The 2008 Formula Challenge Japan was a multi-event motor racing championship for open-wheel formula racing cars, and the third 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 5 April and ended on 21 September. All but one of the race weekends were run in support of the Formula Nippon Championship.
Toyota junior driver Yūji Kunimoto, whose brother Keisuke had won the previous year's title, dominated the championship in his second year of competition. Kunimoto took eight wins and seven pole positions from the season's sixteen races, and finished all but one race on the podium to secure a 101-point lead over his nearest rival, Nissan junior and former Formula BMW UK driver Kimiya Satō. Nissan stablemate Katsumasa Chiyo won thrice to finish third in the standings, while Takamitsu Matsui and Tsubasa Mekaru took the remaining race victories.
Teams and drivers Team Driver Rounds XGamut Mitsuba-ya FCJ 1 Hikaru AbeAllC-SPAN San-M FCJ2 Kazuumi KobayashiAllRêve RT FCJ3 Kazuki KawamuraAllSRS-F ScholarshipSRS-F SANAI FCJ4 Takashi KobayashiAll6 Shigetomo ShimonoAll15 All26 Kazuma KokubuAllFTRSTDP ScholarshipSugamata Sekkotsuin FTRSCafé Julia FTRSTeam Samurai FTRSFTRS Citykart FTRS5 Naoya GamouAll8 Yūji KunimotoAll9 Tsubasa MekaruAll13 Toshihiro HinataAll17 Tohjirō AzumaAll20 Takamitsu MatsuiAll21 Makoto KanaiAll22 Yūichi NakayamaAll23 Kōta MatsuiAllIwasaki Industry7 Yūki IwasakiAllNDDPNDDP MyBrans10 Kimiya SatōAll12 Daiki SasakiAll18 Katsumasa ChiyoAll19 Masayuki YamashitaAllDL Team Naoki11 AllBroval.jp NAC14 Kenji HosokawaAllA-Project FCJ16 Kōta LeeAllH.I.S. Travel FCJ24 Igor SushkoAllWinds Nikoya FCJ25 Kōtarō HatanoAllSource
Race calendar and results All races were held in Japan. All rounds, with the exception of rounds 7–8, were run in support of Formula Nippon. Round Circuit Date 1 Fuji Speedway, Oyama 5 April Takamitsu Matsui Yūji Kunimoto Takamitsu Matsui2 6 April Yūji Kunimoto Takamitsu Matsui Yūji Kunimoto 3Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka 10 May Takamitsu Matsui Kenji Hosokawa Katsumasa Chiyo4 11 May Katsumasa Chiyo Katsumasa Chiyo Katsumasa Chiyo 5Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi 24 May Takamitsu Matsui Yūji Kunimoto Yūji Kunimoto625 May Yūji Kunimoto Takamitsu Matsui Katsumasa Chiyo7Fuji Speedway, Oyama28 June Yūji Kunimoto Yūji Kunimoto Yūji Kunimoto8 29 June Yūji Kunimoto Takamitsu Matsui Takamitsu Matsui9Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka 12 July Yūji Kunimoto Kimiya Satō Yūji Kunimoto 10 13 July Naoya Gamou Kimiya Satō Kimiya Satō11Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi9 August Tsubasa Mekaru Takashi Kobayashi Tsubasa Mekaru1210 August Kimiya Satō Takashi Kobayashi Takamitsu Matsui13Fuji Speedway, Oyama30 August Masayuki Yamashita Kimiya Satō Yūji Kunimoto1431 August Makoto Kanai Yūji Kunimoto Yūji Kunimoto15Sportsland SUGO, Murata20 September Yūji Kunimoto Yūji Kunimoto Yūji Kunimoto1621 September Yūji Kunimoto Takamitsu Matsui Yūji Kunimoto
Championship standings Drivers' Championship Points were awarded to the top ten classified finishers, with one point awarded for pole position and fastest lap respectively. 1 2 3 4 5 678910 PP FL 20 15 12 10 8 64321 1 1 Driver FUJ SUZMOTFUJSUZMOTFUJSUG Points 1 Yūji Kunimoto2133121413331111 272 2 Kimiya Satō46466722211423362 1713 Katsumasa Chiyo314112179751542217Ret1364 Takamitsu Matsui12DNS2223631101661414941295 Makoto Kanai16156513161352110259256786 Masayuki Yamashita1410Ret21244336Ret2417121817677 Tsubasa Mekaru75Ret44Ret9Ret121916169DNS15638 Naoya Gamou131213724Ret6Ret421010152233629 Takashi Kobayashi53Ret16Ret92613119788Ret2215110 Kazuki Miura61911Ret253236542217Ret241084611 Kōta Lee17Ret71478524Ret1217115612103412 Tohjirō Azuma1113Ret851810111818871441173313 Yūichi Nakayama10481320Ret1286Ret5Ret111013133214 Kenji Hosokawa18821811Ret147131121127715Ret3115 Daiki Sasaki911Ret1210DNS15211514Ret18125452916 Kazuma Kokubu23215Ret8Ret810162149131314122717 Yūki Iwasaki89911312111414131214181116161918 Toshihiro Hinata127Ret918517169RetRet2110181991919 Shigetomo Shimono1516DNS209101615Ret7111522822141020 Hikaru Abe202415Ret151421128229131919818821 Kōtarō Hatano26221015141319201715Ret236152011722 Igor Sushko2218121019152219Ret81316241617224- Kazuumi Kobayashi212314191711181819201819201724200- Mika Kagoshima2520162116Ret2417232316Ret212023240- Kōta Matsui1917RetRet2117252222241922232321230- Kazuki Kawamura2425Ret1722Ret202320172020Ret25Ret190 Driver FUJ SUZ MOTFUJSUZMOTFUJSUG PointsBold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap
References