2006 Formula Nippon Championship
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The 2006 Formula Nippon Championship was the thirty-fourth season of premier Japanese single-seater racing, and the eleventh under the Formula Nippon moniker. It was contested over nine rounds at five venues, with Autopolis returning to the calendar for the first time since 1992, replacing Miné Circuit. 12 teams and 25 drivers competed in the championship.
For the first time since 1997, multiple companies supplied engines to Formula Nippon teams, with Toyota and Honda each introducing new three-litre, naturally-aspirated V8 engines derived from their previous offerings in the IndyCar Series. Lola also introduced a new spec chassis, the B06/51 (aka FN06), to replace the previous B03/51 that had served the series since 2003.
Team Impul driver Benoît Tréluyer won his first series championship.
Teams and drivers
All teams used tyres supplied by Bridgestone and Lola B06/51 chassis.
Race calendar and results
| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fuji Speedway | 2 April |  Benoît Tréluyer |
 Masataka Yanagida |
Benoît Tréluyer |
mobilecast IMPUL |
| 2 | Suzuka Circuit | 16 April | Benoît Tréluyer |
Benoît Tréluyer |
Loïc Duval |
PIAA Nakajima |
| 3 | Twin Ring Motegi | 28 May | Takashi Kogure |
Tsugio Matsuda |
 André Lotterer |
DHG TOM'S |
| 4 | Suzuka Circuit | 9 July | Benoît Tréluyer |
Benoît Tréluyer |
Benoît Tréluyer |
mobilecast IMPUL |
| 5 | Autopolis | 6 August | Takashi Kogure |
Loïc Duval |
Tsugio Matsuda |
mobilecast IMPUL |
| 6 | Fuji Speedway | 27 August | Takashi Kogure |
Satoshi Motoyama |
Benoît Tréluyer |
mobilecast IMPUL |
| 7 | Sportsland SUGO | 17 September | Takashi Kogure |
Hideki Mutoh |
Loïc Duval |
PIAA Nakajima |
| 8 | Twin Ring Motegi | 22 October | Takashi Kogure |
Satoshi Motoyama |
Benoît Tréluyer |
mobilecast IMPUL |
| 9 | Suzuka Circuit | 19 November | Tsugio Matsuda |
Benoît Tréluyer |
André Lotterer |
DHG TOM'S |
Championship standings
Drivers' Championship
- Scoring system
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Rank | Name | FUJ | SUZ | MOT | SUZ | ATP | FUJ | SGO | MOT | SUZ | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benoît Tréluyer |
1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Ret | 51 |
| 2 | Tsugio Matsuda |
2 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 37 |
| 3 | André Lotterer |
8 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 2 | Ret | Ret | 1 | 30 |
| 4 | Loïc Duval |
11 | 1 | 6 | Ret | 18 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 25 |
| 5 | Satoshi Motoyama |
3 | 8 | 3 | 3 | Ret | 3 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 16 |
| 6 |  Björn Wirdheim |
4 | 2 | 4 | Ret | 6 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 13.5 |
| 7 | Tatsuya Kataoka |
13 | 7 | Ret | 6 | 3 | Ret | 9 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| 8 | Yuji Tachikawa |
12 | Ret | 10 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | Ret | 10 |
| 9 | Toshihiro Kaneishi |
16 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 2 | 4 | Ret | Ret | 7 | 9 |
| 10 |  Ronnie Quintarelli |
5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 5 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 6 |
| 11 | Sakon Yamamoto |
6 | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | ||||||
| 12 | Takashi Kogure |
10 | 17 | Ret | 9 | 19 | Ret | DSQ | Ret | 4 | 3 |
| 13 | Takeshi Tsuchiya |
9 | 10 | Ret | 7 | 9 | Ret | 8 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
| 14 | Hideki Mutoh |
19 | 6 | 8 | Ret | 17 | 16 | 10 | 10 | Ret | 1 |
| 15 | Masataka Yanagida |
7 | Ret | 9 | 13 | 13 | 12 | Ret | 6 | 13 | 1 |
| 16 | Ryō Michigami |
20 | 18 | 7 | Ret | 11 | 15 | 12 | Ret | 11 | 0 |
| 17 | Naoki Yokomizo |
14 | 13 | Ret | 11 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 7 | Ret | 0 |
| 18 | Toranosuke Takagi |
22 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 8 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 0 |
| 19 |  João Paulo de Oliveira |
8 | 0 | ||||||||
| 20 | Seiji Ara |
10 | 10 | 18 | 13 | Ret | Ret | 0 | |||
| 21 | Yuji Ide |
12 | 12 | 11 | Ret | Ret | 10 | 0 | |||
| 22 | Katsuyuki Hiranaka |
17 | 11 | Ret | 15 | 14 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 0 | |
| 23 | Ryo Orime |
21 | 15 | 12 | Ret | Ret | 17 | DSQ | 12 | 0 | |
| 24 | Shogo Mitsuyama |
15 | 12 | 13 | Ret | 0 | |||||
| 25 | Kazuki Hoshino |
18 | 14 | Ret | Ret | 14 | 13 | Ret | Ret | 14 | 0 |
Note:
‡ Because of heavy rain at Fuji during the race, the event ended after two laps. Half points were awarded because of the stoppage before the 75% point.
Teams' Championship
| Rank | Team | Car | FUJ | SUZ | MOT | SUZ | ATP | FUJ | SGO | MOT | SUZ | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | mobilecast Impul | 19 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Ret | 88 |
| 20 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 2 | DHG TOM'S | 36 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 2 | Ret | Ret | 1 | 32 |
| 37 | 9 | 10 | Ret | 7 | 9 | Ret | 8 | 8 | 5 | |||
| 3 | PIAA Nakajima | 31 | 11 | 1 | 6 | Ret | 18 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 26 |
| 32 | 19 | 6 | 8 | Ret | 17 | 16 | 10 | 10 | Ret | |||
| 4 | arting Impul | 1 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 3 | Ret | 3 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 16 |
| 2 | 18 | 14 | Ret | Ret | 14 | 13 | Ret | Ret | 14 | |||
| 5 | DoCoMo Dandelion | 40 | 4 | 2 | 4 | Ret | 6 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 13.5 |
| 41 | 17 | 11 | Ret | 12 | 12 | 11 | Ret | Ret | 10 | |||
| 6 | Team LeMans | 7 | 13 | 7 | Ret | 6 | 3 | Ret | 9 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| 8 | 22 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 8 | Ret | Ret | Ret | |||
| 7 | ARTA | 55 | 16 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 2 | 4 | Ret | Ret | 7 | 12 |
| 56 | 10 | 17 | Ret | 9 | 19 | Ret | DSQ | Ret | 4 | |||
| 8 | Reckless Cerumo | 11 | 12 | Ret | 10 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | Ret | 10 |
| 9 | BOSS INGING | 33 | 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 5 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 6 |
| 34 | 14 | 13 | Ret | 11 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 7 | Ret | |||
| 10 | Kondo Racing | 3 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 13 | Ret | Ret | 4.5 |
| 4 | 7 | Ret | 9 | 13 | 13 | 12 | Ret | 6 | 13 | |||
| 11 | Team 5ZIGEN | 5 | 20 | 18 | 7 | Ret | 11 | 15 | 12 | Ret | 11 | 0 |
| 6 | 21 | 15 | 12 | Ret | Ret | 17 | DSQ | 12 | 8 | |||
| 12 | DPR Direxiv | 27 | 15 | 12 | 13 | Ret | 0 |