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Formula NipponFormula Nippon is a type of formula racing and the top level of open-wheeled racing in Japan. Formula Nippon has a fairly long history, evolving from the Japanese Formula 2000 series begun in 1973 by way of the Japanese Formula 2 and Japanese Formula 3000 championships. For the most part the Japanese racing series have closely followed their European counterparts in terms of technical regulations, but there have been some important exceptions. When European Formula 2 ended in 1984, its Japanese counterpart did not follow suit, continuing to use Formula 2 regulations (with almost-exclusively 2.0L Honda engines) for another three years, finally switching to the 'open' Formula 3000 standard in 1987. Once again, Japanese and European regulations paralleled one another, until 1994, when the International Formula 3000 series became a one-make format to lower costs. The Japanese Formula broke away at this time, and, two years later, in 1996, made the break official by changing the series name to Formula Nippon. Until recently, Formula Nippon was an 'open' formula, where a variety of chassis builders and engine manufacturers could compete. Chassis were supplied by Lola, Reynard, and G-Force, while Mugen-Honda supplied the vast majority of the engines (though Ford engines were found in the Formula 3000 era). However, with the bankruptcy of Reynard in 2002, and the withdrawl of G-Force a year earlier, Formula Nippon once again followed the International Formula's lead in becoming a one-make series. Formula Nippon cars are now all Lola B3/50 chassis powered by Mugen-Honda engines; however, unlike the International series engines in Formula Nippon are open-tuned by private companies. Although exact figures are unavailable, it is believed that Formula Nippon cars produce somewhere around 550bhp. However, despite the more technically demanding regulations, Formula Nippon remains a 2nd-tier racing series, and remains very much a national series. While foreign drivers have always come to participate in the Japanese series, these are very often second-string drivers, or ones who have otherwise had difficulty in finding a top-level Formula 3000 drive. Nevertheless, there have been several drivers to come from a Japanese Formula 3000 or Formula Nippon drive to a prominent Formula One role; the best-known of these is Ralf Schumacher, the 1996 Formula Nippon champion. List of champions External link
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