The Formula Regional Japanese Championship enters its seventh season this weekend. Sixteen drivers are entering the first round, the most the series has seen on a race weekend since 2021. Feeder Series tells you everything you need to know about the 2026 FR Japan season.

By Finjo Muschlien

Perhaps Japan’s most entertaining feeder series title fight in 2025 came in the Formula Regional Japanese Championship. This is a sentence few would have expected to read after Swiss-Japanese driver Michael Sauter dominantly won the title in 2024 in a field that on some occasions had just eight drivers. 

But Toyota’s decision to enter the championship in late 2024 by placing two members of the TGR-DC Racing School programme suddenly changed the series’ reputation. No longer was it a hollow championship for drivers looking for their second chances; it offered an important learning opportunity for drivers en route to Super Formula or even F1 despite running the six-year-old Dome F111/3. Eventual runner-up Tokiya Suzuki was, for one, the initial favorite to switch to R-ace GP in FR Europe, which has a new Tatuus T-326 car for the 2026 season, to follow Jin Nakamura’s path on the international feeder series ladder. 

In the end, Suzuki is set to race in Super Formula Lights with TOM’S this year, as is his rival, 2025 champion Kiyoshi Umegaki. The pair shared 12 wins in the 15 races last season and with that helped TOM’S clinch the teams’ title. 

This year could be similarly exciting, as Toyota continues to use the series as a stepping stone for their juniors Yuzuki Miura and Masana Muto, while 2024 Japanese F4 runner-up Ryota Horachi also joins the championship with Ponos Racing. 

The calendar

The season will consist of six rounds, as it has every year since 2022. Just 14 races will be held, one fewer than in 2025. The opening round at Suzuka and the fourth round at Sugo consist of three races, while the other four rounds consist of two. 

A joint pre-season test will be held at Suzuka on 26 February. 

• Round 1: Suzuka International Racing Course (27 February–1 March)
• Round 2: Suzuka International Racing Course (22–24 May)
• Round 3: Mobility Resort Motegi (26–28 June)
• Round 4: Sportsland Sugo (28–30 August)
• Round 5: Fuji Speedway (25–27 September)
• Round 6: Fuji Speedway (9–11 October)

The format

Two 45-minute practice sessions on Friday kick off the series’ race weekends. Two 15-minute qualifying sessions on Saturday morning set the grids for both races, while for weekends with three races, each driver’s second-fastest times from the first qualifying session set the grid for the third race.

The series uses the standard FIA system of 25 points for the winner down to one point for 10th place. There are no bonus points for pole positions or fastest laps. Only the best finisher from each team contributes points to the teams’ championship tally.

Where to watch

All races are live-streamed for free on the series’ official YouTube channel. Races feature Japanese commentary and a split-screen display with trackside cameras and live timing. Practices and qualifying sessions likewise have live timing displayed on YouTube, and some even have trackside cameras displayed. Live timing is available at RaceLive.

Teams and drivers

B-Max Racing Team and Hitotsuyama Racing are not featured on the entry list for the opening round of the season. Having come runner-up in the teams’ championship, B-Max Racing is the most significant loss. Last year, they fielded Kazuhisa Urabe, who took three wins, alongside Jia Zhanbin. 

TOM’S TGR-DC

Having won the teams’ and drivers’ championship last year, TOM’S return to the Formula Regional Japanese Championship for their sixth season, albeit with the new name TOM’S TGR-DC instead of TOM’S Formula as the team continues their collaboration with Toyota in the series for a second year. Both their drivers will race in FR Japan and Japanese F4 this year.

Yuzuki Miura (#37) had a difficult start and needed seven races to take his first points finish in Japanese F4, but he was able to finish 2025 off with three consecutive points finishes and even a podium in the final race of the season at Motegi. With that, the 18-year-old ended his season on 28 points and finished as Toyota’s second-best rookie, but he showed enough to be retained in their programme and promoted to the next level. 

Masana Muto (#38) will be TOM’S’ other driver in FR Japan this year, having likewise had a difficult rookie year in F4 in 2025. Just three points finishes, of which one was a third place at Autopolis, were on the 16-year-old’s record at the end of the year. His promotion came as a bit of a surprise as Megumu Suzuki finished higher than both Miura and Muto, but Suzuki was ultimately dropped from the programme. 

Ponos Racing

The second-highest-placed returning team in 2026 will be Ponos Racing. Having fielded one car for Kento Omiya (#54), the team came third in the teams’ championship, and Omiya was able to bag eight podium finishes for the team. The 21-year-old came fourth overall in the drivers’ championship last year, just two and a half points behind B-Max Racing’s Kazuhisa Urabe, and he will continue with the team for 2026. 

This year, the team will expand their line-up to a second car, driven by Ryota Horachi (#45). The 19-year-old joined the team in Japanese F4 last year, having previously been dropped by the Honda Formula Dream Project after finishing as the runner-up in Japanese F4 in 2024. Horachi went winless in F4 last year and came fifth overall, though he ironically still beat FR Japan champion Umegaki by doing so.

Rn-sports

Rn-sports fielded Super FJ graduate Yu Oda in 2025 as he became the team’s first full time driver that didn’t compete in the masters’ class since their first entry in 2020. And his results were promising, as he secured two podiums and helped his team to fourth in the teams’ championship. 

Oda is not expected to return for 2026, but instead, Hibiki Komatsu (#10), who joined Oda for the final round of the previous season and even secured second place in the final race, will race for the team in 2026. The 24-year-old has been working with Rn-sports since at least 2019. He also raced in Super Taikyu last year, coming third in the ST-3 class with Okabe Jidosha Motorsport and securing class wins at Autopolis and Fuji. 

Team owner Masayuki Ueda (#11) will take over the wheel of the team’s other car after sitting out the 2025 season. The 65-year-old last raced in the championship in 2024, when he competed in the final two rounds. In 2025, he raced in the Independent Class of Japanese F4, in which he came fourth overall with three podium finishes having won the class title previously in 2018. 

Aiwin

Ai Miura’s team returns to the championship having first entered last season with masters’ class driver Yutaka Toriba (#13), who went on to take the class title. 

Toriba will also be the team’s only driver for the 2026 season, though now he faces seven other drivers in the masters’ class at the first round in Suzuka. The 61-year-old, who previously won the 2022 Japanese F4 Independent Class title, also competed in European historic racing championships in previous years, driving a Williams FW07C, the Grove team’s 1981 constructors’ championship–winning F1 car. 

Ragno Motor Sport

Former F1 driver Yuji Ide’s Ragno Motor Sport made their debut in Japanese F4 and FR Japan in 2025 with Lin Chenghua (#48). After car issues ended the operation after just four rounds in F4, the team completed their planned four rounds in FR Japan, and Lin took a best result of fourth on two occasions, at Fuji and Suzuka.

The 28-year-old will also be the team’s only driver for the 2026 season. The Shanghai-based driver enters his third year of single seater racing in Japan, having discovered motorsport only in 2021, when he met former F1 reserve driver Ma Qinghua. In 2025, he came seventh in the drivers’ championship.

Fujita Pharmacy Racing

Another returning duo in 2026 will be Fujita Pharmacy Racing and Hideaki Irie (#46). The 39-year-old competed in the championship in 2025, finishing 10th overall with a best result of sixth. This season, he will compete in the masters’ class instead of only the overall championship.

Abbey Racing

Also competing in the masters’ class will be “Akita” (#44). The Japanese driver returns with his own team Abbey Racing after finishing second in the masters’ class with two wins at Fuji and Suzuka last year. 

Eagle Sports

Shoichiro Akamatsu (#40) returns to the championship having entered three rounds of the last season. He took a win in the masters’ class and came fifth in that championship. Akamatsu also raced in Japanese F4 last season, finishing seventh in the Independent Class with a best result of fifth. 

N-Speed

“Yugo” (#23) is the only driver to have competed in at least one round of every FR Japan season so far, and he will continue this statistic into 2026 as he enters with his own team N-Speed. The 67-year-old became FR Japan’s masters’ class champion in 2024. He took part in four rounds of the championship last year, finishing third in the masters’ class.

Sky Motorsports 

The only non-Japanese team to enter FR Japan in 2026 is Sky Motorsports. The Chinese team have entered selected rounds every year since 2023 with Chinese drivers Sky Chen and Wang Zhongwei.

For 2026, the team will field a driver from Hong Kong for the first time in Paul Wong (#36). The 51-year-old will make his FR Japan debut and compete in the masters’ class. He has experience in FR machinery from racing in F3 Asia in 2019 and 2019–20, taking home the Masters Cup crown in his first year. He also won two Lamborghini Cup titles in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia in 2018 and 2019.

Nilzz Racing

Another returning driver in the masters’ class is “Yuki” (#18). The masters’ class driver has competed in the selected races of the championship since 2022 with his own team Nilzz Racing. He has taken four class wins since his debut and finished second in the masters’ class standings in 2023. 

Dr.Dry Racing Team

Dr.Dry joins the grid in 2026 having competed in Japanese F4 since 2023. Team owner Hachiro Osaka previously raced in the championship in 2020 and 2021, competing with Zap Speed, but his team’s only car will be driven by Rio Shimono (#86). 

The 25-year-old is the reigning Kyojo Cup champion, having dominantly taken the title with eight wins out of 10 races in the series’ first year with single-seater cars. Shimono also raced in Japanese F4 and the F110 Cup with the team last year and made her endurance race debut in the 24 hours of Dubai in the 24H Series Middle East in January. 

Team LeMans

Team LeMans enters the championship for the first time since 2022 with Chinese driver Li Xuanyu (#88) as their sole driver. The team previously competed in Formula Nippon, helping Ralf Schumacher to the title in 1996. They currently race in Super GT’s GT300 class.

Li, 28, competed in the first three rounds of the GT World Challenge Asia Silver-Am class in 2025 and came 12th overall, racing for Absolute Racing, alongside Daniel Lu. He also made appearances in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and Australia, and his FR Japan campaign will mark his single-seater debut. 

The grid at a glance

Team	#	Driver
Rn-sports	10	Hibiki Komatsu
	11	Masayuki Ueda (M)
Aiwin	13	Yutaka Toriba (M)
Nilzz Racing	18	“Yuki“ (M)
N-Speed	23	“Yugo“ (M)
Sky Motorsports	36	Paul Wong (M)
TOM‘S TGR-DC	37	Yuzuki Miura
	38	Masana Muto
Eagle Sports	40	Shoichiro Akamatsu (M)
Abbey Racing	44	“Akita“ (M)
Ponos Racing	45	Ryota Horachi
	54	Kento Omiya
Fujita Pharmacy Racing	46	Hideaki Irie (M)
Ragno Motor Sport	48	Lin Chenghua
Dr.Dry Racing Team	86	Rio Shimono
Team Le Mans	88	Li Xuanyu

Editor’s note, 14:05 CET: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that “Yuki” was the pseudonym of Yuki Tanaka, an unrelated driver. This article has also been updated to reflect that Team LeMans participated in Formula Regional Japan in 2022.

Header photo credit: Formula Regional Japanese Championship