The 2013 Formula Challenge Japan was a multi-event motor racing championship for open-wheel formula racing cars, and the eighth and final 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 30 March and ended on 10 November.[1][2]

The championship was won by Toyota-backed rookie Kenta Yamashita after a season-long battle where the championship lead changed hands numerous times. Yamashita claimed the title after a hat-trick of wins at the final round in Fuji, more than doubling his points tally to emerge victorious in front of Honda-supported Tsubasa Takahashi and fellow Toyota junior Keishi Ishikawa. Hiroki Shinotani, who had lead the championship going into the final round, slipped to fourth in the standings. The season saw five winners, with Yamashita claiming four, Takahashi winning thrice, Shinotani and Shō Tsuboi claiming two each, and Shōta Kiyohara dominating a single round.

This was the final season of Formula Challenge Japan before it was replaced by Japan Formula 4 in 2014, and by the FIA F4 Japanese Championship in 2015.

Teams and drivers

Team No. Driver Rounds
FTRS FCJ
Tokyo Toyopet FTRS
FTRS Scholarship FCJ
Ishiyaki Ramen Volcano FTRS FCJ
FTRS PTT
FTRS Scholarship SMR
FTRS TMC FCJ
Binchou & Dohtonbori FTRS
Autobacs FTRS FCJ
1 Japan Kenta Yamashita All
2 Japan Yūki Nemoto All
3 Japan Hiroki Shinotani All
6 Japan Yuichi Mikasa All
7 Thailand Nanin Indra-Payoong 1–9
9 Japan Shinya Sean Michimi All
11 Japan Shō Tsuboi All
12 Japan Takuma Imai All
13 Japan Shūhei Hayashi All
15 Japan Ren Nagabuchi 8–9
HFDP Scholarship/SRS-F/Kotira R
HFDP ARTA
4 Japan Tsubasa Takahashi All
5 Japan Keishi Ishikawa All
8 Japan Shōta Kiyohara 1–9
Exedy Racing Team 10 Japan Ai Miura All
NDDP FCJ 14 Japan Kiyoto Fujinami All
Honda Cars Mie Team SBT 16 Japan Ryūnosuke Shibata 10–12
Le Beausset Racing Academy 17 Japan Rintarō Kubo 10–12
B-MAX 18 Japan Yūki Asahara 10–12
Source[2]

Race calendar and results

Round Circuit Date Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver
1 Fuji Speedway, Oyama 30 March Japan Kiyoto Fujinami Japan Keishi Ishikawa Japan Shō Tsuboi
2 31 March Japan Kiyoto Fujinami Japan Shō Tsuboi Japan Tsubasa Takahashi
3 Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi 11 May Thailand Nanin Indra-Payoong Japan Kenta Yamashita Japan Kenta Yamashita
4 12 May Japan Shinya Sean Michimi Japan Hiroki Shinotani Japan Tsubasa Takahashi
5 Fuji Speedway, Oyama 22 June Japan Kiyoto Fujinami Japan Hiroki Shinotani Japan Hiroki Shinotani
6 Japan Kiyoto Fujinami Japan Hiroki Shinotani
7 23 June Japan Hiroki Shinotani Japan Tsubasa Takahashi
8 Fuji Speedway, Oyama 24 August Japan Shōta Kiyohara Japan Shōta Kiyohara Japan Shōta Kiyohara
9 25 August Japan Shinya Sean Michimi Japan Keishi Ishikawa Japan Shō Tsuboi
10 Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka 9 November Japan Kenta Yamashita Japan Kenta Yamashita Japan Kenta Yamashita
11 Japan Kenta Yamashita Japan Kenta Yamashita Japan Kenta Yamashita
12 10 November Japan Tsubasa Takahashi Japan Kenta Yamashita

Championship standings

Drivers' Championship

Points 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
Pos. Driver FUJ MOT FUJ FUJ SUZ Points
1 Japan Kenta Yamashita 5 3 1 6 10 3 7 7 2 1 1 1 65
2 Japan Tsubasa Takahashi 12 1 8 1 4 6 1 10 9 2 2 3 54
3 Japan Keishi Ishikawa 2 2 3 8 5 2 13 8 6 3 3 2 48
4 Japan Hiroki Shinotani 6 6 9 4 1 1 2 5 3 6 4 8 46
5 Japan Shō Tsuboi 1 7 6 7 6 7 5 3 1 4 6 5 36
6 Japan Kiyoto Fujinami 4 Ret 5 3 2 4 3 15† 14 10 8 7 29
7 Japan Shinya Sean Michimi 9 5 4 2 3 13 11 2 13 9 7 12 26
8 Japan Shōta Kiyohara 3 11 WD WD 8 8 8 1 5 19
9 Japan Yuichi Mikasa 7 4 Ret 9 7 5 4 4 12 5 5 6 16
10 Thailand Nanin Indra-Payoong Ret 8 2 5 13 12 12 14 7 10
11 Japan Yūki Nemoto 10 12 7 10 12 11 10 6 4 12 15 4 7
12 Japan Shūhei Hayashi 8 10 10 11 DSQ 9 6 13 8 8 10 Ret 1
- Japan Takuma Imai 11 13 11 13 11 14 Ret 11 11 7 11 13 0
- Japan Ai Miura 13 9 Ret 12 9 10 9 9 15 13 12 11 0
- Japan Ryūnosuke Shibata 11 9 9 0
- Japan Ren Nagabuchi 12 10 0
- Japan Rintarō Kubo Ret 13 10 0
- Japan Yūki Asahara 14 14 14 0
Pos. Driver FUJ MOT FUJ FUJ SUZ Points
Key
ColourResult
GoldRace winner
Silver2nd place
Bronze3rd place
GreenPoints finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
PurpleDid not finish (Ret)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
Excluded (EX)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Withdrew (WD)
BlankDid not participate

Bold – Pole
Italics – Fastest Lap

References

  1. "2013 Formula Challenge Japan - rounds". Super Formula | Formula Challenge Japan official website (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  2. 1 2 "2013 Formula Challenge Japan - Drivers". Super Formula | Formula Challenge Japan official website (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-11-07.
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