The 1998 Formula Nippon Championship was the twenty-sixth season of premier Japanese single-seater racing, and the third under the Formula Nippon name and Japan Race Promotion (JRP) management. The series was scheduled to take place over ten rounds, though one round at Fuji Speedway was cancelled due to weather, leaving only nine rounds at five venues. Team LeMans driver Satoshi Motoyama won his first career championship.

14 different teams, 29 different drivers, and three different chassis series. It was the first season in which Mugen supplied engines to all teams, though open tuning was still permitted. As was the case 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.

Teams and drivers All teams used tyres supplied by Bridgestone and Mugen MF308 engines. Team # Driver Chassis RoundsShionogi Team Nova1 Masami KageyamaLola T97/51All2 Ralph Firman Jr.Lola T96/51AllAsahi Kiko Sports3 Atsushi KawamotoReynard 96DAllTeam 5ZIGEN5 Marc GoossensReynard 97DAll6 Shigekazu WakisakaReynard 96DAllLEMONed Racing Team LeMans7 Norberto FontanaReynard 97DAll8 Satoshi MotoyamaAllCosmo Oil Racing Team Cerumo11 Hideki NodaLola T98/51All12 Akira IidaLola T96/523–10Jaccs Mooncraft M.S.P14 Ryō MichigamiReynard 96DAllTeam TMS17 Masahiko KondōReynard 97DAll18 Tsuyoshi Takahashi1–2 Yuji Tachikawa3–10Maziora Team Impul19 Takuya KurosawaLola T98/51All20 Masahiko KageyamaLola T96/52AllBe Brides Racing21 Tetsuya TanakaLola T95/50All22 Akira IshikawaLola T96/52AllKyoetsu StellarStellar International35 Tokiyasu SodaReynard 96D1 Dilantha Malagamuwa7–9Takagi B-1 Racing36 Tetsuji TamanakaLola T96/51All37 Masao YamadaLola T95/50Lola T94/502–5Autobacs Racing Team Aguri55 Katsutomo KaneishiLola T98/51All56 Juichi WakisakaLola T97/51AllTeam LeyJun62 Shinsuke ShibaharaReynard 95DReynard 96DAll63 "Osamu"Reynard 95DReynard 97D1, 4–10 Taichiro Oonishi2–3PIAA Nakajima Racing64 Koji YamanishiReynard 97D1–4, 6–10 Tsugio Matsuda565 Tom CoronelAll

Masao Yamada died from a subarachnoid hemorrhage on 12 July 1998.

Race calendar and results All races were held in Japan. RaceTrackDatePole positionFastest Race LapWinning driverWinning team1Suzuka Circuit19 April Ralph Firman Jr. Tom Coronel Masahiko KageyamaMaziora Team Impul2Mine Circuit17 May Juichi Wakisaka Satoshi Motoyama Satoshi MotoyamaLEMONed Racing Team LeMans3Fuji Speedway31 May Satoshi Motoyama Katsutomo Kaneishi Satoshi MotoyamaLEMONed Racing Team LeMans4Twin Ring Motegi14 June Norberto Fontana Hideki Noda Juichi WakisakaAutobacs Racing Team Aguri5Suzuka Circuit5 July Masahiko Kageyama Juichi Wakisaka Masahiko KageyamaMaziora Team Impul6Sportsland SUGO2 August Masami Kageyama Masami Kageyama Masami KageyamaShionogi Team Nova7Fuji Speedway30 August Takuya KurosawaRace cancelled8Mine Circuit20 September Hideki Noda Satoshi Motoyama Satoshi MotoyamaLEMONed Racing Team LeMans9Fuji Speedway18 October Masami Kageyama Hideki Noda Norberto FontanaLEMONed Racing Team LeMans10Suzuka Circuit29 November Satoshi Motoyama Masami Kageyama Masami KageyamaShionogi Team Nova Round 7 at Fuji Speedway was cancelled due to weather conditions.

Championship standings

Drivers' Championship Scoring system Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Points 10 6 4 3 2 1

Rank Name SUZ MIN FUJ MOT SUZ SGO FUJ MIN FUJ SUZ Points 1 Satoshi Motoyama Ret 1 1 2 Ret 4 C 1 2 Ret 45 2 Masami Kageyama 2 10 Ret 3 3 1 C 6 4 1 38 3 Juichi Wakisaka Ret 2 Ret 1 4 Ret C Ret Ret 2 25 4 Norberto Fontana 3 Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret C 2 1 8 21 5 Masahiko Kageyama 1 Ret Ret 8 1 Ret C Ret Ret 6 21 6 Marc Goossens 6 4 Ret Ret 2 Ret C 3 Ret 4 17 7 Katsutomo Kaneishi 4 5 2 Ret Ret 7 C 5 10 Ret 13 8 Ralph Firman Jr. 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 2 C 4 3 7 13 9 Ryō Michigami 7 3 4 9 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 3 11 10 Hideki Noda 5 Ret 5 6 Ret 3 C Ret 9 Ret 9 11 Tom Coronel 8 6 Ret 4 5 5 C Ret Ret 14 8 12 Takuya Kurosawa Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret C Ret Ret 5 6 13 Yuji Tachikawa 9 5 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 9 2 14 Akira Iida 8 Ret Ret 9 C Ret 5 12 2 15 Tsugio Matsuda 6 1 16 Koji Yamanishi Ret 7 Ret Ret 6 C Ret Ret 11 1 17 Tetsuya Tanaka Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 11 C Ret 6 16 1 18 Masahiko Kondō 9 8 11 10 7 8 C 7 7 Ret 0 19 Shigekazu Wakisaka 10 Ret 10 7 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 10 0 20 Akira Ishikawa Ret Ret Ret 11 9 10 C Ret 8 15 0 21 Tetsuji Tamanaka Ret 11 14 13 Ret Ret C 8 Ret 17 0 22 "Osamu" 13 Ret Ret 13 C 9 Ret 18 0 23 Atsushi Kawamoto Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret C Ret Ret 13 0 24 Shinsuke Shibahara 11 Ret 12 12 Ret Ret C 10 Ret Ret 0 25 Dilantha Malagamuwa C Ret 12 0 26 Taichiro Oonishi Ret 13 0 27 Tsuyoshi Takahashi 14 Ret 0 28 Masao Yamada Ret 15 Ret DNQ 0 29 Tokiyasu Soda Ret 0

Teams' Championship

Rank Name Car SUZ MIN FUJ MOT SUZ SGO FUJ MIN FUJ SUZ Points 1 LEMONed LeMans 7 3 Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret C 2 1 8 66 8 Ret 1 1 2 Ret 4 C 1 2 Ret 2 Shionogi Nova 1 2 10 Ret 3 3 1 C 6 4 1 51 2 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 2 C 4 3 7 3 ARTA 55 4 5 2 Ret Ret 7 C 5 10 Ret 38 56 Ret 2 Ret 1 4 Ret C Ret Ret 2 4 Maziora Impul 19 Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret C Ret Ret 5 27 20 1 Ret Ret 8 1 Ret C Ret Ret 6 5 5ZIGEN 5 6 4 Ret Ret 2 Ret C 3 Ret 4 14 6 10 Ret 10 7 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 10 6 Jaccs Mooncraft 14 7 3 4 9 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 3 14 7 Cosmo Oil Cerumo 11 5 Ret 5 6 Ret 3 C Ret 9 Ret 11 12 8 Ret Ret 9 C Ret 5 12 8 PIAA Nakajima 64 Ret 7 Ret Ret 6 6 C Ret Ret 11 10 65 8 6 Ret 4 5 5 C Ret Ret 14 9 Team TMS 17 9 8 11 10 7 8 C 7 7 Ret 2 18 14 Ret 9 5 Ret Ret C Ret Ret 9 10 Be Brides 21 Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 11 C Ret 6 16 1 22 Ret Ret Ret 11 9 10 C Ret 8 15 11 Asahi Kiko Sports 3 Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret C Ret Ret 13 0 12 Takagi B-1 Racing 36 Ret 11 14 13 Ret Ret C 8 Ret 17 0 37 Ret 15 Ret DNQ 13 Team LeyJun 62 11 Ret 12 12 Ret Ret C 10 Ret Ret 0 63 13 Ret 13 Ret Ret 13 C 9 Ret 18 14 Kyoetsu StellarStellar International 35 Ret C Ret 12 0

References

External links 1998 Japanese Championship Formula Nippon