1998 Formula Nippon Championship

(Redirected from 1998 Formula Nippon season)

The 1998 Formula Nippon Championship was scheduled over 10 rounds and contested over 9 rounds. 14 different teams, 29 different drivers, 3 different chassis and only 1 engine competed. 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 edit

Team # Driver Chassis Engine Rounds
Shionogi Team Nova 1   Masami Kageyama Lola T97/51 Mugen MF308 All
2   Ralph Firman Lola T96/51 All
Asahi Kiko Sports 3   Atsushi Kawamoto Reynard 96D Mugen MF308 All
Team 5ZIGEN 5   Marc Goossens Reynard 97D Mugen MF308 All
6   Shigekazu Wakisaka Reynard 96D All
LEMONed Racing Team LeMans 7   Norberto Fontana Reynard 97D Mugen MF308 All
8   Satoshi Motoyama All
Cosmo Oil Racing Team Cerumo 11   Hideki Noda Lola T98/51 Mugen MF308 All
12   Akira Iida Lola T96/52 3–10
Jaccs Mooncraft M.S.P 14   Ryo Michigami Reynard 96D Mugen MF308 All
Team TMS 17   Masahiko Kondo Reynard 97D Mugen MF308 All
18   Tsuyoshi Takahashi 1–2
  Yuji Tachikawa 3–10
Maziora Team Impul 19   Takuya Kurosawa Lola T98/51 Mugen MF308 All
20   Masahiko Kageyama Lola T96/52 All
Be Brides Racing 21   Tetsuya Tanaka Lola T95/50 Mugen MF308 All
22   Akira Ishikawa Lola T96/52 All
Kyoetsu Stellar
Stellar International
35   Tokiyasu Soda Reynard 96D Mugen MF308 1
  Dilantha Malagamuwa 7–9
Takagi B-1 Racing 36   Tetsuji Tamanaka Lola T96/51 Mugen MF308 All
37   Masao Yamada[1] Lola T95/50
Lola T94/50
2–5
Autobacs Racing Team Aguri 55   Katsutomo Kaneishi Lola T98/51 Mugen MF308 All
56   Juichi Wakisaka Lola T97/51 All
Team LeyJun 62   Shinsuke Shibahara Reynard 95D
Reynard 96D
Mugen MF308 All
63   "Osamu" Reynard 95D
Reynard 97D
1, 4–10
  Taichiro Oonishi 2–3
PIAA Nakajima Racing 64   Koji Yamanishi Reynard 97D Mugen MF308 1–4, 6–10
  Tsugio Matsuda 5
65   Tom Coronel All

^ Masao Yamada passed away from a subarachnoid hemorrhage on 12 July, 1998.[1]

Calendar edit

Race No Track Country Date Laps Distance Time Speed Winner Pole Position Fastest Race Lap
1 Suzuka   Japan 19 April 1998 35 5.864=205.241 km 1'04:11.637 191.832 km/h Masahiko Kageyama Ralph Firman, Jr. (ss)
Juichi Wakisaka (fq)
Tom Coronel
2 Mine   Japan 17 May 1998 62 3.239=200.818 km 1'20:35.683 149.502 km/h Satoshi Motoyama Juichi Wakisaka Satoshi Motoyama
3 Fuji   Japan 31 May 1998 45 4.470=201.15 km 1'00:28.148 199.589 km/h Satoshi Motoyama Satoshi Motoyama (ss)
Norberto Fontana (fq)
Katsutomo Kaneishi
4 Motegi   Japan 14 June 1998 43 4.796=206.228 km 1'20:19.652 154.040 km/h Juichi Wakisaka Norberto Fontana (ss)
Hideki Noda (fq)
Hideki Noda
5 Suzuka   Japan 5 July 1998 35 5.864=205.241 km 1'04:46.239 190.124 km/h Masahiko Kageyama Masahiko Kageyama Juichi Wakisaka
6 Sugo   Japan 2 August 1998 54 3.704=200.016 km 1'34:08.018 127.489 km/h Masami Kageyama Masami Kageyama (ss)
Masahiko Kageyama (fq)
Masami Kageyama
7 Fuji   Japan 30 August 1998 cancelled due to bad weather conditions
8 Mine   Japan 20 September 1998 62 3.239=200.818 km 1'21:54.617 147.101 km/h Satoshi Motoyama Hideki Noda Satoshi Motoyama
9 Fuji   Japan 18 October 1998 45 4.470=201.15 km 1'46:45.819 113.044 km/h Norberto Fontana Masami Kageyama Hideki Noda
10 Suzuka   Japan 29 November 1998 35 5.864=205.241 km 1'03:42.152 193.312 km/h Masami Kageyama Satoshi Motoyama Masami Kageyama

Race 7 no special stage held due to bad weather conditions

(ss) indicate the winner of the special stage, who started from pole - (fq) indicate the original fastest qualifier. In all other races, the fastest qualifier was also the winner of the special stage.

Championship standings edit

Drivers' Championship edit

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   Satoshi Motoyama Ret 1 1 2 Ret 4 C 1 2 Ret 45
2   Masami Kageyama 2 10 Ret 3 3 1 C 6 4 1 38
3   Juichi Wakisaka Ret 2 Ret 1 4 Ret C Ret Ret 2 25
4   Norberto Fontana 3 Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret C 2 1 8 21
5   Masahiko Kageyama 1 Ret Ret 8 1 Ret C Ret Ret 6 21
6   Marc Goossens 6 4 Ret Ret 2 Ret C 3 Ret 4 17
7   Katsutomo Kaneishi 4 5 2 Ret Ret 7 C 5 10 Ret 13
8   Ralph Firman 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 2 C 4 3 7 13
9   Ryo Michigami 7 3 4 9 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 3 11
10   Hideki Noda 5 Ret 5 6 Ret 3 C Ret 9 Ret 9
11   Tom Coronel 8 6 Ret 4 5 5 C Ret Ret 14 8
12   Takuya Kurosawa Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret C Ret Ret 5 6
13   Yuji Tachikawa 9 5 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 9 2
14   Akira Iida 8 Ret Ret 9 C Ret 5 12 2
15   Tsugio Matsuda 6 1
16   Koji Yamanishi Ret 7 Ret Ret 6 C Ret Ret 11 1
17   Tetsuya Tanaka Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 11 C Ret 6 16 1
18   Masahiko Kondo 9 8 11 10 7 8 C 7 7 Ret 0
19   Shigekazu Wakisaka 10 Ret 10 7 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 10 0
20   Akira Ishikawa Ret Ret Ret 11 9 10 C Ret 8 15 0
21   Tetsuji Tamanaka Ret 11 14 13 Ret Ret C 8 Ret 17 0
22   "Osamu" 13 Ret Ret 13 C 9 Ret 18 0
23   Atsushi Kawamoto Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret C Ret Ret 13 0
24   Shinsuke Shibahara 11 Ret 12 12 Ret Ret C 10 Ret Ret 0
25   Dilantha Malagamuwa C Ret 12 0
26   Taichiro Oonishi Ret 13 0
27   Tsuyoshi Takahashi 14 Ret 0
28   Masao Yamada Ret 15 Ret DNQ 0
29   Tokiyasu Soda Ret 0

Teams' Championship edit

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 edit

  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.

External links edit