# 2008 Formula Challenge Japan

The 2008 Formula Challenge Japan was a multi-event motor racing championship for open-wheel formula racing cars, and the third season of the Formula Challenge Japan racing series, a young driver development series jointly supported by Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. The championship featured a mix of manufacturer-affiliated drivers and independent entries, and commenced on 5 April and ended on 21 September. All but one of the race weekends were run in support of the Formula Nippon Championship.
Toyota junior driver Yūji Kunimoto, whose brother Keisuke had won the previous year's title, dominated the championship in his second year of competition. Kunimoto took eight wins and seven pole positions from the season's sixteen races, and finished all but one race on the podium to secure a 101-point lead over his nearest rival, Nissan junior and former Formula BMW UK driver Kimiya Satō. Nissan stablemate Katsumasa Chiyo won thrice to finish third in the standings, while Takamitsu Matsui and Tsubasa Mekaru took the remaining race victories.

## Teams and drivers

| Team | No. | Driver | Rounds |
| XGamut Mitsuba-ya FCJ | 1 | Hikaru Abe | All |
| C-SPAN San-M FCJ | 2 | Kazuumi Kobayashi | All |
| Rêve RT FCJ | 3 | Kazuki Kawamura | All |
| SRS-F Scholarship SRS-F SANAI FCJ | 4 | Takashi Kobayashi | All |
| SRS-F Scholarship SRS-F SANAI FCJ | 6 | Shigetomo Shimono | All |
| SRS-F Scholarship SRS-F SANAI FCJ | 15 | Kazuki Miura [ja] | All |
| SRS-F Scholarship SRS-F SANAI FCJ | 26 | Kazuma Kokubu | All |
| FTRS TDP Scholarship Sugamata Sekkotsuin FTRS Café Julia FTRS Team Samurai FTRS FTRS Team NATS [ja] Citykart FTRS | 5 | Naoya Gamou | All |
| FTRS TDP Scholarship Sugamata Sekkotsuin FTRS Café Julia FTRS Team Samurai FTRS FTRS Team NATS [ja] Citykart FTRS | 8 | Yūji Kunimoto | All |
| FTRS TDP Scholarship Sugamata Sekkotsuin FTRS Café Julia FTRS Team Samurai FTRS FTRS Team NATS [ja] Citykart FTRS | 9 | Tsubasa Mekaru | All |
| FTRS TDP Scholarship Sugamata Sekkotsuin FTRS Café Julia FTRS Team Samurai FTRS FTRS Team NATS [ja] Citykart FTRS | 13 | Toshihiro Hinata | All |
| FTRS TDP Scholarship Sugamata Sekkotsuin FTRS Café Julia FTRS Team Samurai FTRS FTRS Team NATS [ja] Citykart FTRS | 17 | Tohjirō Azuma | All |
| FTRS TDP Scholarship Sugamata Sekkotsuin FTRS Café Julia FTRS Team Samurai FTRS FTRS Team NATS [ja] Citykart FTRS | 20 | Takamitsu Matsui | All |
| FTRS TDP Scholarship Sugamata Sekkotsuin FTRS Café Julia FTRS Team Samurai FTRS FTRS Team NATS [ja] Citykart FTRS | 21 | Makoto Kanai | All |
| FTRS TDP Scholarship Sugamata Sekkotsuin FTRS Café Julia FTRS Team Samurai FTRS FTRS Team NATS [ja] Citykart FTRS | 22 | Yūichi Nakayama | All |
| FTRS TDP Scholarship Sugamata Sekkotsuin FTRS Café Julia FTRS Team Samurai FTRS FTRS Team NATS [ja] Citykart FTRS | 23 | Kōta Matsui | All |
| Iwasaki Industry | 7 | Yūki Iwasaki | All |
| NDDP NDDP MyBrans | 10 | Kimiya Satō | All |
| NDDP NDDP MyBrans | 12 | Daiki Sasaki | All |
| NDDP NDDP MyBrans | 18 | Katsumasa Chiyo | All |
| NDDP NDDP MyBrans | 19 | Masayuki Yamashita | All |
| DL Team Naoki | 11 | Mika Kagoshima [ja] | All |
| Broval.jp NAC | 14 | Kenji Hosokawa | All |
| A-Project FCJ | 16 | Kōta Lee | All |
| H.I.S. Travel FCJ | 24 | Igor Sushko | All |
| Winds Nikoya FCJ | 25 | Kōtarō Hatano | All |
| Source ||||

## Race calendar and results

All races were held in Japan. All rounds, with the exception of rounds 7–8, were run in support of Formula Nippon.
| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver |
| 1 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 5 April | Takamitsu Matsui | Yūji Kunimoto | Takamitsu Matsui |
| 2 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 6 April | Yūji Kunimoto | Takamitsu Matsui | Yūji Kunimoto |
| 3 | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | 10 May | Takamitsu Matsui | Kenji Hosokawa | Katsumasa Chiyo |
| 4 | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | 11 May | Katsumasa Chiyo | Katsumasa Chiyo | Katsumasa Chiyo |
| 5 | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi | 24 May | Takamitsu Matsui | Yūji Kunimoto | Yūji Kunimoto |
| 6 | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi | 25 May | Yūji Kunimoto | Takamitsu Matsui | Katsumasa Chiyo |
| 7 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 28 June | Yūji Kunimoto | Yūji Kunimoto | Yūji Kunimoto |
| 8 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 29 June | Yūji Kunimoto | Takamitsu Matsui | Takamitsu Matsui |
| 9 | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | 12 July | Yūji Kunimoto | Kimiya Satō | Yūji Kunimoto |
| 10 | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | 13 July | Naoya Gamou | Kimiya Satō | Kimiya Satō |
| 11 | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi | 9 August | Tsubasa Mekaru | Takashi Kobayashi | Tsubasa Mekaru |
| 12 | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi | 10 August | Kimiya Satō | Takashi Kobayashi | Takamitsu Matsui |
| 13 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 30 August | Masayuki Yamashita | Kimiya Satō | Yūji Kunimoto |
| 14 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 31 August | Makoto Kanai | Yūji Kunimoto | Yūji Kunimoto |
| 15 | Sportsland SUGO, Murata | 20 September | Yūji Kunimoto | Yūji Kunimoto | Yūji Kunimoto |
| 16 | Sportsland SUGO, Murata | 21 September | Yūji Kunimoto | Takamitsu Matsui | Yūji Kunimoto |

## Championship standings
### Drivers' Championship

Points were awarded to the top ten classified finishers, with one point awarded for pole position and fastest lap respectively.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | PP | FL |
| 20 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Pos. | Driver | FUJ | FUJ | SUZ | SUZ | MOT | MOT | FUJ | FUJ | SUZ | SUZ | MOT | MOT | FUJ | FUJ | SUG | SUG | Points |
| 1 | Yūji Kunimoto | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 272 |
| 2 | Kimiya Satō | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 171 |
| 3 | Katsumasa Chiyo | 3 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 7 | Ret | 136 |
| 4 | Takamitsu Matsui | 1 | 2 | DNS | 22 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 129 |
| 5 | Makoto Kanai | 16 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 5 | 21 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 78 |
| 6 | Masayuki Yamashita | 14 | 10 | Ret | 2 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | Ret | 24 | 17 | 12 | 18 | 17 | 67 |
| 7 | Tsubasa Mekaru | 7 | 5 | Ret | 4 | 4 | Ret | 9 | Ret | 12 | 19 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 9 | DNS | 15 | 63 |
| 8 | Naoya Gamou | 13 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 24 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 4 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 62 |
| 9 | Takashi Kobayashi | 5 | 3 | Ret | 16 | Ret | 9 | 26 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | Ret | 2 | 21 | 51 |
| 10 | Kazuki Miura | 6 | 19 | 11 | Ret | 25 | 3 | 23 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 17 | Ret | 24 | 10 | 8 | 46 |
| 11 | Kōta Lee | 17 | Ret | 7 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 24 | Ret | 12 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 34 |
| 12 | Tohjirō Azuma | 11 | 13 | Ret | 8 | 5 | 18 | 10 | 11 | 18 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 33 |
| 13 | Yūichi Nakayama | 10 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 20 | Ret | 12 | 8 | 6 | Ret | 5 | Ret | 11 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 32 |
| 14 | Kenji Hosokawa | 18 | 8 | 2 | 18 | 11 | Ret | 14 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 21 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 15 | Ret | 31 |
| 15 | Daiki Sasaki | 9 | 11 | Ret | 12 | 10 | DNS | 15 | 21 | 15 | 14 | Ret | 18 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 29 |
| 16 | Kazuma Kokubu | 23 | 21 | 5 | Ret | 8 | Ret | 8 | 10 | 16 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 27 |
| 17 | Yūki Iwasaki | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 19 |
| 18 | Toshihiro Hinata | 12 | 7 | Ret | 9 | 18 | 5 | 17 | 16 | 9 | Ret | Ret | 21 | 10 | 18 | 19 | 9 | 19 |
| 19 | Shigetomo Shimono | 15 | 16 | DNS | 20 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 15 | Ret | 7 | 11 | 15 | 22 | 8 | 22 | 14 | 10 |
| 20 | Hikaru Abe | 20 | 24 | 15 | Ret | 15 | 14 | 21 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 9 | 13 | 19 | 19 | 8 | 18 | 8 |
| 21 | Kōtarō Hatano | 26 | 22 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 15 | Ret | 23 | 6 | 15 | 20 | 11 | 7 |
| 22 | Igor Sushko | 22 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 19 | 15 | 22 | 19 | Ret | 8 | 13 | 16 | 24 | 16 | 17 | 22 | 4 |
| - | Kazuumi Kobayashi | 21 | 23 | 14 | 19 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 24 | 20 | 0 |
| - | Mika Kagoshima | 25 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 16 | Ret | 24 | 17 | 23 | 23 | 16 | Ret | 21 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 0 |
| - | Kōta Matsui | 19 | 17 | Ret | Ret | 21 | 17 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 0 |
| - | Kazuki Kawamura | 24 | 25 | Ret | 17 | 22 | Ret | 20 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 20 | Ret | 25 | Ret | 19 | 0 |
| Pos. | Driver | FUJ | FUJ | SUZ | SUZ | MOT | MOT | FUJ | FUJ | SUZ | SUZ | MOT | MOT | FUJ | FUJ | SUG | SUG | Points |
Key :
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Race winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Did not finish (Ret) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| Black | Excluded (EX) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| Blank | Did not participate |