2008 Formula Nippon Championship

The 2008 Formula Nippon Championship was the thirty-sixth season of premier Japanese single-seater racing, and the thirteenth under the Formula Nippon moniker. The series was contested over 11 races across eight weekends at five venues, with three double-header race meetings awarding half-points added to the calendar. 11 teams and 22 drivers competed over the course of the season.

Defending champion Tsugio Matsuda of Team Impul successfully defended his title and won his second series championship, becoming the first driver since Satoru Nakajima to win consecutive championships in Japanese top formula racing. Together with teammate Benoît Tréluyer, Team Impul also secured the teams championship with a round to go.

This was the final season for Lola as the series' chassis supplier, and the last race for Toyota and Honda's three-litre, naturally-aspirated V8 engines that were introduced in 2006. This was also the final season for four-time Formula Nippon Champion Satoshi Motoyama, who retired from the series after 2008.

Teams and drivers

All teams used tyres supplied by Bridgestone and Lola B06/51 chassis.

Team # Driver Engine Rounds
Lawson Team Impul 1 Tsugio Matsuda Toyota RV8J All
2 Benoît Tréluyer Toyota RV8J All
Kondo Racing 3 Naoki Yokomizo Toyota RV8J All
4 João Paulo de Oliveira Toyota RV8J All
SG Team 5Zigen 5 Toshihiro Kaneishi Honda HF386E All
6 Katsuyuki Hiranaka Honda HF386E 1–4, 7–8
Hiroki Yoshimoto 5–6
Team LeMans 7 Satoshi Motoyama Toyota RV8J All
8 Hiroaki Ishiura Toyota RV8J All
TP Checker Team Impul 20 Kohei Hirate Toyota RV8J 1–6, 8
Richard Lyons 7
PIAA Nakajima Racing 31 Loïc Duval Honda HF386E All
32 Takashi Kogure Honda HF386E All
Petronas Team TOM'S 36 André Lotterer Toyota RV8J All
37 Seiji Ara Toyota RV8J All
DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing 40 Kosuke Matsuura Honda HF386E All
41 Takeshi Tsuchiya Honda HF386E All
Cerumo/Inging 47 Ronnie Quintarelli Toyota RV8J All
48 Yuji Tachikawa Toyota RV8J All
Autobacs Racing Team Aguri 55 Yuji Ide Honda HF386E All
56 Takuya Izawa Honda HF386E All
Stonemarket Blaak Cerumo/Inging 67 Roberto Streit Toyota RV8J All

Calendar

2008 venues
  • All races held in Japan.
Round Circuit Date Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning team
1 Fuji Speedway 6 April Tsugio Matsuda Yuji Tachikawa Tsugio Matsuda Team Impul
2 Suzuka Circuit 11 May Tsugio Matsuda Yuji Tachikawa Tsugio Matsuda Team Impul
3 Twin Ring Motegi 25 May Tsugio Matsuda Tsugio Matsuda Tsugio Matsuda Team Impul
4 Okayama International Circuit 8 June Tsugio Matsuda Satoshi Motoyama Loïc Duval Nakajima Racing
5 Suzuka Circuit 13 July Tsugio Matsuda Hiroaki Ishiura Tsugio Matsuda Team Impul
Satoshi Motoyama1 Roberto Streit Kohei Hirate Team Impul
6 Twin Ring Motegi 10 August Tsugio Matsuda Roberto Streit Loïc Duval Nakajima Racing
Takeshi Tsuchiya1 Takeshi Tsuchiya Seiji Ara TOM'S Racing
7 Fuji Speedway 31 August João Paulo de Oliveira Takashi Kogure João Paulo de Oliveira Kondō Racing
Kosuke Matsuura1 Toshihiro Kaneishi Kosuke Matsuura Dandelion Racing
8 Sportsland SUGO 21 September Satoshi Motoyama Loïc Duval Tsugio Matsuda Team Impul

Championship standings

Drivers' Championship

Scoring system
Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 PP
Rds 1–4, 8 Points 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1 1
Rds 5–7
R1 		Points 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1
Rds 5–7
R2 		Points 5 4 3 2 1 0

* – In race 2 at the August Fuji meeting, the race was run behind the safety car for five laps before the race was halted. Half points were awarded.

Pos Driver FUJ SUZ MOT OKA SUZ MOT FUJ SUG Pts
1 Tsugio Matsuda 1 1 1 Ret 1 8 2 2 4 5 1 93.5
2 Loïc Duval 10 10 3 1 6 2 1 Ret 2 7 3 62
3 André Lotterer Ret 3 2 2 2 4 11 7 5 4 12 49
4 Kohei Hirate Ret 2 6 3 5 1 Ret DNS 5 42
5 Takashi Kogure 6 5 Ret 9 3 7 5 Ret 3 6 2 41
6 João Paulo de Oliveira Ret Ret 9 11 4 5 3 3 1 8 6 33
7 Yuji Tachikawa 2 17 7 4 17 12 4 4 9 9 15 31
8 Benoît Tréluyer 4 7 Ret 8 Ret 13 15 Ret 7 2 4 27
9 Ronnie Quintarelli 5 8 Ret 7 10 9 Ret 13 6 3 7 21.5
10 Takuya Izawa Ret 9 4 5 12 Ret Ret 12 18 17 8 19
11 Satoshi Motoyama Ret 4 16 Ret 8 3 9 5 14 14 Ret 14
12 Naoki Yokomizo NC 6 11 6 7 6 Ret 11 12 12 Ret 12
13 Roberto Streit 3 15 Ret Ret 11 10 Ret 9 19 18 10 11
14 Seiji Ara Ret 11 10 10 13 11 7 1 10 10 16 9
15 Toshihiro Kaneishi 11 Ret 5 14 Ret 14 6 Ret 16 20 11 9
16 Hiroaki Ishiura 7 13 8 Ret 14 Ret 13 8 17 16 9 9
17 Takeshi Tsuchiya 8 14 14 12 16 Ret 8 14 11 11 14 4
18 Kosuke Matsuura 12 16 12 13 9 Ret 10 6 8 1 13 3.5
19 Yuji Ide 9 18 15 NC 15 Ret 12 Ret NC 19 17 2
20 Hiroki Yoshimoto 18 15 14 10 0
21 Katsuyuki Hiranaka Ret 12 13 15 15 15 Ret 0
22 Richard Lyons 13 13 0
Pos Driver FUJ SUZ MOT OKA SUZ MOT FUJ SUG Pts
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver Second place
Bronze Third place
Green Points classification
Blue Non-points classification
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Retired, not classified (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

Bold - Pole
Italics - Fastest Lap

Teams' Championship

Scoring system
Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Rds 1–4, 8 Points 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1
Rds 5–7
R1 		Points 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Rds 5–7
R2 		Points 5 4 3 2 1 0
Pos Team Car FUJ SUZ MOT OKA SUZ MOT FUJ SUG Pts
1 Lawson Team Impul 1 1 1 1 Ret 1 8 2 2 4 5 1 114.5
2 4 7 Ret 8 Ret 13 15 Ret 7 2 4
2 PIAA Nakajima Racing 31 10 10 3 1 6 2 1 Ret 2 7 3 103
32 6 5 Ret 9 3 7 5 Ret 3 6 2
3 Petronas Team TOM'S 36 Ret 3 2 2 2 4 11 7 5 4 12 58
37 Ret 11 10 10 13 11 7 1 10 10 16
4 Cerumo/Inging 47 5 8 Ret 7 10 9 Ret 13 6 3 7 52.5
48 2 17 7 4 17 12 4 4 9 9 15
5 Kondo Racing 3 NC 6 11 6 7 6 Ret 11 12 12 Ret 44
4 Ret Ret 9 11 4 5 3 3 1 8 6
6 TP Checker Impul 20 Ret 2 6 3 5 1 Ret DNS 13 13 5 42
7 Team LeMans 7 Ret 4 16 Ret 8 3 9 5 14 14 Ret 22
8 7 13 8 Ret 14 Ret 13 8 17 16 9
8 Autobacs Racing Team Aguri 55 9 18 15 NC 15 Ret 12 Ret NC 19 17 21
56 Ret 9 4 5 12 Ret Ret 12 18 17 8
9 Stonemarket Cerumo/Inging 67 3 15 Ret Ret 11 10 Ret 9 19 18 10 11
10 SG Team 5Zigen 5 11 Ret 5 14 Ret 14 6 Ret 16 20 11 9
6 Ret 12 13 15 18 15 14 10 15 15 Ret
11 DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing 40 12 16 12 13 9 Ret 10 6 8 1 13 7.5
41 8 14 14 12 16 Ret 8 14 11 11 14

Notes

  1. For the doubleheader race weekends, the driver that finished 8th in Race 1 was awarded pole for Race 2 in a reverse grid from 8th to 1st. These are not officially counted as pole positions by the JRP.
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