2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship

2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship 2009 2011 thumb|right|Yuji Kunimoto won ten of the first eleven races of the season to secure the championship. The 2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship was the 32nd edition of the Japanese Formula 3 Championship. It commenced on April 17 at Suzuka and ended on October 17 at Autopolis after 16 races held at eight race meetings. All the Championship Class titles were secured at the Okayama meeting in September, with Yuji Kunimoto securing the drivers' title with five races to spare. The TOM'S driver had recorded a series record ten consecutive wins to start the season before finishing second to team-mate Rafael Suzuki in round 11 to secure the title.http://www.castroldriverrankings.com/news/2010/09/can-kunimoto-join-japans-best-f3-champions Can Kunimoto join Japan's best F3 champions? Castrol Driver Rankings Castrol; Autosport 8 September 2010 15 April 2011 Despite not winning another race after clinching the title, Kunimoto still finished 58 points ahead of closest rival Yuhi Sekiguchi of ThreeBond Racing. Sekiguchi failed to win a race, but finished eleven races on the podium and overhauled Suzuki for the runner-up position. Suzuki had taken three wins in succession – two at Okayama and one at Sugo but failed to take part in either race at the final round at Autopolis in order to prioritise his commitments for the Macau Grand Prix the following month.http://www.esportesite.com.br/2010/10/14/f-3-rafael-suzuki-confirma-presenca-nos-gps-de-macau-e-da-coreia-do-sul/ Portuguese Rafael Suzuki confirma presença nos GPs de Macau e da Coréia do Sul Rafael Durante esportesite.com.br Esporte Site 14 October 2010 15 April 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20120317073650/http://www.esportesite.com.br/2010/10/14/f-3-rafael-suzuki-confirma-presenca-nos-gps-de-macau-e-da-coreia-do-sul/ 17 March 2012 dead dmy-all Koki Saga finished fourth, taking his first two victories in Formula Three at the final meeting at Autopolis, while Alexandre Imperatori finished fifth. The only other race-winner was Hideki Yamauchi, who took six podium finishes – including a win at Sugo – in his eight starts. Suzuki's first win at Okayama also gave TOM'S the teams title and the engine tuners championship, having amassed a maximum score up to round 14. ThreeBond Racing finished runners-up in the teams' championship, while Hanashima Racing's Toyota engines finished second in the tuners' championship. In the National Class, the championship battle revolved around two drivers, HFDP Racing's Takashi Kobayashi and TOM'S Spirit driver Naoya Gamou, with the championship race going down to the final meeting at Autopolis. Kobayashi's sixth win of the season in the first race of the weekend, coupled with a Gamou retirement allowed Kobayashi to clinch the title with a race to spare. Gamou took eight wins on the season – including seven in succession at Fuji along with doubles at Motegi, Okayama and Sugo – but finished three points in arrears of Kobayashi. Third place went to Team Le Beausset's Katsumasa Chiyo, who won at the first Motegi meeting and fourth went to the other race-winner, Team Nova's Kimiya Sato, who won at the second Fuji meeting. As well as Kobayashi's drivers' championship, HFDP Racing clinched the teams' championship by five points ahead of TOM'S Spirit. Teams and drivers The provisional entry list for the series was released on March 10, 2010.2010 Achievement Japanese Formula 3 Entry List (tentative) http://www.j-formula3.com/e/season/2010/driverteam.html Japanese Formula 3 Championship 2010-03-10 2010-03-10 Japanese Formula 3 Association https://web.archive.org/web/20100418231116/http://j-formula3.com/e/season/2010/driverteam.html 18 April 2010 live All teams were Japanese-registered. Team No Driver ChassisAll drivers competed in Dallara chassis; model listed. "N" Engine Rounds Championship Class Petronas Team TOM'STOM'S Spirit 1 JPN Yuji Kunimoto F308 Toyota 1AZ-FE All 36 BRA Rafael SuzukiVictor Martins Suzuki assina contrato com Tom's e vai disputar F3 Japonesa em 2010 http://esporte.ig.com.br/grandepremio/outrascategorias/f3/2010/03/01/suzuki+assina+contrato+com+toms+e+vai+disputar+f3+japonesa+em+2010+9411594.html iG Portuguese 2010-03-01 2010-03-01 Internet Group https://web.archive.org/web/20100304074258/http://esporte.ig.com.br/grandepremio/outrascategorias/f3/2010/03/01/suzuki+assina+contrato+com+toms+e+vai+disputar+f3+japonesa+em+2010+9411594.html 2010-03-04 dead F308 1–7 Toda Racing 2 CHE Alexandre Imperatori F308 Mugen-Honda MF204C All Hanashima Racing 5 JPN Hiroki Yoshida F308 Toyota 1AZ-FE 1–2 JPN Katsuaki Kubota 3–4 JPN Hideki Yamauchi 5–8 ThreeBond Racing 12 JPN Yuhi Sekiguchi F308 Nissan SR20VE All Denso Team Le Beausset 62 JPN Koki Saga F308 Toyota 1AZ-FE All National Class Hanashima Racing 6 JPN Katsuaki Kubota F306 Toyota 3S-GE 7 JPN Hiroki Yoshida 8 HFDP Honda Formula Dream Project Racing 7 JPN Kazuki Miura ja 三浦和樹http://www.honda.co.jp/news/2010/c100219.html 2010年Hondaモータースポーツ活動の概要 Japanese honda.co.jp Honda 2010-02-19 2010-02-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20100325065518/http://www.honda.co.jp/news/2010/c100219.html 25 March 2010 live F307 Toyota 3S-GE All 8 JPN Takashi Kobayashi F307 All Aim Sports 18 JPN Tsubasa Mekaru F307/305 Toyota 3S-GE 1–3 Achievement by KCMG 19 JPN Yoshitaka Kuroda F307 Toyota 3S-GE All 20 IRL Gary ThompsonBen Anderson Ireland's Thompson joins Japan F3 http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81550 autosport.com 2010-02-17 2010-02-18 Haymarket Publications Gary will be a fantastic asset to the team and it's fantastic to have an Irish driver racing in Japan. These are exciting times for KCMG. We have added a third car to our F3 team this season and we are also moving into Formula Nippon with support from Toyota Motorsport, providing a factory supported academy for our drivers to progress through. https://web.archive.org/web/20100223214557/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81550 23 February 2010 live F306 All 21 JPN Hajime Oonami F305 1–3 JPN Yousuke Morishitahttp://www.italiaracing.net/notizia.asp?id=28177&cat=26 Implacabile Kunimoto ItaliaRacing.net Inpagina Italian 2010-07-17 2010-07-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20101217021644/http://italiaracing.net/notizia.asp?id=28177&cat=26 2010-12-17 dead 4, 7 Team Nova 22 JPN Daiki Sasaki F306 Toyota 3S-GE All 23 JPN Kimiya Sato F306 All Petronas Team TOM'STOM'S Spirit 37 JPN Naoya Gamou F306 Toyota 3S-GE All Denso Team Le Beausset 63 JPN Katsumasa Chiyo F305 Toyota 3S-GE All CMS Motor Sports Project 77 JPN Hiroshi Koizumi F306 Toyota 3S-GE 1, 4–5 JPN Tatsuru Noro 2–3, 7 Notes N Race calendar and results All races were held in Japan, and were in support of Formula Nippon at all rounds except the first Fuji round and Okayama. Round Circuit Date Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning team National Class winner 1 R1 Suzuka Circuit 17 April JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Takashi Kobayashi R2 18 April JPN Koki Saga JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Takashi Kobayashi 2 R1 Twin Ring Motegi 22 May JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Katsumasa Chiyo R2 23 May JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Takashi Kobayashi 3 R1 Fuji Speedway 12 June JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Takashi Kobayashi R2 13 June JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Takashi Kobayashi 4 R1 Fuji Speedway 17 July JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Kimiya Sato R2 18 July JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Naoya Gamou 5 R1 Twin Ring Motegi 7 August JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuhi Sekiguchi JPN Yuji Kunimoto Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Naoya Gamou R2 8 August JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Yuji Kunimoto Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Naoya Gamou 6 R1 Okayama International Circuit 4 September JPN Hideki Yamauchi JPN Yuhi Sekiguchi BRA Rafael Suzuki Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Naoya Gamou R2 5 September BRA Rafael Suzuki BRA Rafael Suzuki BRA Rafael Suzuki Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Naoya Gamou 7 R1 Sportsland SUGO 25 September JPN Hideki Yamauchi JPN Yuhi Sekiguchi BRA Rafael Suzuki Petronas Team TOM'S JPN Naoya Gamou R2 26 September JPN Hideki Yamauchi JPN Yuji Kunimoto JPN Hideki Yamauchi Hanashima Racing JPN Naoya Gamou 8 R1 Autopolis 16 October JPN Hideki Yamauchi JPN Koki Saga JPN Koki Saga Denso Team Le Beausset JPN Takashi Kobayashi R2 17 October JPN Hideki Yamauchi JPN Koki Saga JPN Koki Saga Denso Team Le Beausset JPN Naoya Gamou Championship standings Drivers' Championships Points were awarded as follows: 1 2 3 4 5 6 PP FL 10 7 5 3 2 1 1 1 Pos Driver SUZ MOT FUJ FUJ MOT OKA SUG AUT Pts Championship Class 1 JPN Yuji Kunimoto 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 4 3 4 5 Ret 139 2 JPN Yuhi Sekiguchi 5 4 2 3 2 3 2 4 2 2 3 2 Ret 11 3 2 81 3 BRA Rafael Suzuki 4 3 5 4 3 2 3 2 6 4 1 1 1 3 78 4 JPN Koki Saga 2 2 4 7 5 5 5 5 4 6 4 5 15 2 1 1 68 5 CHE Alexandre Imperatori 3 17 3 2 4 4 4 3 5 5 5 6 4 5 4 3 52 6 JPN Hideki Yamauchi 3 3 8 3 2 1 2 Ret 45 7 JPN Hiroki Yoshida 6 5 6 14 5 8 JPN Katsuaki Kubota 8 9 16 11 4 National Class 1 JPN Takashi Kobayashi 7 6 8 5 6 6 8 7 8 11 7 8 7 10 6 Ret 124 2 JPN Naoya Gamou 12 8 Ret 6 7 7 10 6 7 7 6 7 5 6 Ret 4 121 3 JPN Katsumasa Chiyo 8 7 7 10 14 Ret 7 9 12 9 11 9 9 9 9 5 66 4 JPN Kimiya Sato 10 11 Ret 8 9 DSQ 6 8 10 13 12 11 Ret 7 Ret Ret 43 5 IRL Gary Thompson 13 12 10 9 10 10 9 13 13 8 10 14 11 8 Ret 7 33 6 JPN Kazuki Miura ja 三浦和樹 9 13 9 Ret 12 Ret 12 12 11 14 9 10 8 12 Ret 6 31 7 JPN Daiki Sasaki 11 10 11 Ret 11 Ret 13 10 9 10 13 12 6 Ret 10 Ret 29 8 JPN Yoshitaka Kuroda 16 9 12 11 13 11 11 16 14 12 Ret 13 10 13 7 9 18 9 JPN Hiroki Yoshida 8 8 7 10 JPN Tsubasa Mekaru 15 14 14 12 16 8 6 11 JPN Hajime Oonami 17 16 13 13 15 12 1 12 JPN Yousuke Morishita 14 14 12 14 0 13 JPN Tatsuru Noro Ret Ret 17 13 13 16 0 14 JPN Hiroshi Koizumi 14 15 15 15 15 Ret 0 15 JPN Katsuaki Kubota 14 15 0 Pos Driver SUZ MOT FUJ FUJ MOT OKA SUG AUT PtsBold – PoleItalics – Fastest Lap Teams' Championships Points were awarded for both races as follows: 1 2 3 4 5 6 10 7 5 3 2 1 Pos Team SUZ MOT FUJ FUJ MOT OKA SUG AUT Pts Championship Class 1 Petronas Team TOM'S 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 5 Ret 137 2 ThreeBond Racing 5 4 2 3 2 3 2 4 2 2 3 2 Ret 11 3 2 78 3 Denso Team Le Beausset 2 2 4 7 5 5 5 5 4 6 4 5 15 2 1 1 65 4 Toda Racing 3 17 3 2 4 4 4 3 5 5 5 6 4 5 4 3 52 5 Hanashima Racing 6 5 6 14 8 9 16 11 3 3 8 3 2 1 2 Ret 49 National Class 1 HFDP Racing 7 6 8 5 6 6 8 7 8 11 7 8 7 10 6 6 114 2 TOM'S Spirit 12 8 Ret 6 7 7 10 6 7 7 6 7 5 6 Ret 4 109 3 Denso Team Le Beausset 8 7 7 10 14 Ret 7 9 12 9 11 9 9 9 9 5 64 4 Team Nova 10 10 11 8 9 Ret 6 8 9 10 12 11 6 7 10 Ret 59 5 Achievement by KCMG 13 9 10 9 10 10 9 13 13 8 10 13 10 8 7 7 44 6 Hanashima Racing 14 15 8 8 7 7 Aim Sports 15 14 14 12 16 8 5 8 CMS Motor Sports Project 14 15 Ret Ret 17 13 15 15 15 Ret 13 16 0 Pos Team SUZ MOT FUJ FUJ MOT OKA SUG AUT Pts Engine Tuners' Championship Points were awarded for both races as follows: 1 2 3 4 5 6 10 7 5 3 2 1 Pos Engine SUZ MOT FUJ FUJ MOT OKA SUG AUT Pts 1 Toyota-TOM'S 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 5 Ret 137 2 Toyota-Hanashima 2 2 4 7 5 5 5 5 3 3 4 3 2 1 1 1 82 3 Nissan-Tomei 5 4 2 3 2 3 2 4 2 2 3 2 Ret 11 3 2 78 4 Mugen-Toda 3 17 3 2 4 4 4 3 5 5 5 6 4 5 4 3 52 Pos Engine SUZ MOT FUJ FUJ MOT OKA SUG AUT Pts References External links Official Site ja Formula Three Category:Japanese Formula 3 Championship seasons Japan Japanese Formula 3