FNIPPON: Suzuka results

All Japan Championship Formula Nippon Rd.1

Suzuka Circuit(5.86403km/lap) April 27, 1997 Weather: Partly Cloudy

1 9 Pedro de la Rosa(ES) LolaT97-51/Mugen 35L 1:03'21.391(194.36km/h) 2 19 Takuya Kurosawa LolaT96-52/Mugen 35L -5'975 3 11 Hidetoshi Mitsusada LolaT96-52/Mugen 35L -9'446 4 56 Satoshi Motoyama Reynard94D/Mugen 35L -23'269 5 65 Koji Yamanishi Reynard97D/Mugen 35L -32.365 6 10 Akira Iida LolaT97-51/Mugen 35L -32.895 7 55 Katsutomo Kaneishi Reynard96D/Mugen 35L -33.136 8 33 Toshio Suzuki Reynard96D/MugenI 35L -51.142 9 1 Norberto Fontana(RA) Reynard96D/Mugen 35L -1'18.051 10 28 KatsumiYamamoto Reynard95D/Mugen 35L -1'19.168 11 27 Masami Kageyama Reynard96D/Mugen 35L -1'25.541 12 8 Juichi Wakisaka DomeF104R/Mugen 34L -1 lap 13 36 Tetsuji Tamanaka LolaT95/Mugen 33L -2 laps 14 12 Sara Kavanagh(IRL) Reynard95D/Ford Cosworth 32L -3 laps 15 17 Masahiko Kondo Reynard97D/Mugen 31L -4 laps

------------------------------------DNF--------------------------------

     6 Risto Virtanen(SF)       Reynard96D/Judd          26L      -9 laps
     2 Esteban Tuello(RA)       Reynard96D/Mugen         24L     -11 laps
    63 Dillantha Malagamuwa(CL) Reynard96D/Mugen         23L     -12 laps
    20 Masahiko Kageyama        Reynard96D/Mugen         22L     -13 laps
    21 Tetsuya Tanaka           LolaT95-50/Mugen         16L     -19 laps
    18 Ralph Firman(GB)         Reynard97D/Mugen         14L     -21 laps
    35 Michael Krumm(D)         Reynard96D/Mugen         13L     -22 laps
    64 Toranosuke Takagi        Reynard97D/Mugen         11L     -24 laps
     5 Marc Goossens(B)         Reynard96D/Judd          11L     -24 laps
    37 Masao Yamada             LolaT94/Mugen             6L     -29 laps
     3 Atsushi Kawamoto         Reynard96D/Mugen          4L     -31 laps

Fastest Lap: 55 Kaneishi 1'46.738(197.779km/h) on Lap 30

The entire racing community was still recovering in Suzuka from the shock retreat of the old guard Kazuyoshi Hoshino from formula racing just days before the opening round of the 1997 Formula Nippon.

The vacant seat was filled in by Takuya Kurosawa, formerly of the PIAA Nakajima team, which has Toranosuke Takagi and the 1996 Japanese Formula Three champion Koji Yamanishi at the helm this season.

Another notable change of seats is of Norberto Fontana who deserted Team Nova -Lola importer- for Team LeMans, the Reynard "works." International F3000 refugee Akira Iida replaced the Argentine in the Nova camp.

The race started with Kurosawa in the lead from pole man Takagi in second and de la Rosa third.

Takagi challenged Kurosawa a little too ambitiously on lap 12, the Tyrell test driver biting the dust before the esses. De la Rosa was the next to make the move and he did it with success in the first corner on lap 18.

De la Rosa who took the flag for the first time in the Formula followed by Kurosawa, Hidetoshi Mitsusada, Satoshi Motoyama, Yamanishi, and Iida having picked up the final point.