Fuji Speedway was cancelled due to weather conditions.

Championship standings

Drivers' Championship

Scoring system
Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
Points 10 6 4 3 2 1
Rank Name SUZ MIN FUJ MOT SUZ SGO FUJ MIN FUJ SUZ Points
1 Japan Satoshi Motoyama Ret 1 1 2 Ret 4 C 1 2 Ret 45
2 Japan Masami Kageyama 2 10 Ret 3 3 1 C 6 4 1 38
3 Japan Juichi Wakisaka Ret 2 Ret 1 4 Ret C Ret Ret 2 25
4 Argentina Norberto Fontana 3 Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret C 2 1 8 21
5 Japan Masahiko Kageyama 1 Ret Ret 8 1 Ret C Ret Ret 6 21
6 Belgium Marc Goossens 6 4 Ret Ret 2 Ret C 3 Ret 4 17
7 Japan Katsutomo Kaneishi 4 5 2 Ret Ret 7 C 5 10 Ret 13
8 Republic of Ireland Ralph Firman Jr. 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 2 C 4 3 7 13
9 Japan Ryō Michigami 7 3 4 9 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 3 11
10 Japan Hideki Noda 5 Ret 5 6 Ret 3 C Ret 9 Ret 9
11 Netherlands Tom Coronel 8 6 Ret 4 5 5 C Ret Ret 14 8
12 Japan Takuya Kurosawa Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret C Ret Ret 5 6
13 Japan Yuji Tachikawa 9 5 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 9 2
14 Japan Akira Iida 8 Ret Ret 9 C Ret 5 12 2
15 Japan Tsugio Matsuda 6 1
16 Japan Koji Yamanishi Ret 7 Ret Ret 6 C Ret Ret 11 1
17 Japan Tetsuya Tanaka Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 11 C Ret 6 16 1
18 Japan Masahiko Kondō 9 8 11 10 7 8 C 7 7 Ret 0
19 Japan Shigekazu Wakisaka 10 Ret 10 7 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 10 0
20 Japan Akira Ishikawa Ret Ret Ret 11 9 10 C Ret 8 15 0
21 Japan Tetsuji Tamanaka Ret 11 14 13 Ret Ret C 8 Ret 17 0
22 Japan "Osamu" 13 Ret Ret 13 C 9 Ret 18 0
23 Japan Atsushi Kawamoto Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret C Ret Ret 13 0
24 Japan Shinsuke Shibahara 11 Ret 12 12 Ret Ret C 10 Ret Ret 0
25 Sri Lanka Dilantha Malagamuwa C Ret 12 0
26 Japan Taichiro Oonishi Ret 13 0
27 Japan Tsuyoshi Takahashi 14 Ret 0
28 Japan Masao Yamada Ret 15 Ret DNQ 0
29 Japan Tokiyasu Soda Ret 0

Teams' Championship

Rank Name Car SUZ MIN FUJ MOT SUZ SGO FUJ MIN FUJ SUZ Points
1 LEMONed LeMans 7 3 Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret C 2 1 8 66
8 Ret 1 1 2 Ret 4 C 1 2 Ret
2 Shionogi Nova 1 2 10 Ret 3 3 1 C 6 4 1 51
2 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 2 C 4 3 7
3 ARTA 55 4 5 2 Ret Ret 7 C 5 10 Ret 38
56 Ret 2 Ret 1 4 Ret C Ret Ret 2
4 Maziora Impul 19 Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret C Ret Ret 5 27
20 1 Ret Ret 8 1 Ret C Ret Ret 6
5 5ZIGEN 5 6 4 Ret Ret 2 Ret C 3 Ret 4 14
6 10 Ret 10 7 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 10
6 Jaccs Mooncraft 14 7 3 4 9 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 3 14
7 Cosmo Oil Cerumo 11 5 Ret 5 6 Ret 3 C Ret 9 Ret 11
12 8 Ret Ret 9 C Ret 5 12
8 PIAA Nakajima 64 Ret 7 Ret Ret 6 6 C Ret Ret 11 10
65 8 6 Ret 4 5 5 C Ret Ret 14
9 Team TMS 17 9 8 11 10 7 8 C 7 7 Ret 2
18 14 Ret 9 5 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 9
10 Be Brides 21 Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 11 C Ret 6 16 1
22 Ret Ret Ret 11 9 10 C Ret 8 15
11 Asahi Kiko Sports 3 Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret C Ret Ret 13 0
12 Takagi B-1 Racing 36 Ret 11 14 13 Ret Ret C 8 Ret 17 0
37 Ret 15 Ret DNQ
13 Team LeyJun 62 11 Ret 12 12 Ret Ret C 10 Ret Ret 0
63 13 Ret 13 Ret Ret 13 C 9 Ret 18
14 Kyoetsu Stellar
Stellar International 		35 Ret C Ret 12 0

References

  1. ^ "FN_NEWS:訃報:山田政夫選手急逝". モータースポーツフォーラム (in Japanese). 1998-07-13. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
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