2024 Super Formula Lights
The 2024 Super Formula Lights Championship will be the fourth Super Formula Lights Championship season, after the Japanese Formula 3 Championship was rebranded following the end of the 2019 season.
After being a multi-engine championship throughout all of its history, dating back to 1979, this will change in 2024 with the introduction of a spec Toyota engine.[1]
Teams and drivers[edit]
All cars will run a Toyota TGE33 engine developed by TOM'S and based on the Toyota GR Yaris three cylinder 1.6-litre turbo engine.[2] All cars will run on Kumho Tires, switching over from Yokohama Tire.[3]
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Driver changes[edit]
Reigning Teams' Champion B-Max Racing Team will have five new drivers. 2023 champion Iori Kimura will step up to the teams' Super Formula outfit, with his seat in the No. 50 car filled by Syun Koide, who will depart Toda Racing after coming third in his debut season with the team.[7][6] Igor Fraga and David Vidales left the championship after coming fourth and ninth in 2023, respectively. Fraga will focus on his reserve driver duties for PONOS Nakajima Racing in Super Formula and his Super GT program with Arnage Racing, while Vidales will join AF Corse for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.[8][9] To replace the pair, B-Max signed Kaylen Frederick, who will make his debut in Japan after coming 21st with ART Grand Prix in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship, and Rin Arakawa, who will embark on a part-time campaign after coming sixth in last years' F4 Japanese Championship with Zap Speed.[4] Togo Suganami and Takashi Hata, who did three and four rounds with the team in 2023 respectively, will be replaced by two Masters' Class competitors in 2023 F4 Japanese Championship Independent Cup champion Makoto Fujiwara and Yasuhiro Shimizu, who last raced in Super GT GT300 Class in 2011.[4]
TOM'S signed two Toyota juniors in 2023 F4 Japanese champion Rikuto Kobayashi and runner-up Jin Nakamura. Both rookies replace last season's runner-up Hibiki Taira, who is currently scheduled to continue driving in the Super GT series' GT300 class with INGING, and Enzo Trulli.[5][6]
Souta Arao will take over Syun Koide's former seat at Toda Racing, returning to Japan after a stint in GB3 with Hitech Pulse-Eight, where he came 17th.[10]
Race calendar[edit]
The calendar for the 2024 season was announced on 24 November 2023. It will once again consist of eighteen races held over six weekends at six circuits. Four of the events will support the parent Super Formula Championship.[11] When the Super Formula season finale was brought forwards by two weeks, the Super Formula Lights amended its calendar accordingly.[12] The season opener, scheduled to be held over the last weekend in April at Mobility Resort Motegi, was cancelled two weeks prior to the event after issues with the new spec engine in combination with the Dallara chassis arose. The series still plans to hold six events, with further details to be concretized at a later date.[13]
| Round | Circuit | Date | Supporting | Map of circuit locations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 | Autopolis, Hita | 17–19 May | Super Formula Championship | |
| R2 | |||||
| R3 | |||||
| 2 | R4 | Sportsland Sugo, Murata | 21–23 June | Super Formula Championship | |
| R5 | |||||
| R6 | |||||
| 3 | R7 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 19–21 July | Super Formula Championship Kyojo Cup | |
| R8 | |||||
| R9 | |||||
| 4 | R10 | Okayama International Circuit, Mimasaka | 13–15 September | ||
| R11 | |||||
| R12 | |||||
| 5 | R13 | Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka | 8–10 November | Super Formula Championship | |
| R14 | |||||
| R15 | |||||
| 6 | R16 | TBA | TBA | ||
| R17 | |||||
| R18 | |||||
References[edit]
- ^ "Super Formula Lights to become a spec-engine series in 2024". formulascout.com. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "Super Formula Lights reveals plans for one-make engine". motorsport.com. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "2024年からスーパーフォーミュラ・ライツのコントロールタイヤ供給メーカーがクムホタイヤに決定". superformula-lights.com. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d "2024シーズンSFライツ参戦体制". B-Max Racing Team (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ a b "Honda confirms Iori Kimura's place on 2024 Super Formula grid". formulascout. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "Kaylen Frederick moves across to SF Lights after three years in FIA F3". formulascout. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2024-01-19). "Honda confirms Iori Kimura's place on 2024 Super Formula grid". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ Evans, Andrew (2024-02-14). "Igor Fraga Secures Super Formula Reserve Seat at Ponos Nakajima Racing". GTPlanet. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ Mercier, Laurent; Tassel, Pierre (5 March 2024). "Prologue GTWC Europe - Les infos du mardi matin". Endurance-Info (in French). Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ "Honda 2024 Motorsports Program Overview". Honda Racing. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "２０２４年全日本レース選手権カレンダー申請一覧" (PDF).
- ^ "2024年全日本レース選手権日程変更について".
- ^ "全日本スーパーフォーミュラ・ライツ選手権開幕大会延期のお知らせ | superformula lights". superformula-lights.com. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
External links[edit]
- Super Formula Lights official website – Japanese / English