The 2009 Formula Challenge Japan was a multi-event motor racing championship for open-wheel formula racing cars, and the fourth 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 4 April and ended on 27 September.[1][2] All championship rounds were run in support of the Formula Nippon Championship.
Honda Formula Dream Project driver Kazuki Miura won the championship in his second year in the series, taking four consecutive race victories to claim the title over Nissan-supported Daiki Sasaki. All race winners - Miura, Sasaki, third-placed finisher Naoya Gamou, and his Honda stablemates Makoto Kanai and Tsubasa Mekaru - won both races of their winning race weekends, with the first round at Fuji Speedway being the only round to have two different race winners.
Teams and drivers
editAll drivers competed in identical Tatuus FC106 chassis powered by Nismo-maintained Renault F4R engines. The entry list originally consisted of 27 entries, but would drop to 18 entries, largely due to the repercussions of the 2007–2008 global financial crisis in Japan.[3]
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Race calendar and results
editAll races were held in Japan in support of Formula Nippon.
Round | Circuit | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 4 April | Naoya Gamou | Daiki Sasaki | Daiki Sasaki |
2 | 5 April | Daiki Sasaki | Tsubasa Mekaru | Naoya Gamou | |
3 | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | 16 May | Tomoki Nojiri | Tomoki Nojiri | Makoto Kanai |
4 | 17 May | Takeshi Matsumoto | Tomoki Nojiri | Makoto Kanai | |
5 | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi | 30 May | Daiki Sasaki | Daiki Sasaki | Daiki Sasaki |
6 | 31 May | Daiki Sasaki | Tomoki Nojiri | Daiki Sasaki | |
7 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 27 June | Tsubasa Mekaru | Tsubasa Mekaru | Kazuki Miura |
8 | 28 June | Tsubasa Mekaru | Kazuya Ishii | Kazuki Miura | |
9 | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | 11 July | Kazuki Miura | Kazuki Miura | Kazuki Miura |
10 | 12 July | Kazuki Miura | Kazuki Miura | Kazuki Miura | |
11 | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi | 8 August | Kazuki Miura | Kazuya Ishii | Tsubasa Mekaru |
12 | 9 August | Kazuki Miura | Daiki Sasaki | Tsubasa Mekaru | |
13 | Sportsland SUGO, Murata | 26 September | Naoya Gamou | Yūichi Nakayama | Naoya Gamou |
14 | 27 September | Naoya Gamou | Yūichi Nakayama | Naoya Gamou |
Championship standings
editDrivers' Championship
editPoints 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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Bold – Pole |
References
edit- ^ "2009 Formula Challenge Japan - rounds". Super Formula | Formula Challenge Japan official website (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ a b "2009 Formula Challenge Japan - Rd. 9 Result". Super Formula | Formula Challenge Japan official website (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ Ōuchi, Kazusa (13 March 2009). "18人". Kazusaのブログ (in Japanese). Ameba.jp. Retrieved 4 January 2024.