Dandelion Racing
 | |
| Founded | 1993 |
|---|---|
| Base | Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Team principal(s) | Kiyoshi Muraoka |
| Current series | |
| Former series | |
| Current drivers | |
| Teams' Championships | 2012 2019 |
| Drivers' Championships | 2004: Richard Lyons 2020: Naoki Yamamoto |
Dandelion Racing is a Japanese racing team, mainly running in Super Formula. The team was founded by Kiyoshi Muraoka in 1989 as "Dandelion Racing Project".
Early years (1993–1998)
[edit]The team made a small sponsor contract with NTT Docomo in 1993. It made a way to enter the Japanese local racing series. The team ran in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship (1993 and 1994 seasons) and Japanese Touring Car Championship (1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998), and suffered from poor results through the 1990s.
The relationship with NTT Docomo will continue to date, though there is no capital ties.
Formula Nippon/Super Formula (1999–)
[edit]In 1999, the team switched from the defunct JTCC to Formula Nippon as a Honda engine user. Though the team continuously suffered from poor result at first, the fortune was changed in the 2002 season when Richard Lyons scored team's first point-finish in the series with finishing 2nd at the SUGO round.
In the 2003 season, Lyons won the Suzuka round in July. It was also the first race win for the team. In the 2004 season, Lyons became the drivers' champion of the series and the team finished as 3rd in the teams' championship. During the following years, the team came to leave steady results. In 2012, the last season of Formula Nippon, the team became the teams' champion of the series with beating TOM'S at the final round of the season.
Nobuharu Matsushita returned to Japan after two seasons in the GP2 Series and one season in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, joining the team. He takes the seat of Takuya Izawa, who moved to Nakajima Racing.[1] 2018 champion Naoki Yamamoto moves to the team in 2019 after eight seasons driving for Team Mugen. He is joined by Nirei Fukuzumi, who completed a partial season with Mugen in 2018 alongside FIA Formula 2. Nobuharu Matsushita leaves Team Dandelion after a single season, returning to Formula 2 with Carlin.[2] Yamamoto won his title in 2020, and the teams title in 2019. Yamamoto only stayed with the team for 2 seasons, and he replaced by Tadasuke Makino.[3] Fukuzumi clinched runners up in 2021, then he replaced by Rookie champion Hiroki Otsu for 2022.[4][5] Otsu then replaced by Kakunoshin Ohta.[6]
Complete Formula Nippon/Super Formula results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Notable and veteran drivers
[edit]Formula Nippon/Super Formula
[edit]
Richard Lyons (2002–2005, 2009)
Naoki Hattori (2003–2005)- Takuya Izawa (2009–2013, 2017)
- Tomoki Nojiri (2014–2018)
Stoffel Vandoorne (2016)
References
[edit]- ^ "Honda 2018 Motorsports Program Overview". world.honda.com. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 12 January 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ Klein, Jamie (19 November 2018). "Honda to switch F2 racers Fukuzumi, Makino to Super Formula in 2019". Autosport. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ "Honda junior Ren Sato gets Super Formula Lights and Super GT seats".
- ^ "Honda outlines Super Formula driver roster for 2022". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ "Mugen adds second Super Formula entry, signs Sasahara". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ^ "Honda 2023 Motorsports Program Overview". Honda Racing. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
External links
[edit]
- Dandelion Racing official website - (in Japanese)