2012 Formula Challenge Japan

Japanese formula racing season

2012 Formula Challenge Japan

Drivers' champion: Nobuharu Matsushita

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2011

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2013

The 2012 Formula Challenge Japan was a multi-event motor racing championship for open-wheel formula racing cars, and the seventh running of the Formula Challenge Japan 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 7 April and ended on 4 November.[1][2]

The championship featured a close battle between Honda-backed Nobuharu Matsushita and Toyota-supported Ryō Hirakawa; both drivers scored five wins over the course of the 12-race season, with Nissan-supported Mitsunori Takaboshi taking the remaining two victories. Matsushita would ultimately claim the championship title by countback over Hirakawa, with Takaboshi finishing third in the points standings.

## Teams and drivers[edit]

| Team  | No. | Driver  | Rounds

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FTRS Scholarship
FTRS
FTRS Clarion Hiroshima Toyopet
FTRS PTT
FTRS TMC
FTRS Ishiyaki Ramen Volcano  | 1  |  Shintarō Kawabata  | All
3  |  Hiroki Shinotani  | All
4  |  Ryō Hirakawa | All
6  |  Nanin Indra-Payoong  | All
9  |  Shinya Michimi  | All
11  |  Shō Tsuboi | All
14  |  Yuichi Mikasa  | All
HFDP Scholarship/SRS-F/Kotira
HFDP ARTA | 2  |  Shun Kurosaki  | All
8  |  Shōta Kiyohara  | All
10  |  Nobuharu Matsushita | All
15  |  Tsubasa Takahashi  | 8–9
20  |  Keishi Ishikawa  | 5–7, 10–12
Team SPV  | 5  |  Kōhei Sutō  | All
Houka Racing with Dunlop | 7  |  Ryō Ogawa  | All
NDDP Daishin
NDDP | 12  |  Mitsunori Takaboshi | All
13  |  Kiyoto Fujinami | All
Exedy Racing Team | 16  |  Ai Miura | All
Tokyo Motor Sports College  | 17  |  Yūdai Jinkawa  | All
Honda Cars Mie-kita SBT  | 18  |  Ryūnosuke Shibata  | 1–2, 8–12
Kim's Racing  | 19  |  Im Che-won  | 8–12
GRID  | 21  |  Takahiro Matsuda  | 10–12
Source[2]

## Race calendar and results[edit]

Round  | Circuit  | Date  | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver

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1  | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 7 April  |  Ryō Hirakawa |  Ryō Hirakawa |  Ryō Hirakawa
2  | 8 April  |  Ryō Hirakawa |  Ryō Hirakawa |  Ryō Hirakawa
3  | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi | 12 May  |  Mitsunori Takaboshi |  Mitsunori Takaboshi |  Ryō Hirakawa
4  | 13 May  |  Mitsunori Takaboshi |  Mitsunori Takaboshi |  Mitsunori Takaboshi
5  | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 1 September  |  Nobuharu Matsushita |  Nobuharu Matsushita |  Nobuharu Matsushita
6  |  Nobuharu Matsushita |  Nobuharu Matsushita
7  | 2 September  |  Nobuharu Matsushita |  Nobuharu Matsushita
8  | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | 6 October  |  Ryō Hirakawa |  Nobuharu Matsushita |  Nobuharu Matsushita
9  | 7 October  |  Nobuharu Matsushita |  Ryō Hirakawa
10  | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | 3 November  |  Ryō Hirakawa |  Ryō Hirakawa |  Ryō Hirakawa
11  |  Mitsunori Takaboshi |  Nobuharu Matsushita
12  | 4 November  |  Ryō Hirakawa |  Mitsunori Takaboshi

## Championship standings[edit]

### Drivers' Championship[edit]

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

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10  | 7  | 5  | 3  | 2  | 1  | 1 | 1
| Pos. | Driver  | FUJ | MOT | FUJ | SUZ | SUZ | Points

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1  |  Nobuharu Matsushita | 2  | 2  | 3  | 5  | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 2  | 1  | 2  | 91
2  |  Ryō Hirakawa | 1 | 1 | 1  | 3  | 2  | 2  | 3  | 2 | 1  | 1 | Ret  | 5 | 91
3  |  Mitsunori Takaboshi | 4  | 15  | 2 | 1 | 5  | 3  | 4  | 4  | 2  | 4  | 2 | 1  | 65
4  |  Shōta Kiyohara  | 3  | 3  | 4  | 4  | 4  | 4  | 2  | 3  | 14  | 6  | 7  | 6  | 36
5  |  Hiroki Shinotani  | 5  | 14  | 5  | 2  | 3  | 12  | 5  | 12  | 3  | 3  | 18  | 8  | 28
6  |  Shintarō Kawabata  | Ret  | 6  | Ret  | 6  | 7  | 17  | 6  | 5  | 16  | 7  | 3  | 3  | 15
7  |  Shō Tsuboi | 11  | 7  | 12  | 12  | 13  | 5  | 10  | 13  | Ret  | 5  | 4  | 18  | 7
8  |  Ryō Ogawa  | 6  | 4  | 6  | 7  | 12  | 11  | 14  | 10  | 6  | 12  | 6  | 7  | 7
9  |  Keishi Ishikawa  |  |  |  |  | 15  | 8  | Ret  |  |  | 11  | 5  | 4  | 5
10  |  Shinya Michimi  | 12  | 9  | 10  | Ret  | 9  | 9  | 11  | 8  | 4  | 9  | 8  | 9  | 3
11  |  Ryūnosuke Shibata  | 10  | 8  |  |  |  |  |  | 9  | 5  | 15  | 12  | 12  | 2
12  |  Yuichi Mikasa  | 16  | 5  | 11  | 10  | 14  | 10  | 15  | 18  | 10  | 10  | 10  | Ret  | 2
13  |  Kiyoto Fujinami | 9  | 10  | 9  | 11  | 8  | 6  | 7  | 6  | 9  | 8  | 17  | Ret  | 2
14  |  Kōhei Sutō  | 8  | 12  | 7  | 8  | 6  | 16  | 8  | 7  | 7  | Ret  | 11  | 11  | 1
\-  |  Shun Kurosaki  | 7  | Ret  | 8  | 14  | 10  | 7  | 9  | 19  | Ret  | 14  | 16  | 15  | 0
\-  |  Tsubasa Takahashi  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 16  | 8  |  |  |  | 0
\-  |  Nanin Indra-Payoong  | 14  | 13  | 13  | DSQ  | 11  | 14  | 13  | 14  | 12  | 13  | 9  | 10  | 0
\-  |  Yūdai Jinkawa  | 15  | Ret  | 14  | 9  | 16  | 13  | 16  | 17  | Ret  | 17  | 14  | 13  | 0
\-  |  Im Che-won  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 11  | 11  | 18  | Ret  | 14  | 0
\-  |  Ai Miura | 13  | 11  | 15  | 13  | DSQ  | 15  | 12  | 15  | 13  | 19  | 15  | 16  | 0
\-  |  Takahiro Matsuda  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 16  | 13  | 17  | 0
Pos. | Driver  | FUJ | MOT | FUJ | SUZ | SUZ | Points
| Key

Colour | Result
Gold | Race winner
Silver | 2nd place
Bronze | 3rd place
Green | Points finish
Blue  | Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple | Did not finish (Ret)
Black  | Disqualified (DSQ)
Excluded (EX)
White  | Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Withdrew (WD)
Blank | Did not participate

Bold – Pole
Italics – Fastest Lap

## References[edit]

1. ^ "2012 Formula Challenge Japan - rounds". Super Formula | Formula Challenge Japan official website. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
2. ^ a b "2012 Formula Challenge Japan - Drivers". Super Formula | Formula Challenge Japan official website. Retrieved 2023-10-20.