Super Formula Lights (スーパーフォーミュラライツ, Sūpāfōmyuraraitu) is a national formula racing championship that takes place in Japan. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses the same single seater chassis as the pan-European Euroformula Open Championship. The series will be the first with the new branding as a feeder series for the Super Formula championship. The nomenclature is similar to that of IndyCar, whose support series formerly used the "Lights" moniker as well.
 | |
| Category | Single seaters |
|---|---|
| Country | Japan |
| Inaugural season | 2020 |
| Constructors | Dallara |
| Engine suppliers | Toyota-TOM'S |
| Tyre suppliers | Kumho Tire |
| Drivers' champion | Syun Koide |
| Teams' champion | TOM'S |
| Official website | superformula-lights |
 Current season | |
Origins
editThe Super Formula Lights championship started in 1979 as a Formula 3-based series originally known as the Japanese Formula 3 Championship. Because of changes with FIA nomenclature ("Formula Regional" is now used for all regional F3-based series to prevent confusion with the FIA Formula 3 Championship), and the change from Formula Regional standards used in such series (such as the Formula Regional European Championship and Formula Regional Americas Championship; in Japan, K2 Planet acquired the rights to run a Formula Regional championship in Japan, the Formula Regional Japanese Championship from the FIA) to sharing a single specification rule set with the Euroformula Open Championship, similar to Germany's Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and Japan's Super GT sharing a single Class 1 formula touring car, on 17 August 2019 the series promoters surrendered the rights to the Formula Regional championship in Japan and rebranded the series to Super Formula Lights.[1]
Equipment
editThe Series has similar rules to Euroformula Open Championship, which forced the name change in 2020.
- Chassis:
- Dallara remains the specification chassis builder for Super Formula Championship for the 2020 season, with the Dallara 320 shared with Euroformula Open being used. The new chassis features revamped aerodynamics and a Halo intrusion device. For 2024, The series will use new updated Dallara 324.
- Engines:
- Toyota-TOM'S, Mugen-Honda, Toda Racing and ThreeBond (Nissan) would remain as official series engine partners from 2020 season. The Spiess Tuning Volkswagen R4 engine proved to be popular. But for 2024, the series will use only TOM'S spec engine and based on the Toyota GR Yaris three cylinder 1.6-litre turbo engine.[2]
- Tyres:
- Kumho Tire is the sole tire partner for the series, replaces Yokohama who has been involved since 2011 season where the series named Japanese Formula 3 Championship.
Champions
editDrivers
edit| Season | Driver | Team | Wins | Poles | Fastest laps | Podiums | Points | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |  Ritomo Miyata
|
Corolla Chukyo Kuo Team TOM'S | 12 | 6 | 15 | 16 | 153 | 37 |
| 2021 | Teppei Natori
|
B-Max Racing | 6 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 109 | 6 |
| 2022 | Kazuto Kotaka
|
TOM'S | 8 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 114 | 6 |
| 2023 | Iori Kimura
|
B-Max Racing Team | 6 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 113 | 9 |
| 2024 | Syun Koide
|
B-Max Racing Team | 8 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 114 | 28 |
Teams
edit| Season | Team | Wins | Poles | Fastest laps | Podiums | Points | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Corolla Chukyo Kuo Team TOM'S | 13 | 137 | 27 | |||
| 2021 | TOM'S | 4 | 102 | 4 | |||
| 2022 | TOM'S | 11 | 151 | 51 | |||
| 2023 | B-Max Racing Team | 9 | 146 | 29 | |||
| 2024 | TOM'S | 9 | 143 | 19 |
Masters Class
edit| Season | Driver | Team | Wins | Poles | Fastest laps | Podiums | Points | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Dragon"
|
B-Max Engineering | 14 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 155 | 53 |
| 2021 | Nobuhiro Imada
|
B-Max Engineering | 12 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 156 | 66 |
| 2022 | Nobuhiro Imada
|
B-Max Racing Team | 10 | 8 | 9 | 16 | 143 | 17 |
| 2023 | Nobuhiro Imada
|
B-Max Racing Team | 11 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 150 | 23 |
| 2024 | "Dragon"
|
Team Dragon | 9 | 1 | 8 | 18 | 152 | 53 |
Circuits
edit- Bold denotes a circuit used in the 2024 season.
- Italic denotes a formerly used circuit.
| Number | Circuits | Rounds | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobility Resort Motegi | 6[a] | 2020–present |
| 2 | Sportsland SUGO | 5 | 2020–present |
| Autopolis | 5 | 2020–present | |
| Suzuka Circuit | 5 | 2020–present | |
| Fuji Speedway | 5 | 2020–present | |
| 6 | Okayama International Circuit | 4 | 2020, 2022–present |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ Thukral, Rachit; Tanaka, Ken (17 August 2019). "All-Japan F3 rebranded as Super Formula Lights". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
- ^ "Super Formula Lights reveals plans for one-make engine". motorsport.com. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
External links
edit- Super Formula Lights official website – Japanese / English
See also
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