OldRacingCars.com

JAF Suzuka Grand Prix

Suzuka, 5 Nov 1978

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Kunimitsu Takahashi (F2) 2-litre Kojima KE008 - BMW M12/7
#20 Speed Star Wheel Racing
2 Satoru Nakajima (F2) 2-litre Nova 532P - BMW M12/7
#6 Heroes Racing Corporation
3 Riccardo Patrese (F2) 2-litre Chevron B48 [48-79-02] - Hart 420R
#2
4 Masahiro Hasemi (F2) 2-litre Chevron B42 [42-78-20?] - BMW M12/7
#11 Tomy Racing Team(Nova Engineering)
5 Kenji Takahashi (F2) 2-litre March 742 [9] - BMW M12/7
#24 Tomei Jidousha (see note 1)
6 Derek Warwick (F2) 2-litre March 782 - BMW M12/7
#9
7 Nico Nicole (F2) 2-litre Chevron B40 - BMW M12/7
#23 Team Nicole Racing Japan
8 Richard Thomas Geck (F2) 2-litre March 752 [2] - BMW M12/7
#18
9 Bruno Giacomelli (F2) 2-litre March 782 [7] - BMW M12/7
#1 (see note 2)
10 René Arnoux (F2) 2-litre Martini MK22 - Renault CH1B V6
#10 Harada Racing Company
11 Keiji Matsumoto (F2) 2-litre Chevron B35 [35-76-14] - BMW M12/7
#8 Matsumoto Racing Union (see note 3)
12 Kazuyoshi Hoshino (F2) 2-litre Nova 532P - BMW M12/7
#5 Heroes Racing Corporation
R Didier Pironi (F2) 2-litre Kojima KE008 - BMW M12/7
#7
R Masao Segawa (F2) 2-litre Chevron B40 - BMW M12/7
#21 Speed Star Wheel Racing (see note 4)
R Masami Kuwashima (F2) 2-litre Nova 532P - BMW M12/7
#66 Sakai Racing
DNS Shuroku Sasaki (F2) 2-litre SE 235 - BMW M12/7
#12 		Did not start
DNA Noritake Takahara (F2) 2-litre Chevron B40 - BMW M12/7
#3 		Did not arrive
DNA Stephen South (F2) 2-litre March 782 - BMW M12/7
#7 		Did not arrive
DNA Yasuhiro Namikawa (F2) 2-litre March 742 - BMW M12/7
#14 Namikawa Yasuhiro? 		Did not arrive
DNA Hisayoshi Mitsuhashi (F2) 2-litre March 782 - BMW M12/7
#17 Racing Team Combat 		Did not arrive

All cars are 2-litre F2 unless noted.

Qualifying
1 Bruno Giacomelli (F2) 2-litre March 782 [7] - BMW M12/7
2 Satoru Nakajima (F2) 2-litre Nova 532P - BMW M12/7
3 Kazuyoshi Hoshino (F2) 2-litre Nova 532P - BMW M12/7
4 Derek Warwick (F2) 2-litre March 782 - BMW M12/7
5 Masahiro Hasemi (F2) 2-litre Chevron B42 [42-78-20?] - BMW M12/7
6 Riccardo Patrese (F2) 2-litre Chevron B48 [48-79-02] - Hart 420R
7 Kunimitsu Takahashi (F2) 2-litre Kojima KE008 - BMW M12/7
8 René Arnoux (F2) 2-litre Martini MK22 - Renault CH1B V6
9 Didier Pironi (F2) 2-litre Kojima KE008 - BMW M12/7
10 Kenji Takahashi (F2) 2-litre March 742 [9] - BMW M12/7
11 Keiji Matsumoto (F2) 2-litre Chevron B35 [35-76-14] - BMW M12/7
12 Masami Kuwashima (F2) 2-litre Nova 532P - BMW M12/7
13 Nico Nicole (F2) 2-litre Chevron B40 - BMW M12/7
14 Masao Segawa (F2) 2-litre Chevron B40 - BMW M12/7
15 Richard Thomas Geck (F2) 2-litre March 752 [2] - BMW M12/7
16 Shuroku Sasaki * (F2) 2-litre SE 235 - BMW M12/7
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. March 742 [9] (Kenji Takahashi): New to Masami Kuwashima, run for him by Roy Kennedy, and raced in European F2 until September, at which point the car was shipped to Japan for the JAF GP in November. Retained by Kuwashima for the Japanese F2 series in 1975, then to Kenji Takahashi for 1976, 1977 and 1978.
  2. March 782 [7] (Bruno Giacomelli): Bruno Giacomelli's works car at Thruxton 27 Mar 1978 and presumably all season. To Japan at the end of the year and used by Giacomelli to win at Suzuka 5 Nov 1978. Then to Diatone Racing (Le Mans Company) for Keiji Matsumoto in 1979. Sold to Richard Thomas Geck (Kaira Garage) later in the year and raced by Geck to the end of 1980.
  3. Chevron B35 [35-76-14] (Keiji Matsumoto): New as a works entry with BMW engine for Rolf Stommelen to race at Hockenheim in June. Then raced by Hans Binder for the rest of the F2 season, and also in the Shellsport G8 race at Brands Hatch in late August. Then sent out to Japan for Jacques Laffite to win the Nihon Grand Prix at Fuji in November. The car remained in Japan and was raced by Tetsu Ikuzawa at two races in March and April before his new B40 was delivered. It is believed to be the car raced by Kuniomi Nagamatsu later that season, and then by Keiji Matsumoto for the rest of 1977 and through the 1978 season. Subsequent history unknown.
  4. Chevron B40 (Masao Segawa): Masao Segawa raced a Chevron B40 at the JAF Suzuka Grand Prix at the beginning of November 1978, using a BMW engine. Raced by Segawa through the 1979 Japanese F2 season. Then to Kiyoshi Misaki and rebuilt for Formula Pacific with a Toyota engine. Misaki only appeared three times in the Japanese series, but then raced the car in the Macau and Selangor Grands Prix in November. Subsequent history unknown.

Sources

Note that the identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' published results.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen (allen@oldracingcars.com) if you can help in any way with our research.