# 2002 Formula Nippon Championship

The 2002 Formula Nippon Championship was contested over 10 rounds. 11 different teams, 22 different drivers. All teams had to use Reynard chassis and Mugen Honda (Mugen MF308) engines.

## Teams and drivers

| Team | # | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Rounds |
| Xbox Team Impul | 1 | Satoshi Motoyama | Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Xbox Team Impul | 2 | Michael Krumm | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | 1–2 |
| Olympic Kondo Racing Team | 3 | Seiji Ara | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Olympic Kondo Racing Team | 4 | Katsutomo Kaneishi | Reynard 99L Reynard 2KL | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Team 5ZIGEN | 5 | Naoki Hattori | Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Team 5ZIGEN | 6 | Ryo Michigami | Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | 1–2, 5–10 |
| Team 5ZIGEN | 6 | Hidetoshi Mitsusada | Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | 3–4 |
| Team LeMans | 7 | Masami Kageyama | Reynard 99L Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | 1–2 |
| Team LeMans | 7 | Dominik Schwager | Reynard 99L Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | 3–10 |
| Team LeMans | 8 | Takeshi Tsuchiya | Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Soft On Demand Team Nova Forward Team Nova | 9 | Kiyoto Yamamoto | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Soft On Demand Team Nova Forward Team Nova | 10 | Haruki Kurosawa | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Cosmo Oil Racing Team Cerumo | 11 | Benoît Tréluyer | Reynard 99L Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | 1–5 |
| Cosmo Oil Racing Team Cerumo | 11 | Yuji Tachikawa | Reynard 99L Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | 6–10 |
| Mooncraft | 14 | Yudai Igarashi | Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Team 22 | 22 | Daisuke Ito | Reynard 99L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| PIAA Nakajima Racing | 31 | Ralph Firman | Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| PIAA Nakajima Racing | 32 | Tsugio Matsuda | Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Autobacs Racing Team Aguri | 55 | Juichi Wakisaka | Reynard 99L Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| Autobacs Racing Team Aguri | 56 | Toshihiro Kaneishi | Reynard 01L | Mugen MF308 | All |
| DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing | 68 | Jonathan Cochet | Reynard 2KL | Mugen MF308 | 1–2 |
| DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing | 68 | Richard Lyons | Reynard 2KL | Mugen MF308 | 3–10 |

## 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 | 24 March | Ralph Firman | Ralph Firman | Ralph Firman | PIAA Nakajima Racing |
| 2 | Fuji Speedway | 7 April | Satoshi Motoyama | Naoki Hattori | Satoshi Motoyama | Xbox Team Impul |
| 3 | Mine Circuit | 19 May | Ralph Firman | Satoshi Motoyama | Satoshi Motoyama | Xbox Team Impul |
| 4 | Suzuka-East Circuit | 7 July | Takeshi Tsuchiya | Hidetoshi Mitsusada | Ralph Firman | PIAA Nakajima Racing |
| 5 | Twin Ring Motegi | 21 July | Juichi Wakisaka | Satoshi Motoyama | Satoshi Motoyama | Xbox Team Impul |
| 6 | Sportsland SUGO | 4 August | Takeshi Tsuchiya | Naoki Hattori | Ralph Firman | PIAA Nakajima Racing |
| 7 | Fuji Speedway | 1 September | Takeshi Tsuchiya | Ryo Michigami | Juichi Wakisaka | Autobacs Racing Team Aguri |
| 8 | Mine Circuit | 22 September | Takeshi Tsuchiya | Satoshi Motoyama | Satoshi Motoyama | Xbox Team Impul |
| 9 | Twin Ring Motegi | 20 October | Juichi Wakisaka | Juichi Wakisaka | Ralph Firman | PIAA Nakajima Racing |
| 10 | Suzuka Circuit | 3 November | Juichi Wakisaka | Ryo Michigami | Satoshi Motoyama | Xbox Team Impul |

## Championship standings
### Drivers' Championship
#### Scoring system

| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
| Points | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Rank | Name | SUZ | FUJ | MIN | SUZ | MOT | SGO | FUJ | MIN | MOT | SUZ | Points |
| 1 | Ralph Firman | 1 | 2 | Ret | 1 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 62 |
| 2 | Satoshi Motoyama | Ret | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | Ret | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 60 |
| 3 | Juichi Wakisaka | 5 | 3 | Ret | 3 | 3 | Ret | 1 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 33 |
| 4 | Takeshi Tsuchiya | 2 | 6 | 3 | Ret | 2 | 4 | Ret | 7 | 6 | 2 | 27 |
| 5 | Tsugio Matsuda | 3 | 10 | 2 | Ret | Ret | 5 | Ret | 4 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
| 6 | Ryo Michigami | 4 | DNS | | | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 17 |
| 7 | Toshihiro Kaneishi | Ret | Ret | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | Ret | 7 | 11 |
| 8 | Naoki Hattori | 6 | Ret | Ret | 4 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 9 |
| 9 | Hidetoshi Mitsusada | | | 5 | 2 | | | | | | | 8 |
| 10 | Richard Lyons | | | 7 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 7 | Ret | 7 | Ret | 6 |
| 11 | Seiji Ara | 8 | 4 | 9 | 10 | Ret | Ret | NC | 9 | 11 | 10 | 3 |
| 12 | Haruki Kurosawa | 9 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 12 | 10 | 12 | Ret | Ret | 12 | 2 |
| 13 | Dominik Schwager | | | Ret | 11 | Ret | 8 | 9 | 10 | 5 | Ret | 2 |
| 14 | Benoît Tréluyer | 11 | Ret | 6 | 7 | 7 | | | | | | 1 |
| 15 | Michael Krumm | 7 | 7 | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| 16 | Yudai Igarashi | Ret | Ret | 11 | 13 | 10 | 7 | Ret | Ret | 13 | Ret | 0 |
| 17 | Daisuke Ito | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 0 |
| 18 | Katsutomo Kaneishi | 12 | Ret | 8 | 12 | Ret | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 0 |
| 19 | Jonathan Cochet | 13 | 8 | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| 20 | Yuji Tachikawa | | | | | | Ret | 11 | Ret | 9 | Ret | 0 |
| 21 | Kiyoto Yamamoto | 15 | 11 | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | DNS | 15 | 13 | 0 |
| 22 | Masami Kageyama | Ret | Ret | | | | | | | | | 0 |

### Teams' Championship

| Rank | Team | Car | SUZ | FUJ | MIN | SUZ | MOT | SGO | FUJ | MIN | MOT | SUZ | Points |
| 1 | PIAA Nakajima | 31 | 1 | 2 | Ret | 1 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 81 |
| 1 | PIAA Nakajima | 32 | 3 | 10 | 2 | Ret | Ret | 5 | Ret | 4 | 4 | 6 | 81 |
| 2 | Xbox Impul | 1 | Ret | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | Ret | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 60 |
| 2 | Xbox Impul | 2 | 7 | 7 | | | | | | | | | 60 |
| 3 | ARTA | 55 | 5 | 3 | Ret | 3 | 3 | Ret | 1 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 44 |
| 3 | ARTA | 56 | Ret | Ret | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | Ret | 7 | 44 |
| 4 | 5ZIGEN | 5 | 6 | Ret | Ret | 4 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 34 |
| 4 | 5ZIGEN | 6 | 4 | DNS | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 34 |
| 5 | LeMans | 7 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 11 | Ret | 8 | 9 | 10 | 5 | Ret | 29 |
| 5 | LeMans | 8 | 2 | 6 | 3 | Ret | 2 | 4 | Ret | 7 | 6 | 2 | 29 |
| 6 | DoCoMo Dandelion | 68 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 7 | Ret | 7 | Ret | 6 |
| 7 | Olympic Kondo | 3 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 10 | Ret | Ret | NC | 9 | 11 | 10 | 3 |
| 7 | Olympic Kondo | 4 | 12 | Ret | 8 | 12 | Ret | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 3 |
| 8 | Nova | 9 | 15 | 11 | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | DNS | 15 | 13 | 2 |
| 8 | Nova | 10 | 9 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 12 | 10 | 12 | Ret | Ret | 12 | 2 |
| 9 | Cosmo Oil Cerumo | 11 | 11 | Ret | 6 | 7 | 7 | Ret | 11 | Ret | 9 | Ret | 1 |
| 10 | Mooncraft | 14 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 13 | 10 | 7 | Ret | Ret | 13 | Ret | 0 |
| 11 | Team 22 | 22 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 0 |