# 2001 Formula Nippon Championship

The 2001 Formula Nippon Championship was contested over 10 rounds. 11 different teams, 23 different drivers, 2 different chassis and only 1 engine competed.

## Teams and drivers

| Team | # | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Rounds |
| PIAA Nakajima Racing | 1 | Tsugio Matsuda | Reynard 2KL | Mugen MF308 | All |
| PIAA Nakajima Racing | 2 | Ralph Firman | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Olympic Kondo Racing Team | 3 | Yuji Tachikawa | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Olympic Kondo Racing Team | 4 | Katsutomo Kaneishi | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Team 5ZIGEN | 5 | Naoki Hattori | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Team 5ZIGEN | 6 | Michael Krumm | Reynard 99L Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Team LeMans | 7 | Alex Yoong | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | 1–6 |
| Team LeMans | 7 | Koji Yamanishi | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | 7–10 |
| Team LeMans | 8 | Yudai Igarashi | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Team Morinaga Nova | 9 | Richard Lyons | G-Force GF03C | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Team Morinaga Nova | 10 | André Couto | G-Force GF03C Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Cosmo Oil Racing Team Cerumo | 11 | Masami Kageyama | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Cosmo Oil Racing Team Cerumo | 12 | Seiji Ara | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Mooncraft | 14 | Ryo Michigami | Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | 2–10 |
| excite Team Impul | 19 | Satoshi Motoyama | Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| excite Team Impul | 20 | Narain Karthikeyan | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Takagi B-1 Car Club | 36 | Tetsuji Tamanaka | Reynard 2KL Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Takagi B-1 Car Club | 37 | Masahiko Kageyama | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Autobacs Racing Team Aguri | 55 | Juichi Wakisaka | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Autobacs Racing Team Aguri | 56 | Takeshi Tsuchiya | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing | 68 | Hideki Noda | Reynard 2KL | Mugen MF308 | All |
| DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing | 69 | Jaroslaw Wierczuk | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | 1–4 |
| DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing | 69 | Hidetoshi Mitsusada | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | 5 |

## 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 5ZIGEN |
| 2 | Twin Ring Motegi | 22 April | Satoshi Motoyama | Juichi Wakisaka | Naoki Hattori | Team 5ZIGEN |
| 3 | Mine Circuit | 20 May | Satoshi Motoyama | Satoshi Motoyama | Satoshi Motoyama | excite Team Impul |
| 4 | Fuji Speedway | 3 June | Satoshi Motoyama | Naoki Hattori | Naoki Hattori | Team 5ZIGEN |
| 5 | Suzuka-East Circuit | 1 July | Ryo Michigami | Ralph Firman | Satoshi Motoyama | excite Team Impul |
| 6 | Sportsland SUGO | 29 July | Juichi Wakisaka | Juichi Wakisaka | Satoshi Motoyama | excite Team Impul |
| 7 | Fuji Speedway | 2 September | Juichi Wakisaka | Juichi Wakisaka | Juichi Wakisaka | Autobacs Racing Team Aguri |
| 8 | Mine Circuit | 23 September | Juichi Wakisaka | Ryo Michigami | Satoshi Motoyama | excite Team Impul |
| 9 | Twin Ring Motegi | 21 October | Ralph Firman | Juichi Wakisaka | Ralph Firman | PIAA Nakajima Racing |
| 10 | Suzuka Circuit | 18 November | Tsugio Matsuda | Michael Krumm | Ralph Firman | PIAA Nakajima Racing |
Note:
Race 8 originally fastest lap set by Juichi Wakisaka, but he was 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 | 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 | Ryo 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 |
| 1 | 5ZIGEN | 6 | Ret | 4 | 4 | 2 | Ret | 6 | 3 | Ret | 7 | 4 | 53 |
| 2 | excite Impul | 19 | Ret | 9 | 1 | Ret | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | Ret | 51 |
| 2 | excite Impul | 20 | 6 | 7 | 9 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 9 | Ret | Ret | 6 | 51 |
| 3 | ARTA | 55 | 2 | 10 | 12 | Ret | 6 | 2 | 1 | DSQ | Ret | Ret | 40 |
| 3 | ARTA | 56 | 10 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 14 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 40 |
| 4 | PIAA Nakajima | 1 | Ret | 3 | 8 | Ret | 5 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 9 | 9 | 37 |
| 4 | PIAA Nakajima | 2 | 5 | Ret | 2 | 6 | Ret | Ret | 7 | Ret | 1 | 1 | 37 |
| 5 | Olympic Kondo | 3 | 13 | 2 | 11 | Ret | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 34 |
| 5 | Olympic Kondo | 4 | 7 | 6 | Ret | 4 | Ret | 9 | 11 | Ret | 11 | 13 | 34 |
| 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 |
| 7 | Cosmo Oil Cerumo | 12 | 3 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 9 | 10 | 8 | Ret | 12 | Ret | 16 |
| 8 | Team Morinaga Nova | 9 | 8 | 8 | Ret | 9 | 11 | 12 | Ret | Ret | 13 | 12 | 5 |
| 8 | Team Morinaga Nova | 10 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 12 | Ret | Ret | 5 | Ret | 4 | 14 | 5 |
| 9 | LeMans | 7 | 11 | Ret | 7 | 7 | 10 | Ret | 10 | 5 | 10 | Ret | 2 |
| 9 | LeMans | 8 | 9 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 7 | 8 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 8 | 2 |
| 10 | Takagi B-1 Racing | 36 | 15 | Ret | 14 | 8 | Ret | 15 | 15 | 7 | 15 | Ret | 0 |
| 10 | Takagi B-1 Racing | 37 | 12 | Ret | Ret | 10 | DNS | 14 | 16 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 0 |
| 11 | DoCoMo Dandelion | 68 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | 12 | Ret | 13 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 0 |
| 11 | DoCoMo Dandelion | 69 | 14 | Ret | 13 | DNS | 13 | | | | | | 0 |