JAF Grand Prix

The JAF Grand Prix (JAFグランプリ) is an auto race held in Japan by the Japan Automobile Federation.

History

The original JAF Grand Prix was set up in year 1969 as to promoting Formula Car events in Japan, which was the highest ranked race other than the Japanese Grand Prix. The first race in 1969 was a Formula Libre event and was won by Australian driver Leo Geoghegan driving an ex-Jim Clark Lotus 39-Repco V8. The 1970 race was won by reigning Formula One World Champion Jackie Stewart driving a Brabham-Ford.

Then, after a brief suspension from 1971 to 1973 due to a scandal, it was held as a points-scoring round in Formula 2000, Formula Two, and Formula Pacific series until 1986. From 1988 to 1990, the JAF Grand Prix was a round of the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The JAF Grand Prix then went on hiatus for two decades.

In 2010, the JAF Grand Prix was revived by the JAF and named after its venue, Fuji Speedway, as the JAF Grand Prix and Fuji Sprint Cup. It served as a non-title season-ending race for the Formula Nippon and Super GT series. Teams which participated in five rounds in either series were eligible for their respective JAF Grand Prix events. The ruleset used in the Grand Prix differed from those used in regular-season Formula Nippon and Super GT events.

  • The JAF GP consisted of six separate races in 2010 and five races from 2011 to 2013; two each for Super GT's GT500 and GT300 classes, and one (two in 2010) for Formula Nippon. The race distance was about 100 km, less than half of the typical regular-season race distance. There were no mandated pit stops.
  • In 2010, qualifying results for the second Formula Nippon race were decided by top speed (measured at the end of the straight) rather than lap time. In 2011, grid positions were determined by a score based on top speed and lap time. Qualifying results for the 2012 and 2013 races were decided by lap times, as in the regular season.
  • In the Super GT races, the two drivers in every team drove in two separate races, instead of sharing a car in a single race as in the regular season.
  • As in the final round in the regular Super GT season, success ballast was not applied to Super GT participants. However, a standing start, instead of a rolling start, was used in JAF GP races.
  • Titles were awarded separately to Formula Nippon, GT500, and GT300 participants, depending on their overall results in their respective races.

In 2014, the non-championship Fuji Sprint Cup was discontinued. The JAF Grand Prix title now applies to the season-ending round of the Super Formula Championship held at Suzuka.

Winners of the JAF Grand Prix

Fuji Sprint Cup (2010–2013)

Year Category Driver Vehicle
2013
Super Formula Japan Yuji Kunimoto SF13-Toyota RV8K
GT500 Japan Toshihiro Kaneishi
Japan Koudai Tsukakoshi
Honda HSV-010 GT
GT300 Japan Katsuyuki Hiranaka
Sweden Björn Wirdheim
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3
2012
Formula Nippon Japan Takuya Izawa FN09-Honda HR12E
GT500 Japan Yuji Tachikawa
Japan Kohei Hirate
Lexus SC430
GT300 Japan Masami Kageyama
Japan Tomonobu Fujii
Porsche 911 GT3-R
2011
Formula Nippon Brazil João Paulo de Oliveira FN09-Toyota RV8K
GT500 Japan Masataka Yanagida
Italy Ronnie Quintarelli
Nissan GT-R
GT300 Japan Nobuteru Taniguchi
Japan Taku Bamba
BMW Z4 GT3
2010 Formula Nippon Germany André Lotterer FN09-Toyota RV8K
GT500 Japan Daisuke Ito
Sweden Björn Wirdheim
Lexus SC430
GT300 Japan Katsuyuki Hiranaka
Japan Tetsuya Tanaka
Ferrari F430 GT2

Group C events (1988–1990)

Year Driver Constructor Class Location
1990 Japan Masanori Sekiya
Japan Hitoshi Ogawa
Toyota Group C Fuji
1989 Australia Vern Schuppan
Sweden Eje Elgh
Japan Keiji Matsumoto
Porsche Group C Fuji
1988 Japan Hideki Okada
Sweden Stanley Dickens
Porsche Group C Fuji

Formula events (1969–1990, 2014–2016)

Year Driver Constructor Class Location
2016 Japan Yuji Kunimoto Dallara-Toyota Super Formula Suzuka
2015 Japan Naoki Yamamoto Dallara-Honda Super Formula Suzuka
2014 Japan Kazuki Nakajima Dallara-Toyota Super Formula Suzuka
1986 Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino March-Honda Formula Two Suzuka
1985 Japan Satoru Nakajima March-Honda Formula Two Suzuka
1984 Japan Satoru Nakajima March-Honda Formula Two Suzuka
1983 United Kingdom Geoff Lees March-Honda Formula Two Suzuka
1982
1
Japan Satoru Nakajima March-Honda Formula Two1 Suzuka
Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino Ralt-Nissan Formula Pacific1
1981
1
Japan Satoru Nakajima March-Honda Formula Two1 Suzuka
Japan Masahiro Hasemi March-Nissan Formula Pacific1
1980
1
Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino March-BMW Formula Two1 Suzuka
Japan Masahiro Hasemi March-Nissan Formula Pacific1
1979
1, 2
Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino March-BMW Formula Two1 Suzuka2
Japan Kenji Takahashi Nova-Nissan Formula Pacific1
Japan Keiji Matsumoto March-BMW Formula Two1 Fuji2
Japan Takao Wada March-Nissan Formula Pacific1
1978
2
Japan Kunimitsu Takahashi Kojima-BMW Formula Two Suzuka2
Japan Kenji Takahashi Nova-BMW Formula Two Fuji2
1977 Italy Riccardo Patrese Chevron-BMW Formula 2000 Suzuka
Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino Nova-BMW Formula 2000 Fuji
1976 Japan Noritake Takahara Nova-BMW Formula 2000 Fuji
1975 Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino March-BMW Formula 2000 Suzuka
1974 Japan Noritake Takahara March-BMW Formula 2000 Suzuka
1973

1971
Not held
1970 United Kingdom Jackie Stewart Brabham-Ford Formula Libre Fuji
1969 Australia Leo Geoghegan Lotus-Repco Formula Libre Fuji

Notes:

1.^ – The Grand Prix had been awarded for winners of two classes (Formula Two and Formula Pacific) per event from 1979 to 1982.
2.^ – Two events each were held in years 1978 and 1979.
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