The 2001 Formula Nippon Championship was the twenty-ninth season of premier Japanese single-seater racing, and the sixth under the Formula Nippon moniker. It was contested over ten rounds at five venues. 11 different teams, 23 different drivers, and two different chassis suppliers competed in the series. This would be the last season with multiple chassis suppliers after G-Force Technologies stopped supplying chassis after 2001.
Satoshi Motoyama of Team Impul won his second series championship.
Teams and drivers All teams used tyres supplied by Bridgestone and Mugen MF308 engines. Team # Driver Chassis RoundsPIAA Nakajima Racing1 Tsugio MatsudaReynard 2KLAll2 Ralph Firman Jr.Reynard 99LAllOlympic Kondo Racing Team3 Yuji TachikawaReynard 99LAll4 Katsutomo KaneishiAllTeam 5ZIGEN5 Naoki HattoriReynard 99LAll6 Michael KrummReynard 99LReynard 01LAll Team LeMans7 Alex YoongReynard 99L1–6 Koji Yamanishi7–108 Yudai IgarashiAllTeam Morinaga Nova9 Richard LyonsG-Force GF03CAll10 André CoutoG-Force GF03CReynard 99LAllCosmo Oil Racing Team Cerumo11 Masami KageyamaReynard 99LAll12 Seiji AraAllMooncraft14 Ryō MichigamiReynard 01L2–10excite Team Impul19 Satoshi MotoyamaReynard 01LAll20 Narain KarthikeyanReynard 99LAllTakagi B-1 Car Club36 Tetsuji TamanakaReynard 2KLReynard 99LAll37 Masahiko KageyamaReynard 99LAllAutobacs Racing Team Aguri55 Juichi WakisakaReynard 99LAll56 Takeshi TsuchiyaAllDoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing68 Hideki NodaReynard 2KLAll69 Jaroslaw WierczukReynard 99L1–4 Hidetoshi Mitsusada5
Race calendar and results
All races were held in Japan.
Race Track Date Pole position Fastest race lap Winning driver Winning team 1 Suzuka Circuit 25 March Naoki Hattori Juichi Wakisaka Naoki Hattori Team 5ZIGEN2 Twin Ring Motegi 22 April Satoshi Motoyama Juichi Wakisaka Naoki Hattori Team 5ZIGEN3 Mine Circuit 20 May Satoshi Motoyama Satoshi Motoyama Satoshi Motoyama excite Team Impul4 Fuji Speedway 3 June Satoshi Motoyama Naoki Hattori Naoki Hattori Team 5ZIGEN5 1 July Ryō Michigami Ralph Firman Jr. Satoshi Motoyama excite Team Impul6 Sportsland SUGO 29 July Juichi Wakisaka Juichi Wakisaka Satoshi Motoyama excite Team Impul7 Fuji Speedway 2 September Juichi Wakisaka Juichi Wakisaka Juichi Wakisaka Autobacs Racing Team Aguri8 Mine Circuit 23 September Juichi Wakisaka Ryō Michigami Satoshi Motoyama excite Team Impul9 Twin Ring Motegi 21 October Ralph Firman Jr. Juichi Wakisaka Ralph Firman Jr. PIAA Nakajima Racing10 Suzuka Circuit 18 November Tsugio Matsuda Michael Krumm Ralph Firman Jr. PIAA Nakajima Racing
Note:
Juichi Wakisaka set the fastest lap in Round 8 but was later disqualified.
Championship standings
Drivers' Championship Scoring system Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Points 10 6 4 3 2 1 Rank Name SUZ MOT MIN FUJ SUZ SGO FUJ MIN MOT SUZ Points 1 Satoshi Motoyama Ret 9 1 Ret 1 1 4 1 2 Ret 49 2 Naoki Hattori 1 1 5 1 8 7 12 6 Ret 10 33 3 Yuji Tachikawa 13 2 11 Ret 4 4 2 3 5 2 30 4 Ralph Firman Jr. 5 Ret 2 6 Ret Ret 7 Ret 1 1 29 5 Juichi Wakisaka 2 10 12 Ret 6 2 1 DSQ Ret Ret 23 6 Ryō Michigami Ret 10 3 2 3 Ret Ret 3 3 22 7 Michael Krumm Ret 4 4 2 Ret 6 3 Ret 7 4 20 8 Takeshi Tsuchiya 10 Ret 3 Ret 3 Ret 14 2 6 5 17 9 Masami Kageyama 4 5 6 5 Ret 11 6 4 8 7 12 10 Tsugio Matsuda Ret 3 8 Ret 5 5 Ret Ret 9 9 8 11 André Couto Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret 5 Ret 4 14 5 12 Seiji Ara 3 Ret Ret Ret 9 10 8 Ret 12 Ret 4 13 Katsutomo Kaneishi 7 6 Ret 4 Ret 9 11 Ret 11 13 4 14 Koji Yamanishi 10 5 10 Ret 2 15 Narain Karthikeyan 6 7 9 Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret 6 2 16 Alex Yoong 11 Ret 7 7 10 Ret 0 17 Yudai Igarashi 9 Ret Ret 11 7 8 Ret Ret Ret 8 0 18 Tetsuji Tamanaka 15 Ret 14 8 Ret 15 15 7 15 Ret 0 19 Richard Lyons 8 8 Ret 9 11 12 Ret Ret 13 12 0 20 Masahiko Kageyama 12 Ret Ret 10 DNS 14 16 Ret Ret Ret 0 21 Hideki Noda Ret Ret Ret 13 12 Ret 13 Ret Ret 11 0 22 Jaroslaw Wierczuk 14 Ret 13 DNS 0 23 Hidetoshi Mitsusada 13 0
Teams' Championship Rank Team Car SUZ MOT MIN FUJ SUZ SGO FUJ MIN MOT SUZ Points 1 5ZIGEN 5 1 1 5 1 8 7 12 6 Ret 10 53 6 Ret 4 4 2 Ret 6 3 Ret 7 4 2 excite Impul 19 Ret 9 1 Ret 1 1 4 1 2 Ret 51 20 6 7 9 Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret 6 3 ARTA 55 2 10 12 Ret 6 2 1 DSQ Ret Ret 40 56 10 Ret 3 Ret 3 Ret 14 2 6 5 4 PIAA Nakajima 1 Ret 3 8 Ret 5 5 Ret Ret 9 9 37 2 5 Ret 2 6 Ret Ret 7 Ret 1 1 5 Olympic Kondo 3 13 2 11 Ret 4 4 2 3 5 2 34 4 7 6 Ret 4 Ret 9 11 Ret 11 13 6 Mooncraft 14 Ret 10 3 2 3 Ret Ret 3 3 22 7 Cosmo Oil Cerumo 11 4 5 6 5 Ret 11 6 4 8 7 16 12 3 Ret Ret Ret 9 10 8 Ret 12 Ret 8 Team Morinaga Nova 9 8 8 Ret 9 11 12 Ret Ret 13 12 5 10 Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret 5 Ret 4 14 9 LeMans 7 11 Ret 7 7 10 Ret 10 5 10 Ret 2 8 9 Ret Ret 11 7 8 Ret Ret Ret 8 10 Takagi B-1 Racing 36 15 Ret 14 8 Ret 15 15 7 15 Ret 0 37 12 Ret Ret 10 DNS 14 16 Ret Ret Ret 11 DoCoMo Dandelion 68 Ret Ret Ret 13 12 Ret 13 Ret Ret 11 0 69 14 Ret 13 DNS 13
External links 2001 Japanese Championship Formula Nippon