2022 Formula Regional Japanese Championship

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The 2022 Formula Regional Japanese Championship was a multi-event, Formula Regional open-wheel single seater motor racing championship held in Japan. The drivers competed in Formula Regional cars that conform to the FIA Formula Regional regulations for the championship. This was the third season of the series promoted by K2 Planet.[1]

The season started on 2 April at Fuji Speedway and ran over six weekends, until 11 December. Miki Koyama won the championship with three races to spare, becoming the first female driver to win an FIA-sanctioned Formula championship. Her team, Super License, won the teams' title. Gentleman driver "Hirobon", driving for Rn-sports, won the Masters' class.

Teams and drivers[edit]

All teams and drivers competed using the Dome F111/3 Regional F3 car.[1] All teams were Japanese-registered.

Team No. Driver Status Rounds
Sutekina Racing Team 3 Japan Ryunosuke Sawa[2] 1
Japan Riki Okusa[3] 4–5
B-Max Racing Team 4 Japan Nobuhiro Imada[4] M 1, 6
Team LeMans with OIRC 6 Japan Yoshiaki Katayama[5] 1–5
Super License 7 Japan Takashi Hata[6] M 2–6
8 Japan Miki Koyama[7] All
Rn-sports 11 Japan "Hirobon"[2] M 1–5
Japan Masayuki Ueda[8] M 6
78 Japan Motoki Takami[8] M 6
Eagle Sports 14 Japan Yuki Tanaka[2] M All
29 Japan Yasushi Ide[9] M 5
NILZZ Racing 18 Japan "Yuki"[9] M 5
N-Speed 23 Japan "Yugo"[9] M 5
CMS motor sports project 34 Japan Masaru Miura[2] M All
TOM'S Formula 45 Japan Yorikatsu Tsujiko[2] M 1–2, 5
Japan Kazuki Oki[10] 3–4, 6
Bionick Jack Racing 97 Japan Sota Ogawa[2] All
  • Gentleman driver "Takumi" was supposed to compete for B-Max, but did not attend any rounds.[4]

Race calendar and results[edit]

A provisional calendar for the 2022 season was revealed on 25 November 2021, and was later revised to conclude in December.[11][12]

Round Circuit Date Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning team Masters Winner
1 R1 Fuji Speedway 2 April Japan Ryunosuke Sawa Japan Ryunosuke Sawa Japan Ryunosuke Sawa Sutekina Racing Japan "Hirobon"
R2 3 April Japan Ryunosuke Sawa Japan Ryunosuke Sawa Japan Ryunosuke Sawa Sutekina Racing Japan "Hirobon"
R3 Japan Ryunosuke Sawa Japan Ryunosuke Sawa Japan Ryunosuke Sawa Sutekina Racing Japan "Hirobon"
2 R4 Okayama International Circuit 25 June Japan Yoshiaki Katayama Japan Yoshiaki Katayama Japan Yoshiaki Katayama Team LeMans with OIRC Japan "Hirobon"
R5 26 June Japan Yoshiaki Katayama Japan Miki Koyama Japan Miki Koyama Super License Japan Yuki Tanaka
R6 Japan Yoshiaki Katayama Japan Miki Koyama Japan Miki Koyama Super License Japan Takashi Hata
3 R7 Twin Ring Motegi 2 July Japan Miki Koyama Japan Miki Koyama Japan Miki Koyama Super License Japan Yuki Tanaka
R8 Japan Miki Koyama Japan Miki Koyama Japan Miki Koyama Super License Japan Masaru Miura
R9 3 July Japan Miki Koyama Japan Miki Koyama Japan Miki Koyama Super License Japan Takashi Hata
4 R10 Sportsland Sugo 23 July Japan Sota Ogawa Japan Miki Koyama Japan Sota Ogawa Bionick Jack Racing Japan "Hirobon"
R11 24 July Japan Kazuki Oki Japan Sota Ogawa Japan Kazuki Oki TOM'S Formula Japan Takashi Hata
R12 Japan Miki Koyama Japan Riki Okusa Japan Miki Koyama Super License Japan "Hirobon"
5 R13 Fuji Speedway 10 September Japan Miki Koyama Japan Yoshiaki Katayama Japan Riki Okusa Sutekina Racing Japan "Hirobon"
R14 Japan Riki Okusa Japan Miki Koyama Japan Miki Koyama Super License Japan Takashi Hata
R15 11 September Japan Riki Okusa Japan Miki Koyama Japan Sota Ogawa Bionick Jack Racing Japan "Hirobon"
6 R16 Suzuka International Racing Course 10 December Japan Kazuki Oki Japan Sota Ogawa Japan Sota Ogawa Bionick Jack Racing Japan Takashi Hata
R17 11 December Japan Sota Ogawa Japan Kazuki Oki Japan Kazuki Oki TOM'S Formula Japan Takashi Hata

Season summary[edit]

First half[edit]

The 2022 season began in early April with nine cars at Fuji Speedway. Ryunosuke Sawa headed both qualifying sessions by half a second. Race one saw his closest opposition, front row starter Sota Ogawa, stall and drop back, leaving Sawa to claim the win ahead of Miki Koyama and Yoshiaki Katayama. The second race was held in wet conditions and was started under the safety car. Ogawa spun around during the safety car, and then multiple drivers had similar incidents as soon as the safety car was over. Sawa though held on to win again, with the rest of the podium the same as in race one. Race three did not offer much change: Sawa was once again the class of the field, gapping Ogawa and Koyama by over 20 seconds. His perfect weekend saw Sawa leave Fuji with a 24-point championship lead over Koyama.[13]

Round two was held in Okayama, and this time Katayama was on top in qualifying. Race one saw Katayama turning his pole into a win ahead of Koyama and Ogawa, who had a slow start and ran into the gravel at turn one. This dropped him to seventh place, but he was able to recover to the podium. Koyama got a good start next to Katayama for race two, and so was able to overtake him into turn one. Katayama then also lost second place to Ogawa, but kept third place in the end. Race three saw Katayama have a slow start again, with Koyama and Ogawa benefitting from it again. The top three were the same as in race two. With Sawa dropping out of the championship, Koyama became the new leader in the standings, heading Katayama by 19 points. Ogawa was a further ten points behind in third.[14]

The first half of the season came to an end at Motegi, where Koyama became the third triple-polesitter in as many rounds. She held the lead against Katayama and Ogawa in race one and kept them behind again when a safety car bunched up the field later on. Race two saw only four drivers reach the finish, as "Hirobon" did not start and Katayama collided with Takashi Hata and Yuki Tanaka. Koyama stayed clear of any incidents, winning again, ahead of debutant Kazuki Oki and gentleman driver Masaru Miura. The last race was a calmer affair, with Koyama once again converting pole into an unchallenged victory ahead of Ogawa and Katayama. Her perfect weekend saw her championship advantage grow to 59 points over Ogawa and Katayama, with the pair now neck on neck on 135 and 133 points respectively.[15]

Second half[edit]

Round four at Sportsland Sugo saw Ogawa, Oki and Koyama share poles in qualifying. Ogawa led race one from pole as Oki passed Koyama for second. The latter was promoted back to second when Oki then had to serve a drive-through penalty, but could not get back past Ogawa. The podium was completed by gentleman driver "Hirobon". Oki made the most of his race two pole, gapping Koyama and Ogawa at the start. Ogawa then overtook Koyama and closed up to Oki, but had to retire his car after fighting heavily for the lead. This promoted Katayama to the podium. Race three was controlled by Koyama who led from lights to flag, while Oki had a bad start that saw him get passed by Ogawa. Oki then dropped back further, allowing Riki Okusa to claim third. Koyama had the most consistent weekend of the top three, and so grew her advantage to 73 points.[16]

The penultimate round of the season attracted 12 entries as it supported the 6 Hours of Fuji. The qualifying sessions were won by Koyama and Okusa, who then also got by Koyama at the start of race one. Koyama could not pass him, so she had to follow him home in second, with Katayama behind the pair. Race two saw another slow start by Koyama, she dropped back to third but was able to regain second place and then also take the lead from Okusa. The latter then struggled and dropped to third, behind Ogawa. Okusa had a technical problem on the first lap of race three, so he had to retire. This promoted Ogawa in the lead, which he held onto despite Koyama's best efforts to pass him. Katayama completed the podium. Koyama's race two victory saw her seal the championship title, with her lead now an unassailable 79 points ahead of the final round.[17]

The final round at Suzuka came three months later, and Oki and Ogawa shared poles for the two races. Oki was unable to benefit from his pole position, as he dropped to fourth after a bad start. His efforts to climb back up the order were curtailed when he crashed out on lap two. Ogawa managed his lead until the finish, with Koyama behind him and gentleman driver Takashi Hata completing the podium. Race two saw Oki get revenge for his bad start, as he went right by Ogawa at the race start and led uncontested until the chequered flag. Koyama had a quiet race to finish her perfect streak of 17 podiums in 17 races. Ogawa's second place in the standings was never in danger, as Katayama did not take part in the final round. Entry numbers were back down to single digits, as the championship continued its struggle to attract more drivers for a third year round.[18]

Championship standings[edit]

Scoring system[edit]

Points were awarded to the top ten drivers.

Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th 
Points 25 18 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1

Drivers' championship[edit]

Pos Driver FUJ1 OKA MOT SUG FUJ2 SUZ Pts
R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2
1 Japan Miki Koyama 2 2 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 3 349
2 Japan Sota Ogawa 4 4 2 3 2 3 3 4 2 1 8† 2 4 2 1 1 2 280
3 Japan Yoshiaki Katayama 3 3 4 1 3 2 2 Ret 3 4 3 4 3 5 3 212
4 Japan Takashi Hata 6 6 4 6 Ret 5 5 4 6 6 4 6 3 4 131
5 Japan "Hirobon" 5 5 5 4 5 6 7† DNS Ret 3 6 5 5 6 4 129
6 Japan Masaru Miura 7 7 8 5 7 7 Ret 3 6 7 7 8 7 8 7 5 7 109
7 Japan Kazuki Oki 4 2 4 8 1 7 Ret 1 102
8 Japan Yuki Tanaka 6 8 6 DNS 4 5 5 Ret 7 9 5 9 NC 7 5 7 9 96
9 Japan Ryunosuke Sawa 1 1 1 75
10 Japan Riki Okusa 6 Ret 3 1 3 Ret 63
11 Japan Nobuhiro Imada 8 6 7 4 5 40
12 Japan Yorikatsu Tsujiko 9 9† 9 7 Ret 8 10 9 8 23
13 Japan Masayuki Ueda 6 6 16
14 Japan Motoki Takami 8 8 8
15 Japan "Yuki" 8 10 10 6
16 Japan Yasushi Ide 9 11 9 4
17 Japan "Yugo" 11 12 11 0
Pos Driver R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 Pts
FUJ1 OKA MOT SUG FUJ2 SUZ

Masters class[edit]

Pos Driver FUJ1 OKA MOT SUG FUJ2 SUZ Pts
R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2
1 Japan "Hirobon" 1 1 1 1 2 3 3† DNS Ret 1 3 1 1 2 1 281
2 Japan Takashi Hata 3 3 1 2 Ret 1 2 1 2 2 1 3 1 1 267
3 Japan Masaru Miura 3 3 4 2 4 4 Ret 1 2 3 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 235
4 Japan Yuki Tanaka 2 4 2 DNS 1 2 1 Ret 3 4 2 4 NC 3 2 5 6 216
5 Japan Nobuhiro Imada 4 2 3 2 2 81
6 Japan Yorikatsu Tsujiko 5 5† 5 4 Ret 5 6 5 5 80
7 Japan Masayuki Ueda 4 3 27
8 Japan "Yuki" 4 6 7 26
9 Japan Yasushi Ide 5 7 6 24
10 Japan Motoki Takami 6 5 18
11 Japan "Yugo" 7 8 8 14
Pos Driver R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 Pts
FUJ1 OKA MOT SUG FUJ2 SUZ

Teams' standings[edit]

Only the best finishing driver of each team was eligible for teams' championship points.

Pos Driver FUJ1 OKA MOT SUG FUJ2 SUZ Pts
R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2
1 Super License 2 2 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 3 349
2 Bionick Jack Racing 4 4 2 3 2 3 3 4 2 1 8† 2 4 2 1 1 2 280
3 Team LeMans with OIRC 3 3 4 1 3 2 2 Ret 3 4 3 4 3 5 3 212
4 Rn-sports 5 5 5 4 5 6 7† DNS Ret 3 6 5 5 6 4 6 6 145
5 Sutekina Racing Team 1 1 1 6 Ret 3 1 3 Ret 138
6 TOM'S Formula 9 9† 9 7 Ret 8 4 2 4 8 1 7 10 9 8 Ret 1 125
7 CMS motor sports project 7 7 8 5 7 7 Ret 3 6 7 7 8 7 8 7 5 7 109
8 Eagle Sports 6 8 6 DNS 4 5 5 Ret 7 9 5 9 9 7 5 7 Ret 96
9 B-Max Racing Team 8 6 7 4 5 40
10 NILZZ Racing 8 10 10 6
11 N-Speed 11 12 11 0
Pos Driver R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 Pts
FUJ1 OKA MOT SUG FUJ2 SUZ

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Wood, Elliot (2019-09-11). "Japanese Regional F3 series and car revealed". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  3. ^ "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  4. ^ a b "B-Max Racing Team 2022年参戦体制". B-Max Racing Team (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  5. ^ "Team LeMans with OIRC、片山義章を起用し2022年FRJにフル参戦。本山哲も協力 | 国内レース他 | autosport web". AUTO SPORT web (in Japanese). 12 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-03-13.
  6. ^ "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  7. ^ "Toyota adds W Series graduate Miki Koyama to junior scheme". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  8. ^ a b "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  9. ^ a b c "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  10. ^ "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  11. ^ "2022年日本レース選手権カレンダー". モータースポーツトップ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-11-25.
  12. ^ "FR Japanese Championship 2022 Season". Formula Regional Japanese Championship. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  13. ^ Wood, Ida (2022-04-03). "Ryunosuke Sawa starts FRegional Japan season with triple Fuji win". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  14. ^ Wood, Ida (2022-06-26). "Miki Koyama earns first single-seater wins at Okayama in FRJC". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  15. ^ Wood, Ida (2022-07-03). "Koyama in the clear in FRJC after dominant Motegi weekend". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  16. ^ Wood, Ida (2022-07-24). "Koyama extends lead and shares wins in FRegional Japan at Sugo". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  17. ^ Wood, Ida (2022-09-11). "Miki Koyama crowned FRegional Japan champion at Fuji". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  18. ^ Wood, Ida (2022-12-11). "Ogawa and Oki share wins in FRegional Japan's Suzuka finale". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2022-12-14.

External links[edit]

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