arvau

Wikipedia / 1997 Formula Nippon Championship

The 1997 Formula Nippon Championship was the twenty-fifth season of premier Japanese single-seater racing, and the second under the Formula Nippon name and the management of Japan Race Promotion (JRP). The series was contested over 10 rounds at five venues, including the new Twin Ring Motegi circuit. 17 different teams, 37 different drivers, three different chassis and three different engines competed. This was also the first season with Bridgestone as the series' sole tyre supplier, and the last with multiple engine suppliers before Mugen supplied engines to all teams in 1998.

Beginning 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.

Team Nova driver Pedro de la Rosa won the championship in his second season, with six wins and podium finishes in all ten races. He became the first driver to win the Formula Nippon and All-Japan Grand Touring Car GT500 Championships in the same year.

Teams and drivers

All teams competed with tyres supplied by Bridgestone.

Team

#

Driver

Chassis

Engine

Rounds

Team LeMans

1

Norberto Fontana

Reynard 96DReynard 97D

Mugen MF308

All

2

Esteban Tuero

Reynard 96D

1–6

Michael Krumm

8

Yuji Tachikawa

9–10

Asahi Kiko Sports

3

Atsushi Kawamoto

Reynard 96D

Mugen MF308

All

Team 5ZIGEN

5

Marc Goossens

Reynard 96D

Judd KV2Mugen MF308

All

6

Risto Virtanen

Reynard 95DReynard 96D

Judd KV2

1–3

Eiichi Tajima

4–10

Team Anabuki Dome with Mugen

8

Juichi Wakisaka

Dome F104

Mugen MF308

All

Shionogi Team Nova

9

Pedro de la Rosa

Lola T97/51

Mugen MF308

All

10

Akira Iida

All

Team Cerumo

11

Hidetoshi Mitsusada

Lola T96/52

Mugen MF308

1–9

Michael Krumm

10

12

Sarah Kavanagh

Reynard 95DLola T94/50

Cosworth ACMugen MF308

1–2

Shinsuke Shibahara

8–10

Team TMS

17

Masahiko Kondo

Reynard 97D

Mugen MF308

All

18

Ralph Firman Jr.

All

Team Impul

19

Takuya Kurosawa

Lola T96/52

Mugen MF308

All

20

Masahiko Kageyama

Reynard 96DLola T95/50

All

Be Brides ARP Asuka

21

Tetsuya Tanaka

Lola T95/50

Mugen MF308

1, 5–10

Navi Connection Racing Team

27

Masami Kageyama

Reynard 96DReynard 97D

Mugen MF308

All

28

Katsumi Yamamoto

Reynard 95DReynard 96D

All

Super Nova with MiraiKamome Service with Mirai

32

Vincenzo Sospiri

Reynard 95D

Mugen MF308

9–10

33

Toshio Suzuki

Reynard 95D

All

Auto Tech StellarSTP Stellar

34

Mauro Martini

Reynard 96D

Mugen MF308

3

Andrew Gilbert-Scott

4, 6, 9

Andrea Boldrini

7–8, 10

35

Michael Krumm

Reynard 96D

1–3

Marco Apicella

4–10

Takagi B-1 Racing Team

36

Tetsuji Tamanaka

Lola T95/50

Mugen MF308

All

37

Masao Yamada

Lola T94/50

1–5, 7–10

Funai Super Aguri

55

Katsutomo Kaneishi

Reynard 96D

Mugen MF308

All

56

Satoshi Motoyama

Reynard 94DReynard 97DReynard 95D

1–9

Ryō Michigami

10

Team LeyJunSri Lanka with Team LeyJun

62

Tetsushi Toda

Reynard 94D

Mugen MF308

4–8

63

Dilantha Malagamuwa

Reynard 96D

1–5

"Osamu"

6–10

PIAA Nakajima Racing

64

Toranosuke Takagi

Reynard 97D

Mugen MF308

All

65

Koji Yamanishi

All

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

27 April

Toranosuke Takagi

Katsutomo Kaneishi

Pedro de la Rosa

Shionogi Team Nova

2

Mine Circuit

18 May

Toranosuke Takagi

Katsumi Yamamoto

Pedro de la Rosa

Shionogi Team Nova

3

Fuji Speedway

1 June

Takuya Kurosawa

Takuya Kurosawa

Takuya Kurosawa

Team Impul

4

Suzuka Circuit

6 July

Toranosuke Takagi

Masahiko Kageyama

Toranosuke Takagi

PIAA Nakajima Racing

5

Sportsland SUGO

3 August

Pedro de la Rosa

Norberto Fontana

Pedro de la Rosa

Shionogi Team Nova

6

Fuji Speedway

31 August

Pedro de la Rosa

Pedro de la Rosa

Pedro de la Rosa

Shionogi Team Nova

7

Mine Circuit

14 September

Toranosuke Takagi

Pedro de la Rosa

Norberto Fontana

Team LeMans

8

Twin Ring Motegi

28 September

Pedro de la Rosa

Masami Kageyama

Pedro de la Rosa

Shionogi Team Nova

9

Fuji Speedway

19 October

Katsutomo Kaneishi

Pedro de la Rosa

Katsutomo Kaneishi

Funai Super Aguri

10

Suzuka Circuit

9 November

Pedro de la Rosa

Masahiko Kageyama

Pedro de la Rosa

Shionogi Team Nova

Championship standings

Drivers' Championship

  1. Scoring system:

Position

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

Points

10

6

4

3

2

1

Rank

Name

SUZ

MIN

FUJ

SUZ

SGO

FUJ

MIN

MOT

FUJ

SUZ

Points

1

Pedro de la Rosa

1

1

2

3

1

1

2

1

2

1

82

2

Takuya Kurosawa

2

2

1

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

2

28

3

Norberto Fontana

9

8

6

Ret

7

2

1

3

Ret

Ret

21

4

Hidetoshi Mitsusada

3

7

4

4

Ret

3

3

9

5

20

5

Masami Kageyama

11

9

11

5

6

4

7

2

3

4

19

6

Toranosuke Takagi

Ret

DNS

3

1

Ret

Ret

5

Ret

Ret

5

18

7

Masahiko Kageyama

Ret

Ret

5

2

3

Ret

15

Ret

12

3

16

8

Ralph Firman Jr.

Ret

4

15

6

2

13

Ret

5

Ret

11

12

9

Katsutomo Kaneishi

7

Ret

Ret

10

Ret

18

8

Ret

1

Ret

10

10

Akira Iida

6

3

Ret

7

Ret

5

10

11

Ret

13

7

11

Satoshi Motoyama

4

DNS

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

6

Ret

4

7

12

Marco Apicella

8

5

8

4

Ret

6

8

6

13

Toshio Suzuki

8

5

7

Ret

4

16

9

8

Ret

9

5

14

Juichi Wakisaka

12

6

Ret

Ret

Ret

7

11

4

Ret

Ret

4

15

Koji Yamanishi

5

Ret

8

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

17

Ret

7

2

16

Esteban Tuero

Ret

Ret

9

11

Ret

6

1

17

Michael Krumm

Ret

13

Ret

6

10

1

18

Tetsuya Tanaka

Ret

Ret

11

14

Ret

13

6

1

19

Katsumi Yamamoto

10

Ret

Ret

9

Ret

12

Ret

14

7

Ret

0

20

Andrea Boldrini

13

7

Ret

0

21

Atsushi Kawamoto

Ret

10

16

15

9

Ret

12

15

8

14

0

22

Masahiko Kondo

15

DNS

12

14

8

14

Ret

13

11

Ret

0

23

Eiichi Tajima

13

Ret

9

Ret

Ret

Ret

12

0

24

Yuji Tachikawa

9

Ret

0

25

Marc Goossens

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

10

Ret

10

Ret

Ret

0

26

Dilantha Malagamuwa

Ret

11

14

Ret

10

0

27

Shinsuke Shibahara

12

10

Ret

0

28

Risto Virtanen

Ret

Ret

10

0

29

Andrew Gilbert-Scott

12

Ret

14

0

30

Masao Yamada

Ret

12

Ret

Ret

DSQ

DNQ

DNQ

DNQ

DNQ

0

31

Tetsuji Tamanaka

13

Ret

13

16

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

DNQ

DNQ

0

32

Sarah Kavanagh

14

Ret

0

33

"Osamu"

15

16

16

Ret

16

0

34

Vincenzo Sospiri

Ret

15

0

35

Tetsushi Toda

17

Ret

17

17

DNQ

0

36

Mauro Martini

Ret

0

37

Ryō Michigami

Ret

0

Teams' Championship

Rank

Name

Car

SUZ

MIN

FUJ

SUZ

SGO

FUJ

MIN

MOT

FUJ

SUZ

Points

1

Shionogi Nova

9

1

1

2

3

1

1

2

1

2

1

89

10

6

3

Ret

7

Ret

5

10

11

Ret

13

2

Impul

19

2

2

1

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

2

44

20

Ret

Ret

5

2

3

Ret

15

Ret

12

3

3

LeMans

1

9

8

6

Ret

7

2

1

3

Ret

Ret

23

2

Ret

Ret

9

11

Ret

6

6

9

Ret

4

PIAA Nakajima

64

Ret

DNS

3

1

Ret

Ret

5

Ret

Ret

5

20

65

5

Ret

8

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

17

Ret

7

5

Cerumo

11

3

7

4

4

Ret

3

3

9

5

10

20

12

14

Ret

12

10

Ret

6

Navi Connection

27

11

9

11

5

6

4

7

2

3

4

19

28

10

Ret

Ret

9

Ret

12

Ret

14

7

Ret

7

Funai Super Aguri

55

7

Ret

Ret

10

Ret

18

8

Ret

1

Ret

17

56

4

DNS

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

6

Ret

4

Ret

8

Team TMS

17

15

DNS

12

14

8

14

Ret

13

11

Ret

12

18

Ret

4

15

6

2

13

Ret

5

Ret

11

9

Stellar

34

Ret

12

Ret

13

7

14

Ret

6

35

Ret

13

Ret

8

5

8

4

Ret

6

8

10

Mirai

32

Ret

15

5

33

8

5

7

Ret

4

16

9

8

Ret

9

11

Dome with Mugen

8

12

6

Ret

Ret

Ret

7

11

4

Ret

Ret

4

12

Be Brides

21

Ret

Ret

11

14

Ret

13

6

1

13

Asahi Kiko Sports

3

Ret

10

16

15

9

Ret

12

15

8

14

0

14

5ZIGEN

5

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

10

Ret

10

Ret

Ret

0

6

Ret

Ret

10

13

Ret

9

Ret

Ret

Ret

12

15

Team LeyJUN

62

17

Ret

17

17

DNQ

0

63

Ret

11

14

Ret

10

15

16

16

Ret

16

16

Takagi B-1 Racing

36

13

Ret

13

16

Ret

Ret

Ret

Ret

DNQ

DNQ

0

37

Ret

12

Ret

Ret

DSQ

DNQ

DNQ

DNQ

DNQ