The 2026 Formula Regional Japanese Championship is a multi-event, Formula Regional open-wheel single seater motor racing championship held in Japan. The drivers compete in Formula Regional cars that conform to the FIA Formula Regional regulations for the championship. This is the seventh season of the series, promoted by New Pacific Sports Marketing Inc., and the 48th overall season of an FIA ladder series in Japan, dating back to the 1979 Japanese Formula 3 Championship.[1]
Teams and drivers
All teams and drivers compete using the Dome F111/3 Regional F3 car, powered by an Alfa Romeo engine and on Dunlop tires.[1]
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Race calendar
The provisional calendar for the 2026 season was revealed on 25 December 2025.[8] The series will return to Mobility Resort Motegi after a one-year absence, while Okayama International Circuit will not be part of the schedule for the first time in series history. With four double-header and two triple-header rounds, the race count decreased to 14, one less than in 2025.
| Round | Circuit | Date | Support Bill | Map of circuit locations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 | Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka | 28 February | Formula Beat Regional Championship Series Super FJ Suzuka - Okayama Suzuka Clubman Race VITA Race Suzuka |
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| R2 | 1 March | ||||
| R3 | |||||
| 2 | R4 | 23 May | Super Formula Championship Super Formula Lights | ||
| R5 | 24 May | ||||
| 3 | R6 | Mobility Resort Motegi, Motegi | 27 June | Motegi Champion Cup Race Honda N-One Owner's Cup | |
| R7 | 28 June | ||||
| 4 | R8 | Sportsland Sugo, Murata | 28–30 August | Super Formula Lights SUGO Champion Cup Race | |
| R9 | |||||
| R10 | |||||
| 5 | R11 | Fuji Speedway, Oyama | 25–27 September | FIA World Endurance Championship (6 Hours of Fuji) Porsche Carrera Cup Japan | |
| R12 | |||||
| 6 | R13 | 9–11 October | Super Formula Championship Kyojo Cup | ||
| R14 | |||||
Race results
| Round | Circuit | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | Masters' class winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 | Suzuka International Racing Course | |||||
| R2 | |||||||
| R3 | |||||||
| 2 | R4 | ||||||
| R5 | |||||||
| 3 | R6 | Mobility Resort Motegi | |||||
| R7 | |||||||
| 4 | R8 | Sportsland Sugo | |||||
| R9 | |||||||
| R10 | |||||||
| 5 | R11 | Fuji Speedway | |||||
| R12 | |||||||
| 6 | R13 | ||||||
| R14 | |||||||
Season report
First half
The 2026 Formula Regional Japanese Championship began with two race weekends at Suzuka International Racing Course. The opening race saw Rn-sports driver Hibiki Komatsu start from pole position, but the best start went to TOM'S TGR-DC driver Yuzuki Miura, who slotted into first place exiting turn one after starting third. Ponos Racing's Ryota Horachi and the other TOM's car of Masana Muto also got past Komatsu. Horachi quickly claimed second and set out after Miura, but could not get past him. He had pole position for race two, however, and was able to fend off Miura multiple times throughout the race to convert pole position into victory. Komatsu started and finished in third. Race three saw Miura start from pole position and he was able to easily hold the lead when Muto stalled on the front row. All drivers were able to avoid him, with Ponos Racing's Kento Omiya taking second ahead of Ragno Motor Sports' Lin Chenghua. Horachi spent the race rising from sixth to fourth, but with two wins to his name, Miura claimed the points lead.[9]
Omiya took both pole positions in qualifying for the second round. He led Miura at the start of the first race as Horachi stalled from third place and dropped to the back. While positions remained static at the front, Horachi spent the race battling his way back up the order, finishing fifth in the end as Omiya took a controlled victory ahead of Miura and Muto. Race two began with Horachi getting a better start, but he still lost out to Miura on the opening lap before a safety car halted proceedings. Miura attacked Omiya on the restart, but ran wide and dropped to third. Now it was Horachi's turn to pressure Omiya, and on lap six he finally managed to get past him, before Muto and Miura also overtook him. Omiya then retired with a technical issue, and Horachi took victory. Miura, who continued his podium streak, was now eleven points ahead of Horachi in the standings.[10]
Championship standings
Scoring system
Points are awarded to the top ten drivers.
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Drivers' championship
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Masters' class standings
| Pos | Driver | SUZ1 | SUZ2 | MOT | SUG | FUJ1 | FUJ2 | Pts | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 160 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 108 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 95 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | 2 | Ret | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 87 | ||||||||
| 5 | DNS | Ret | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 70 | ||||||||
| 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 8 | Ret | 52 | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | 7 | DNS | 6 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 38 | ||||||||
| 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 30 | ||||||||||
| 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 20 | |||||||||||
| 10 | 6 | 7 | 14 | |||||||||||||
| Pos | Driver | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | Pts |
| SUZ1 | SUZ2 | MOT | SUG | FUJ1 | FUJ2 | |||||||||||
Teams' championship
Only the best finishing driver of each team is eligible for teams' championship points.
| Pos | Driver | SUZ1 | SUZ2 | MOT | SUG | FUJ1 | FUJ2 | Pts | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | |||
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 161 | ||||||||
| 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 137 | ||||||||
| 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 69 | ||||||||
| 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 6 | DNS | 51 | ||||||||
| 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | Ret | 4 | 5 | 42 | ||||||||
| 5 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 7 | 30 | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 11 | Ret | 8 | 10 | 17 | ||||||||
| 8 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 12 | ||||||||
| 9 | DNS | Ret | 13 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 11 | ||||||||
| 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 3 | ||||||||
| 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 16 | Ret | 1 | ||||||||
| 12 | 16 | 11 | 17 | 13 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 14 | 15 | 15 | DNS | 14 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 0 | ||||||||
| 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 12 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 15 | 14 | 14 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Pos | Driver | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | Pts |
| SUZ1 | SUZ2 | MOT | SUG | FUJ1 | FUJ2 | |||||||||||
Notes
- Qualifying was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. The grid for this round was based on the results of the first pre-event test session. Each drivers' best time was used for the grid of race 6, and each drivers' second-best time was used for the grid of race 7.
References
- Wood, Ida (2019-09-11). "Japanese Regional F3 series and car revealed". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- "2026 FORMULA REGIONAL JAPANESE CHAMPIONSHIP Rd.1 鈴鹿エントリー情報" [2026 FORMULA REGIONAL JAPANESE CHAMPIONSHIP Rd.1 Entry List]. Mobility Resort Motegi. 2026-02-21. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
- "FORMULA REGIONAL JAPANESE CHAMPIONSHIP エントリーリスト" [FORMULA REGIONAL JAPANESE CHAMPIONSHIP Entry List]. Suzuka Circuit. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- "2026 FORMULA REGIONAL JAPANESE CHAMPIONSHIP Rd.3 もてぎ". Mobility Resort Motegi. 8 June 2026. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- "TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Presents its 2026 motorsport team setups in Japan". Toyota Gazoo Racing. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- "「PONOS RACING」2026年シーズン参戦体制のお知らせ" ["PONOS RACING" 2026 season participation system announcement]. PONOS Racing (in Japanese). 20 February 2026. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
- Albertini, Marco (15 January 2026). "Reigning Kyojo Cup Shimono set to make debut in Formula Regional Japan". Racers Behind the Helmet. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- "2026 Formula Regional Japanese Championship 暫定スケジュール". Formula Regional Japanese Championship. 25 December 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- "Feeder Series weekend review, results and standings: 27 February–1 March 2026". Feeder Series. 2026-03-02. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
- "Feeder Series weekend review, results and standings: 21–25 May 2026". Feeder Series. 2026-05-25. Retrieved 2026-06-24.