Dandelion Racing is a Japanese racing team, mainly running in Super Formula. The team was founded by Kiyoshi Muraoka in 1989 as "Dandelion Racing Project".
Early years (1993–1998) The team made a small sponsor contract with NTT Docomo in 1993. It made a way to enter the Japanese local racing series. The team ran in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship (1993 and 1994 seasons) and Japanese Touring Car Championship (1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998), and suffered from poor results through the 1990s.
The relationship with NTT Docomo will continue to date, though there is no capital ties.
Formula Nippon/Super Formula (1999–) In 1999, the team switched from the defunct JTCC to Formula Nippon as a Honda engine user. Though the team continuously suffered from poor result at first, the fortune was changed in the 2002 season when Richard Lyons scored team's first point-finish in the series with finishing 2nd at the SUGO round.
In the 2003 season, Lyons won the Suzuka round in July. It was also the first race win for the team. In the 2004 season, Lyons became the drivers' champion of the series and the team finished as 3rd in the teams' championship. During the following years, the team came to leave steady results. In 2012, the last season of Formula Nippon, the team became the teams' champion of the series with beating TOM'S at the final round of the season.
Nobuharu Matsushita returned to Japan after two seasons in the GP2 Series and one season in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, joining the team. He takes the seat of Takuya Izawa, who moved to Nakajima Racing. 2018 champion Naoki Yamamoto moves to the team in 2019 after eight seasons driving for Team Mugen. He is joined by Nirei Fukuzumi, who completed a partial season with Mugen in 2018 alongside FIA Formula 2. Nobuharu Matsushita leaves Team Dandelion after a single season, returning to Formula 2 with Carlin. Yamamoto won his title in 2020, and the teams title in 2019. Yamamoto only stayed with the team for 2 seasons, and he replaced by Tadasuke Makino. Fukuzumi clinched runners up in 2021, then he replaced by Rookie champion Hiroki Otsu for 2022. Otsu then replaced by Kakunoshin Ohta.
Formula Nippon/Super Formula results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Chassis Engine No. Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1112 D.C. Pts T.C. Pts Formula Nippon 1999 Reynard 99L Mugen 68 Rubén Derfler SUZ MOT MIN FUJ SUZ SUG FUJ MIN MOT SUZ 22nd 0 12th 0 2000 Reynard 2KL Mugen 68 Ryo Michigami SUZ MOT MIN FUJ SUZ SUG MOT FUJ MIN SUZ 16th 0 11th 0 2001 Reynard 2KL Mugen 68 Hideki NodaSUZMOTMINFUJSUZSUGFUJMINMOTSUZ 21st 0 11th 0 Reynard 99L 69 Jaroslaw WierczukSUZMOTMINFUJ 22nd 0 Hidetoshi MitsusadaSUZSUGFUJMINMOTSUZ 23rd 0 2002 Reynard 2KL Mugen 68 Jonathan Cochet SUZ FUJ 19th 0 6th 6 Richard Lyons MIN SUZ MOT SUG FUJ MIN MOT SUZ 10th 6 2003 Lola B3/51 Mugen 40 Richard Lyons SUZ FUJ MIN MOT SUZ SUG FUJ MIN MOT SUZ 6th 20 6th 23 41 Naoki Hattori SUZ FUJ MIN MOT SUZ SUG FUJ MIN MOT SUZ 13th 3 2004 Lola B3/51 Mugen 40 Richard Lyons SUZ SUG MOT SUZ SUG MIN SEP MOT SUZ 1st 33 3rd 40 41 Naoki Hattori SUZ SUG MOT SUZ SUG MIN SEP MOT SUZ 9th 7 2005 Lola B3/51 Mugen 1 Richard Lyons MOT SUZ SUG FUJ SUZ MIN FUJ MOT SUZ 3rd 30 2nd 37 2 Naoki Hattori MOT SUZ SUG FUJ SUZ MIN FUJ MOT SUZ 12th 7 2006 Lola FN06 Honda 40 Björn Wirdheim FUJ SUZ MOT SUZ AUT FUJ SUG MOT SUZ 6th 13.5 5th 13.5 41 Katsuyuki Hiranaka FUJ SUZ MOT 22nd 0 Yuji Ide SUZ AUT FUJ SUG MOT SUZ 21st 0 2007 Lola FN06 Honda 40 Björn Wirdheim FUJ SUZ MOT OKA SUZ FUJ SUG MOT SUZ 9th 17 6th 20 41 Fabio Carbone FUJ SUZ MOT OKA SUZ FUJ SUG MOT SUZ 15th 3 2008 Lola FN06 Honda 40 Kosuke Matsuura FUJ SUZ MOT OKA SUZ SUZ MOT MOT FUJ FUJ SUG 18th 3.5 11th 7.5 41 Takeshi Tsuchiya FUJ SUZ MOT OKA SUZ SUZ MOT MOT FUJ FUJ SUG 17th 4 2009 Swift 017.n Honda 40 Richard Lyons FUJ SUZ MOT FUJ SUZ MOT AUT SUG 10th 11 6th 25 41 Takuya Izawa FUJ SUZ MOT FUJ SUZ MOT AUT SUG 8th 14 2010 Swift 017.n Honda 1 Loïc Duval SUZ MOT FUJ MOT SUG AUT SUZ SUZ 3rd 39.5 4th 40.5 2 Takuya Izawa SUZ MOT FUJ MOT SUG AUT SUZ SUZ 11th 7 2011 Swift 017.n Honda 40 Takuya Izawa SUZ AUT FUJ MOT SUZ MOT MOT 9th 11 3rd 36.5 41 Koudai Tsukakoshi SUZAUT FUJ MOT SUZ SUG MOT1 MOT2 4th 26.5 2012 Swift 017.n Honda 40 Takuya Izawa SUZ MOT AUT FUJ MOT SUG SUZ SUZ 3rd 41.5 1st 78.5 41 Koudai Tsukakoshi SUZ MOT AUT FUJ MOT SUG SUZ1 SUZ2 2nd 43 Super Formula 2013 Swift SF13 Honda 40 Takuya Izawa SUZ AUT FUJ MOT SUG SUZ SUZ 7th 15 7th 15 41 Hideki Mutoh SUZ AUT FUJ MOT SUG SUZ1 SUZ2 NC 0 2014 Dallara SF14 Honda 40 Tomoki Nojiri SUZ FUJ FUJ FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ SUZ 10th 10 6th 14 41 Hideki Mutoh SUZ FUJ FUJ FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ SUZ 15th 4 2015 Dallara SF14 Honda 40 Tomoki Nojiri SUZ OKA FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ SUZ 7th 19 5th 25 41 Narain Karthikeyan SUZ OKA FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ SUZ 11th 6 2016 Dallara SF14 Honda 40 Tomoki Nojiri SUZ OKA FUJ MOT OKA OKA SUG SUZ SUZ 9th 14.5 4th 36.5 41 Stoffel Vandoorne SUZ OKA FUJ MOT OKA OKA SUG SUZ SUZ 4th 27 2017 Dallara SF14 Honda 40 Tomoki Nojiri SUZ OKA OKA FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ SUZ 17th 2 8th 6 41 Takuya Izawa SUZ OKA OKA FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ SUZ 13th 5 2018 Dallara SF14 Honda 5 Tomoki Nojiri SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT OKA SUZ 7th 12.5 5th 18.5 6 Nobuharu Matsushita SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT OKA SUZ 11th 7 2019 Dallara SF19 Honda 1 Naoki Yamamoto SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT OKA SUZ 2nd 33 1st 50 5 Nirei Fukuzumi SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT OKA SUZ 7th 18 2020 Dallara SF19 Honda 5 Naoki Yamamoto MOT OKA SUG AUT SUZ SUZ FUJ 1st 62 3rd 72 6 Nirei Fukuzumi MOT OKA SUG AUT SUZ SUZ FUJ 8th 29 2021 Dallara SF19 Honda 5 Nirei Fukuzumi FUJ SUZ AUT SUG MOT MOT2 SUZ2 2nd 55 2nd 86 6 Ukyo Sasahara MOT SUZ 12th 18 Tadasuke Makino AUT SUG MOT MOT2 SUZ2 9th 242022Dallara SF19Honda5 Tadasuke Makino FUJ FUJ SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT MOT SUZ SUZ 5th 614th916 Hiroki Otsu FUJ FUJ SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT MOT SUZ SUZ9th332023Dallara SF23Honda5 Tadasuke Makino FUJ FUJ SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT SUZ SUZ6th433rd69.56 Kakunoshin Ohta FUJ FUJ SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT SUZ SUZ7th35.52024Dallara SF23Honda5 Tadasuke Makino SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT FUJ FUJ SUZ SUZ 3rd 861st1486 Kakunoshin Ohta SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT FUJ FUJ SUZ SUZ4th752025Dallara SF23Honda5 Tadasuke Makino SUZ SUZ MOT MOT AUT FUJ FUJ SUG FUJ SUZ SUZ SUZ 4th 1131st1486 Kakunoshin Ohta SUZ SUZ MOT MOT AUT FUJ FUJ SUG FUJ SUZ SUZ SUZ 3rd 118
Notable and veteran drivers Formula Nippon/Super Formula Richard Lyons (2002–2005, 2009) Naoki Hattori (2003–2005) Takuya Izawa (2009–2013, 2017) Tomoki Nojiri (2014–2018) Stoffel Vandoorne (2016)
References
External links
Dandelion Racing official website -