Formula Nippon is a type of formula racing and the top level of open-wheeled racing in Japan. Formula racing is a form of motorsport where the type of automobiles used is regulated by a formula. ...

Formula Nippon has a fairly long history, evolving from the Japanese Formula 2000 series begun in 1973 by way of the Japanese Formula 2 and Japanese Formula 3000 championships. For the most part the Japanese racing series have closely followed their European counterparts in terms of technical regulations, but there have been some important exceptions. 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... While Formula One has generally been regarded as the pinnacle of open-wheeled auto racing, the high performance nature of the cars and the expense involved in the series has always meant that there has needed to be a path to reach this peak. ... Formula 3000 is a type of formula racing. ...

When European Formula 2 ended in 1984, its Japanese counterpart did not follow suit, continuing to use Formula 2 regulations (with almost-exclusively 2.0L Honda engines) for another three years, finally switching to the 'open' Formula 3000 standard in 1987. Once again, Japanese and European regulations paralleled one another, until 1996, when the International Formula 3000 series became a one-make format to lower costs. The Japanese Formula broke away at this time, and made it official by changing the series name to Formula Nippon. 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Honda Motor Co. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Until recently, Formula Nippon was an 'open' formula, where a variety of chassis builders and engine manufacturers could compete. Chassis were supplied by Lola, Reynard, and G-Force, while Mugen-Honda supplied the vast majority of the engines (though Ford engines were found in the Formula 3000 era). However, with the bankruptcy of Reynard in 2002, and the withdrawal of G-Force a year earlier, Formula Nippon once again followed the International Formula's lead in becoming a one-make series. Formula Nippon cars are now all Lola B3/50 chassis powered by Mugen-Honda engines; however, unlike the International series engines in Formula Nippon are open-tuned by private companies. Although exact figures are unavailable, it is believed that Formula Nippon cars produce somewhere around 550bhp. Lola Racing Cars (also Lola Cars International) is a racing car engineering company founded in 1961 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, United Kingdom. ... Reynard Motorsports was the name of a British racing cars manufacturer, founded by Adrian Reynard, who built successful cars in ChampCar, Formula 3000, Formula 3 and endurance racing. ... Gee (navigation) is also the name of a WWII radio navigation device built and implemented by the RAF for use in night bombing. ... Mugen is a word of Japanese origin, meaning dream, fantasy, (夢幻) or infinite (無限). ... The Ford Motor Company (often referred to simply as Ford; sometimes nicknamed Fords or FoMoCo, NYSE: F is an automobile maker founded by Henry Ford in Detroit, Michigan, and incorporated on June 16, 1903. ... Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their creditors. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ...

However, despite the more technically demanding regulations, Formula Nippon remains a 2nd-tier racing series, and remains very much a national series. While foreign drivers have always come to participate in the Japanese series, these are very often second-string drivers, or ones who have otherwise had difficulty in finding a top-level Formula 3000 drive. Nevertheless, there have been several drivers to come from a Japanese Formula 3000 or Formula Nippon drive to a prominent Formula One role; the best-known of these is Ralf Schumacher, the 1996 Formula Nippon champion. Ralf Schumacher driving for the Williams-BMW F1 team in 2003 Ralf Schumacher (born June 30, 1975) is a German Formula One racing driver for the Toyota team. ...

List of champions

1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Noritake Takahara was a Formula One driver from Japan. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Kazuyoshi Hoshino was a Formula One driver from Japan. ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Masahiro Hasemi was a Formula One driver from Japan. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Satoru Nakajima (中嶋悟 b. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Geoff Lees was a Formula One driver from Britain. ... England is a made up country where psychologists convince schitzofrenic people they are currently living while they are in fact in a mental asylum. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aguri Suzuki (鈴木 亜久里) was a Formula One driver from Japan. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ukyo Katayama (片山 右京 Katayama Ukyō, born May 29, 1963) is one of several Japanese drivers to try their hand at F1 without making a major impact. ... 1992 was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Marco Apicella (born October 7, 1965) is an Italian racing driver. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Toshio Suzuki (鈴木 利男 Suzuki Toshio) was a Formula One driver from Japan. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Ralf Schumacher driving for the Williams-BMW F1 team in 2003 Ralf Schumacher (born June 30, 1975) is a German Formula One racing driver for the Toyota team. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pedro de la Rosa is a Formula One driver from Spain. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday Anno Domini (or the Current Era), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Toranosuke Takagi, known simply as Tora Takagi, (高木虎之介; born February 12, 1974 in Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese race car driver. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ralph Firman - born 20 May 1975 - was a Formula One driver from Britain. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Richard Lyons is the name of more than one person. ...

External link

• Formula Nippon Official Site