MEDIA INFORMATION
Nov 2, 2015
Japan Race Promotion Inc.

Nov 7 (Saturday) – Nov 8 (Sunday)

2015 Japanese Championship SUPER FORMULA
Round 7 : SUZUKA CIRCUIT

Who will clinch the Championship in the last round of the series?
Japan Race Promotion Inc. (President: Hiroshi Shirai, Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan) today announced details of the “2015Japanese Championship SUPER FORMULA Round 7” “The 14th JAF GRAND PRIX SUZUKA” scheduled to take place on October7(sat) – 8(sun) on the SUZUKA CIRCUIT International Racing Course (length = 5.807km) in Mie Prefecture, Japan.
The 2015 Japanese Championship is the only internationally accredited driver championship series in Asia, run over seven rounds andsix circuits across Japan. A total of 11 teams (entrants) and 19 drivers (cars) from Japan and overseas* are competing to win this year’s
Japanese Championship.
*12 drivers from Japan and seven from six other countries (UK, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Brazil and India)
2

Like last year, the final round of this year’s Championship will also be run as the JAF GRAND PRIX* . Consequently, Round 7 is called
the “2015 Japanese Championship SUPER FORMULA Final Round, 14th JAF GRAND PRIX SUZUKA.” Round 7 is a two-race format,
with Race 1 run over 20 laps of the Suzuka Circuit (length = 5.807km) for a total distance of 116.140km and Race 2 run over 28 laps of3

the same circuit for a total distance of 162.596km. * :2* : For more details, please refer to page 6,
3* : For more details, please refer to page 5,“■ The 14th JAF GRAND PRIX SUZUKA / JAF GRAND PRIX.”“■ RACE”

In the previous round at the Sportsland SUGO International Racing Course, PETRONAS TEAM TOM’S secured this year’s TeamChampionship and the battle for the Driver’s Championship was narrowed down to four drivers. After the end of Round 6, Hiroaki Ishiura((P.MU/CERUMO • INGING) sits at the top of the rankings on 45 points, followed in second on 39 points by defending champion Kazuki
Nakajima (PETRONAS TEAM TOM’S), who has come first or second in every race he has competed in this year. In third on 31 points isAndré Lotterer (PETRONAS TEAM TOM’S), who controlled the first race of the season at Suzuka. Joao Paulo de Oliveira (LENOVOTEAM IMPUL), who has taken points from every round this series, is in fourth on 31 points, the same as André Lotterer. Only 14 points
separate the top four drivers. A maximum of 18 points are up for grabs in the final round, meaning all four still have a chance of winning
the Championship.

No. 38 Hiroaki Ishiura (P.MU/CERUMO • INGING) is currently top of the standings on 46points

2015 JAPANESE CHAMPIOSHIP SUPER FORMULA Round 7 : ENTRY LIST (Chassis: SF14, Tires: Bridgestone)

NO.

DRIVERDATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH

1

Kazuki Nakajima

11 January 1985
Aichi, Japan

2

Andre Lotterer

19 November 1981
Germany

3James Rossiter

25 August 1983
United Kingdom

4

William Buller

17 September 1992
United Kingdom

7

Ryo Hirakawa

7 March 1994
Hiroshima, Japan

8

Kamui Kobayashi

13 September 1986
Hyogo, Japan10

Koudai Tsukakoshi

20 November 1986
Tochigi, JapanENTRANTMANAGERCAR

ENGINEPETRONAS TEAM TOM’S
Nobuhide Tachi

PETRONAS TEAM TOM’S
SF14TOYOTA
RI4A

KONDO RACING
Masahiko Kondo

FUJI x D`station
KONDO SF14

TOYOTA
RI4A

KYGNUS SUNOCOTeam LeMans
Hiroyoshi Donuma

ACHIVMENTTeam KYGNUS SUNOCO
SF14Team KYGNUS SUNOCO
SF14

TOYOTA
RI4A

REAL RACING
Katsutomo Kaneishi

REAL
SF14

Honda
HR-414E

TEAM MUGEN SF14

Honda
HR-414E

11

Takuya Izawa

1 June 1984
Tokyo,Japan

16

Naoki Yamamoto

11 July 1988
Tochigi, JapanTEAM MUGEN
Nagataka Tezuka

18

Yuichi Nakayama

25 July 1991
Tokyo, Japan

KCMG
Ryuji DoiKCMG Elyse SF14

TOYOTA
RI4A

19

Joao Paulo de Oliveira

13 July 1981
BrazilLENOVO TEAM IMPUL
Kazuyoshi Hoshino

LENOVO TEAM IMPULSF14

TOYOTA
RI4A

20

Andrea Caldarelli

14 February 1990
Italy

34

Takashi Kogure

1 August 1980
Gunma, JapanDRAGO CORSE
Ryo Michigami

DRAGO CORSE SF14

Honda
HR-414E

38

Hiroaki Ishiura

23 April 1981
Tokyo, Japan

P.MU/CERUMO/INGING
Yuji Tachikawa

P.MU/CERUMO・INGINGSF14

TOYOTA
RI4A

39

Yuji Kunimoto

12 September 1990
Kanagawa, Japan

40

Tomoki Nojiri

15 September 1989
Ibaraki, Japan

41

Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan

14 January 1977
India

64

Daisuke Nakajima

29 January 1989
Aichi, Japan

65

Bertrand Baguette

23 February 1986
Belgian

DOCOMO TEAMDANDELION RACING
Kiyoshi Muraoka

NAKAJIMA RACING
Satoru Nakajima

DOCOMO DANDELION
M40S SF14
DOCOMO DANDELION
M41Y SF14

NAKAJIMA RACING
SF14

Honda
HR-414E

Honda
HR-414E

2015 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGSDRIVERS StandingsPos.

          











No. Driver

Pts.













1

38

Hiroaki Ishiura

45

4

11

6

11

9

4

2

1

Kazuki Nakajima

39

8

-

8

8

10

5

3

2

Andre Lotterer

31

10

1

4

5

0

11

4

19

Joao Paulo de Oliveira

31

5

4

10

6

4

2

5

8

Kamui Kobayashi

17

0

8

0

0

6

3

6

16

Naoki Yamamoto

17

1

5

0

1

2

8

7

40

Tomoki Nojiri

17

1

6

1

3

0

6

8

7

Ryo Hirakawa

11

0

0

3

2

5

1

9

64

Daisuke Nakajima

7

3

0

0

4

0

0

10

41

Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan

6

6

0

0

0

0

0

11

39

Yuji Kunimoto

6

0

0

5

0

1

0

12

3

James Rossiter

5

0

0

2

0

3

0

13

20

Andrea Caldarelli

4

0

3

1

0

0

0

14

11

Takuya Izawa

4

2

2

0

0

0

0

10

Koudai Tsukakoshi

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

18

Yuichi Nakayama

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

34

Takashi Kogure

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

4

William Buller

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

65

Bertrand Baguette

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

Kazuya Osima

0

-

0

-

-

-

-

Pts.

 
          
  

* Winners are in Bold italics / Polesittters are in Bold.

TEAMS Standings
Pos.

No. Team

1

1|2

PETRONAS TEAM TOM’S

69

18

1

12

13

10

15

2

 

P.MU/CERUMO·INGING

48

4

10

11

10

9

4

3

19|20 LENOVO TEAM IMPUL

34

5

7

10

6

4

2

4

7|8

KYGNUS SUNOCO Team LeMans

28

0

8

3

2

11

4

5

 

DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING

23

7

6

1

3

0

6

6

16

TEAM MUGEN

16

0

5

0

1

2

8

7

64|65 NAKAJIMA RACING

7

3

0

0

4

0

0

8

3|4

5

0

0

2

0

3

0

9

10|11 REAL RACING

4

2

2

0

0

0

0

18

KCMG

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

34

DRAGO CORSE

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

KONDO RACING 
  

GET TO KNOW THE BASICS
1■ WHAT IS SUPER FORMULA?
Japanese Championship SUPER FORMULA is the top category of Japanese formula racing featuring purpose-built racing cars withsingle-seat, open cockpit and open wheel. Organized by Japan Race Promotion Inc. and fully sanctioned by the Japan Automobile
Federation (JAF), SUPER FORMULA traces back its origins to the Japanese Championship Formula NIPPON first launched in 1996.
2013 saw the relaunch of the series given a new name of SUPER FORMULA.

■ CHAMPIONSHIPThe 2015 Japanese Championship has a total of 11 teams (entrants) and 19 drivers (cars) from Japan and overseas (the seven overseas
drivers are from six countries: UK, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Brazil and India). Teams and drivers are awarded points for each race, withaccumulated points determining the final standings.
2015 CHAMPIONSHIP PIONT SCORING SYSTEM
1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th & beyondPP

1 race round

10

8

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

1

2 races round Race 1

5(+3)

4

3

2.5

2

1.5

1

0.5

0

1

2 races round Race 2

5(+3)

4

3

2.5

2

1.5

1

0.5

0

1

POSITION・PP=Pole Position (a driver who set the fastest lap in the qualifying session). One point is awarded to the polesitter (only to the driver but not to the team).
In the 2-race rounds, half points are awarded for both Race 1 & Race 2.
・In the 2-race rounds (Final race) three extra points are awarded to each race winner of Race 1 & Race 2 (i.e. up to a maximum of 18 points are awarded tothe driver
who claimed pole position and wins of both Race 1 & Race 2).
・In case two or more drivers/teams are in a dead heat for a championship standing at the end of the season, the driver/team with the higher numberof superior race results is awarded the position.

■ CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDSThe Drivers’ Championship title is awarded to the driver who scores the most points over the course of the season. The Driver Champion is
given the Series Driver’s Champion Cup and prize money by Japan Race Promotion Inc. On top of this, he receives the Confederation’s
Cup offered by Parliamentary Association for Motorsport Promotion of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, as well as theCommissioner’s Cup from the Japan Tourism Agency. Towards the Team Champion, the Minister’s Cup will be awarded by the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry, plus prize money by Japan Race Promotion Inc.

■ RACE CAR
The base chassis SF14 is supplied by Dallara (Italy). The cars are powered by 2.0-litre turbo-charged inline-4 direct injection engine
either from Honda (HR414E) or Toyota (RI4A). Bridgestone serves as the sole tyre supplier. SUPER FORMULA offers the chance toenjoy highly competitive racing featuring top drivers from Japan and overseas in the SF14 race car, which has the same cornering
speeds as the top Formula 1 race cars.

■ OVERTAKE SYSTEMThe Overtake System (OTS) is an overtaking aid that works by leveraging the fuel flow restrictor (fuel flow rate control system) employed on*1
the new engine. It can increase fuel supply temporarily to provide approximately ten (or five) per cent of engine performance improvement.
By pressing a button called OTB (Overtake Button) on the steering wheel, the system will be activated for 20 seconds per use. Drivers may
use the OTS up to 5 times a race. The status of the OTS use can easily be recognized by “Overtake Lamp (five small LEDs)” on the rollhoop. The number of lighted Lamp(s) shows the number of OTS activation, and on top of this they are blinking when the system is in use.
The Lamps basically illuminate white while the championship leader comes with red lights called “Leader’s Red”. The Overtake Lamp
system can only be seen in SUPER FORMULA.
*1: Suzuka & Fuji Speedway Circuit : 5%. Other Circuit :10% engine performance improvement.

■ OFFICIAL QUALIFYING KNOCK-OUT STYLE
2
A knock-out format* is used for official qualifying. Under this format, drivers are knocked out if they do not post strong qualifying times
during three short qualifying races. In normal qualifying sessions, drivers go all out to make the top 14 in Q1 and the top eight in Q2, thenaim to put in their best time in Q3 to secure a prime spot on the grid. However, for Race 1 in Round 7, drivers will line up on the gridbased on their finishing places in Q1, setting the stage for a bruising qualifying session as drivers go all out right from the start.
2* : In the event of 19 entries: the five slowest cars during the 20-minute Q1 session will be knocked out of the next session and assigned
the 15th to 19th positions on the grid. After a 10-minute interval, the 7-minute long Q2 session will determine the 9th to 14th positions.
After another 10-minute interval, the final 7-minute long Q3 session will decide the top 8 positions on the starting grid.

■ RACE
Round 7 is a two-race format.
Race 1, which will be run over 20 laps of the Suzuka Circuit (length = 5.807km) for a total distance of 116.140km.
Race 2, which will be run over 28 laps of the same course for a total distance of 162.596km.
All teams will be required to pit at least once to change all four tires simultaneously.

2015 CHAMPIOSHIP RACE CALENDARDATESROUND / CIRCUITQUALIFYING FORMATRACE FORMAT

April 18 – 19

Round 1 / Suzuka Circuit

Knockout

250km

May 23 – 24

Round 2 / Okayama International

Knockout

250km

July 18 – 19

Round 3 / Fuji Speedway

Knockout

250km

August 22 – 23

Round 4 / Twin Ring Motegi

Knockout

250km

September 12 – 13

Round 5 / Autopolis

Knockout

250km

October 17 – 18

Round 6 / Sportsland SUGO

Knockout

250km

Knockout

2-race*Round 7 / Suzuka Circuit*“The 14th JAF GRAND PRIX SUZUKA”
November 7 – 8■ SUZUKA CIRCUIT International Racing Course
Suzuka is one of the few circuits worldwide with a figure of eight track design. The circuit has a long, narrow east-west layout with an
overpass in the center that switches the driving direction from clockwise to counter-clockwise. Suzuka is also Japan’s longest circuit witha length of 5.807km. The track is between 10m and 16m wide and has 20 corners and a maximum elevation change of 52m. Suzuka’sasphalt also has a higher coefficient of friction than many circuits worldwide. Suzuka is widely recognized as a technical but rewarding
course for drivers due to its elevation change and balanced layout of high- and low-speed corners.

■ The 14th JAF GRAND PRIX SUZUKA / JAF GRAND PRIX
Continuing on from last year, the final round of this year’s series will also have JAF GRAND PRIX in the title, under the auspices of theJapan Automobile Federation (JAF).
The first JAF GRAND PRIX was held at the Suzuka Circuit in 1974, a year after Japan’s top motor racing competition at the time, F2000,
was reconstituted as the Japanese Championship in 1973. The JAF GRAND PRIX SUZUKA was held a further 10 times, with drivers
such as Kazuyoshi Hoshino, currently the director of SUPER FORMULA, and Satoru Nakajima securing big wins. Top overseas drivers
have also taken part in the race to secure several famous victories. This historical race was restored to the Suzuka Circuit in 2014 after abreak of 28 years. This year’s race will be run as the 14th JAF GRAND PRIX SUZUKA.

DATESGRAND PRIX NAMECATEGORY

CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVER

CHAMPIONSHIP CAR

１1974 / Nov / 2

JAF Grand prix Car race

F2000

Noritake Takahara

March 742 BMW

２1975 / Nov / 1

JAF Grand prix

F2000

kazuyoshi Hoshino

March 742 BMW

３1976 / Nov / 5

JAF Grand Prix Car race SUZUKA

F2000

Riccardo Patrese

Chevron B42 BMW

４1977 / Nov / 5

JAF Grand Prix Car race SUZUKA

F2

Kunimitsu Takahashi

Kojima 008 BMW

５1978 / Nov / 4

JAF Grand Prix Car race SUZUKA

F2

Kazuyoshi Hoshino

March 742 BMW

６1979 / Nov / 3

JAF Grand Prix Car race SUZUKA

F2

Kazuyoshi Hoshino

March 742 BMW

７1980 / Nov / 1

JAF Grand Prix Car race SUZUKA

F2Satoru Nakajima

March 742 BMW

８1981 / Nov / 7

JAF Grand Prix Car race SUZUKA

F2Satoru Nakajima

March 812 HONDA

９1986 / Nov / 2

JAF Grand Prix Car race SUZUKA

F2Geoff Lees

March 822 HONDA

１０1984 / Nov / 3

JAF Grand Prix Car race SUZUKA

F2Satoru Nakajima

March 832 HONDA

１１

1984 / Nov / 3

JAF Grand Prix Car race SUZUKA

F2Satoru Nakajima

March 85J HONDA

１２

1985 / Nov / 2

JAF Grand Prix Car race SUZUKA

F2

Kazuyoshi Hoshino

March 86J HONDA

SUPER FORMULA

Kazuki Nakajima

PETRONAS TOM`S SF14

13th JAF GRAND PRIX SUZUKA
１３

2014 / Nov / 92014 Japanese ChampionshipSUPER FORMULA Series Round 7
14th JAF GRAND PRIX SUZUKA

１４

2015 / Nov / 82015 Japanese ChampionshipSUPER FORMULA Series Round 7

SUPER FORMULAABOUT THE SUZUKA ROUND● Official name :14th JAF GRAND PRIX SUZUKA
2015 Japanese Championship SUPER FORMULA Series Final Race
Round 7 : Suzuka Circuit● Dates :2015 Nov 07 (Saturday) - Nov 08 (Sunday)● Location :Suzuka Circuit International Racing Course, Mie Prefecture (Circuit length: 5.807km)● Hosted by :Nagoya Racing Club (NRC), Suzuka Motor Sports Club (SMSC)
Mobilityland Corporation● Official Recognition by :Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) / Japan Automobile Fereration (JAF)● Authorized by :Japan Race Promotion Inc. (JRP)● Sponsored by :Mie Prefecture; The City of Suzuka;
The Suzuka F1 Japanese Grand Prix Regional Revitalization Council ;Tourist Information Office Suzuka ; Suzuka Chamber of Commerce and Industry ;The Tokyo Chunichi Sports / The Chunichi Sports / The Chunichi Shimbun

TV Coverage & Race Footage Delivery● J SPORTS :Live broadcast of all rounds (both qualifying and race)
Rebroadcastings and digest programs also available
Nov 07 (Sat)at 13:00 - 15:00 [ Live of the qualifying sessions : J SPORTS 4 ] (tentative)

Nov 08 (Sun)at 09:45 - 11:30 [ Live coverage of the race 1 : J SPORTS 3 ]Nov 08 (Sun)at 14:30 - 17:00 [ Live coverage of the race 2 : J SPORTS 3 ]Nov 10 (Mon)at 19:00 - 22:30 [ Rebroadcasting : J SPORTS 3 ]Nov 19 (Thu)at 25:15 - 25:30 [ Digest program : J SPORTS 3 ]＊For more info on the programs, visit J SPORTS website < http://www.jsports.co.jp/motor/super_formula/ >● BS FUJI :“SUPER FORMULA Go On! ” features all race highlights
Nov 13 (Fri)at 24:00 - 24:55

Nov 27 (Fri)at 24:25 - 25:20（Rebroadcasting）(tentative)＊For more info on the programs, visit BS Fuji website < http://www.bsfuji.tv/top/pub/superformura2015.html>

FUJI TELEVISION CS :[ONE] [TWO] [NEXT][NEXTsmart]

Fuji Television broadcasts race highlights of all 7 rounds and a talk show program called “SUPER FORMULA TV,”
which features interviews with guest drivers about a range of topics, such as the appeal of the SUPER FORMULA
format and genuine insights into how they feel during races. The highlights and talk show are broadcast
simultaneously on internet pay channel "Fuji Television NEXTsmart".
Nov 13 (Fri)at 22:40 - 23:00 [NEXT]

Nov 15 (Sun)at 12:00 - 12:30 [NEXT] （Rebroadcasting）＊For more info on the programs, visit CS Fuji website < http://otn.fujitv.co.jp/b_hp/914200066.html >●GYAO! :Race footage of each SUPER FORMULA round will be available on-demand 10 days after each round at< http://gyao.yahoo.co.jp/sports/ >● You Tube :Race and qualifying footage of each round will be available in digest format at<http://www.superformula.net/>*On-air schedule is subject to change.
Visit SUPER FORMULA official website <http://www.superformula.net/> for updates.

Ticket Information & Enquiries● Ticket :・Advance sale tickets (2-days)：¥4,000 (adult)：¥1,700 (High school & Junior high school students)：¥ 800 (Elementary School)：¥ 600 (Over 3 years old and Under Elementary School)・Advance sale tickets (2-days)
w / MOTOPIA 1day passport：¥4,000 (adult)：¥4,000 (High school & Junior high school students)：¥ 3.100 (Elementary School)：¥ 2.000 (Over 3 years old and Under Elementary School)・Advance sale tickets (2-days)：¥2,800 (adult)

JAF Member Only：¥2,800 (High school & Junior high school students)

w / MOTOPIA 1day passport：¥1.550 (Elementary School)：¥1.000 (Over 3 years old and Under Elementary School)

・Paddock (w / Pit-walk) pass：¥6,200 (Over Junior high school students)：¥1,600 (Over 3 years old and Under Elementary School)

・Pit-walk pass：¥2,100 (sat) ：¥2,100 (sun)＊ Child under Elementary School age are free of admission when accompanied by an adult.

＊Please visit the SUZUKA CIRCUIT official website for more details.
< http://www.suzukacircuit.jp/superformula/ticket >FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT US AT :Japan Race Promotion Inc.

Heiando Building, 2-3-25

E-mail : media@superformula.net

Kudan-minami,Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

E-mail : media@jrp-inc.net

102-0074, JAPANTe l : +81 (0)3 3237 0131
Fax : +81 (0)3 3237 0135