2006 Japan Le Mans Challenge season
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Japan Le Mans Challenge
season was the first ever season for the Japan Le Mans Challenge, a series created by SERO and run under sanctioning from the ACO
to follow 24 Hours of Le Mans
rules. It began May 14, 2006 and ended October 29, 2006 after 3 races.
in Europe, JLMC would not start off with great success. A lack of commitment from major Japanese teams, especially those involved in Super GT
, meant that the entry list for the season was small. An official pre-season test at Sportsland Sugo saw only 8 cars showing up. Even with this, more teams promised to eventually make it to the JLMC grid, including Team Goh who had earned fame when they won the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans
with the conquering Audi R8
.
However, of the teams that did show up, few had quality machinery. The entire LMP2 class was small sportscars that did not actually fit LMP2 regulations. LMP1 was able to boast some machinery that fit LMP rules with a Zytek
05S while there was promise of a new Courage
LC70 for Mugen Motorsports
on the way as the season went on.
GT classes was made up of a large amount of machinery from Super GT
, with an ex-Prodrive
Ferrari 550
-GTS and JLOC's Super GT
Lamborghini Murcielago
RG-1 joined by a privateer Mosler MT900
R in GT1. GT2 was also only able to claim a few competitive entries, with some two Porsche 911 GT3
s being mixed with a privateer cars that did not fully reach ACO GT2 specs.
These competitors allowed for the entry list of a mere 12 competitors for the first round at Sportsland Sugo.
Only the top finishing car in a team scores points towards the championship.
Japan Le Mans Challenge
The Japan Le Mans Challenge was an endurance sportscar series based in Japan built around the 24 Hours of Le Mans that began in 2006. It was run by the Sports Car Endurance Race Operation sanctioning body and ran under the rules laid out by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest...
season was the first ever season for the Japan Le Mans Challenge, a series created by SERO and run under sanctioning from the ACO
Automobile Club de l'Ouest
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest , sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organising entity behind the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race...
to follow 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
rules. It began May 14, 2006 and ended October 29, 2006 after 3 races.
Pre-season
In the build up to the first season of JLMC, it was apparent from the start that unlike the Le Mans SeriesLe Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
in Europe, JLMC would not start off with great success. A lack of commitment from major Japanese teams, especially those involved in Super GT
Super GT
The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...
, meant that the entry list for the season was small. An official pre-season test at Sportsland Sugo saw only 8 cars showing up. Even with this, more teams promised to eventually make it to the JLMC grid, including Team Goh who had earned fame when they won the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans
2005 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 73rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 18 and 19 2005.This race marked the record 7th victory for Tom Kristensen, including his 6th straight.-Race:...
with the conquering Audi R8
Audi R8 Race Car
The Audi R8 is a sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999...
.
However, of the teams that did show up, few had quality machinery. The entire LMP2 class was small sportscars that did not actually fit LMP2 regulations. LMP1 was able to boast some machinery that fit LMP rules with a Zytek
Zytek
Zytek Group Ltd is an automotive and motorsport company founded in 1981 and based in Fradley and Repton, United Kingdom. Zytek Group has two main division: Zytek Automotive, which is based at Fradley, Staffordshire; and Zytek Engineering, which is based at Repton, Derbyshire.-Zytek Automotive:Zytek...
05S while there was promise of a new Courage
Courage Compétition
Courage Compétition was a racing team and chassis constructor company now owned by Oreca, based in Le Mans, France near the Circuit de la Sarthe. It was founded by Yves Courage, a French race driver who ran hillclimbs before founding the company...
LC70 for Mugen Motorsports
Mugen Motorsports
Mugen Motorsports is a Japanese company formed in 1973 by Hirotoshi Honda, the son of Honda Motor Company founder Soichiro Honda, and Masao Kimura. Mugen, meaning "Without Limit", or "Unlimited", is an engine tuner and parts manufacturer closely associated with the Honda Motor Company...
on the way as the season went on.
GT classes was made up of a large amount of machinery from Super GT
Super GT
The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...
, with an ex-Prodrive
Prodrive
Prodrive is a British motorsport and automotive engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It designs, constructs and races cars for companies and teams such as Subaru, Aston Martin and Ford...
Ferrari 550
Ferrari 550
The Ferrari 550 Maranello and 550 Barchetta are 2-seat grand tourers built by Ferrari. Introduced in 1996, the 550 was an upmarket front-engined V12 coupe of the kind not seen since the Daytona. It shared its platform and 5.5 L engine with the 2+2 456 but was positioned as the company's...
-GTS and JLOC's Super GT
Super GT
The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...
Lamborghini Murcielago
Lamborghini Murciélago
The Lamborghini Murciélago is a two-door, two-seat sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 2001 and 2010. Successor to the Diablo and flagship of the automaker's lineup, the Murciélago was introduced as a coupé in 2001. The automaker's first new design in eleven years, the car...
RG-1 joined by a privateer Mosler MT900
Mosler MT900
The MT900 is a sports car built in the United States and the United Kingdom by Mosler. Three submodels have also been produced. The MT900R was a racing version of the MT900. The basic car was updated as the MT900S for 2005, with the MT900S Photon being its racing variant. The original MT900 was...
R in GT1. GT2 was also only able to claim a few competitive entries, with some two Porsche 911 GT3
Porsche 911 GT3
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a higher performance version of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is the latest in a line of high performance models, beginning with the 1973 911 RS...
s being mixed with a privateer cars that did not fully reach ACO GT2 specs.
These competitors allowed for the entry list of a mere 12 competitors for the first round at Sportsland Sugo.
Schedule
| Rnd | Race | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sportsland Sugo 1000 km | Sportsland SUGO Sportsland SUGO is a motorsports facility located in the town of Murata, Shibata District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It opened in 1975 and is one of the largest motorsports facilities in Japan, with a total area of 2.1 million m²... |
May 14 |
| 2 | Motegi 1000 km | Twin Ring Motegi Twin Ring Motegi is an automobile racing track located at Motegi, Japan. Its name comes from the facility having two race tracks: a oval and a road course. It was built in 1997 by Honda, as part of Honda's effort to bring the IndyCar Series to Japan, helping to increase their knowledge of American open-wheel... |
July 2 |
| 3 | Okayama 1000 km | Okayama International Circuit TI Circuit The Okayama International Circuit is a private motorsport race track in Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. TI is abbreviation of "Tanaka International" after the name of the holding company, though the name of the circuit was officially "TI Circuit Aida".The course was built in 1992 as a... |
October 29 |
Season results
Overall winner in bold.| Rnd | Circuit | LMP1 Winning Team | LMP2 Winning Team | GT1 Winning Team | GT2 Winning Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMP1 Winning Drivers | LMP2 Winning Drivers | GT1 Winning Drivers | GT2 Winning Drivers | ||
| 1 | Sugo Sportsland SUGO is a motorsports facility located in the town of Murata, Shibata District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It opened in 1975 and is one of the largest motorsports facilities in Japan, with a total area of 2.1 million m²... |
 #66 Jidosha Koubou Myst |
#18 Aim Sports |
#20 Hitotsuyama Racing |
#27 Team Kawamura |
| Takahiko Shimazawa Masaya Kono Kenji Takeya |
Shinsuke Yamakazi Yuji Aso Masaru Tomizawa |
Tatsuya Kataoka Naoki Hattori Naoki Hattori is a motoring journalist and racing driver from Japan. After being Japanese Formula 3 champion in 1990, he failed to pre-qualify for two Formula One grands prix with Coloni in 1991 as a late-season replacement for Pedro Chaves... Eiichi Tajima |
Koji Aoyama Shinichi Takagi Morio Nitta |
||
| 2 | Motegi Twin Ring Motegi is an automobile racing track located at Motegi, Japan. Its name comes from the facility having two race tracks: a oval and a road course. It was built in 1997 by Honda, as part of Honda's effort to bring the IndyCar Series to Japan, helping to increase their knowledge of American open-wheel... |
#66 Jidosha Koubou Myst |
#4 MYZ |
#20 Hitotsuyama Racing |
#27 Team Kawamura |
| Takahiki Shimazawa Hiroshi Ohta Kenji Takeya |
Yuya Sakamoto Yoshihisa Namekata Tomonobu Fujii |
Tatsuya Kataoka Naoki Hattori Naoki Hattori is a motoring journalist and racing driver from Japan. After being Japanese Formula 3 champion in 1990, he failed to pre-qualify for two Formula One grands prix with Coloni in 1991 as a late-season replacement for Pedro Chaves... Eiichi Tajima |
Koji Aoyama Shinichi Takagi Morio Nitta |
||
| 3 | Okayama TI Circuit The Okayama International Circuit is a private motorsport race track in Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. TI is abbreviation of "Tanaka International" after the name of the holding company, though the name of the circuit was officially "TI Circuit Aida".The course was built in 1992 as a... |
#16 Team Mugen Mugen Motorsports Mugen Motorsports is a Japanese company formed in 1973 by Hirotoshi Honda, the son of Honda Motor Company founder Soichiro Honda, and Masao Kimura. Mugen, meaning "Without Limit", or "Unlimited", is an engine tuner and parts manufacturer closely associated with the Honda Motor Company... |
#4 MYZ |
#88 JLOC |
#930 Sunburst Rush |
| Seiji Ara Seiji Ara Seiji Ara is a race car driver.He was the winner of the 24 hour Le Mans race in 2004, driving an Audi R8... Haruki Kurosawa |
Yuya Sakamoto Yoshihisa Namekata Tomonobu Fujii |
Koji Yamanishi Yasatuka Hinoi Wada-Q |
Yutaka Matsushima Takeru Inui Masashi Kakuichi |
LMP1 standings
| Pos | Driver | Team | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Takahiko Shimazawa |
Jidousya Koubou Myst | 5 | 5 | 2.5 | 12.5 |
| 2 | Kenji Takeya |
Jidousya Koubou Myst | 5 | 5 | 10 | |
| 3 | Hiroshi Ohta |
Jidousya Koubou Myst | 5 | 2.5 | 7.5 |
LMP2 standings
| Pos | Driver | Team | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yuya Sakamoto Yoshihisa Namekata Tomonobu Fuji |
MYZ | 5 | 10 | 15 | |
| 2 | Tomokuni Waki Masayoshi Furuya Hisashi Tsukahara |
Jidousya Koubou Myst | 8 | 8 | ||
| 3 | Shinsuke Yamazaki Yuji Aso Masaru Tomizawa |
Aim Sports | 5 | 5 |
GT1 standings
| Pos | Driver | Team | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatsuya Kataoka Naoki Hattori Eiichi Tajima |
Hitotsuyama Racing | 5 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
| 2 | Osamu Nakajima Masaki Tanaka Hiroya Iijima |
Team Leyjun | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 | Koji Yamanishi Yasutaka Hinoi Hisashi Wada |
JLOC | 5 | 5 |
GT2 standings
| Pos | Driver | Team | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Koji Aoyama Shinichi Takagi Morio Nitta |
Team Kawamura | 5 | 5 | 8 | 18 |
| 2 | Yutaka Matsushima Masashi Kakiuchi Takeshi Inui |
Sunburst Rush | 10 | 10 | ||
| 3 | Kazuyoshi Takamizawa Akihiko Tsutsumi Tomohiko Sunako |
Team Takamizawa | 4 | 4 | 8 |
Teams' Championship
Points are awarded to finishers based on how many cars were entered in each class. For classes with a lower car count, the top five were awarded points in the order of 5-4-3-2-1. Classes with more entries were awarded points for the top eight in the order of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1.Only the top finishing car in a team scores points towards the championship.
LMP1 standings
| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jidosha Koubou Myst |
RS.Oscar SK-52 RS.Oscar SK-93 |
Toyota 3.0L V8 | 5 |
5 |
3 |
13 |
| 2 | Team Mugen Mugen Motorsports Mugen Motorsports is a Japanese company formed in 1973 by Hirotoshi Honda, the son of Honda Motor Company founder Soichiro Honda, and Masao Kimura. Mugen, meaning "Without Limit", or "Unlimited", is an engine tuner and parts manufacturer closely associated with the Honda Motor Company... |
Courage Courage Compétition Courage Compétition was a racing team and chassis constructor company now owned by Oreca, based in Le Mans, France near the Circuit de la Sarthe. It was founded by Yves Courage, a French race driver who ran hillclimbs before founding the company... LC70 |
Mugen Mugen Motorsports Mugen Motorsports is a Japanese company formed in 1973 by Hirotoshi Honda, the son of Honda Motor Company founder Soichiro Honda, and Masao Kimura. Mugen, meaning "Without Limit", or "Unlimited", is an engine tuner and parts manufacturer closely associated with the Honda Motor Company... MF408S 4.0L V8 |
5 | 5 | ||
| 3 | Hitotsuyama Racing |
Zytek 05S | Zytek Zytek Zytek Group Ltd is an automotive and motorsport company founded in 1981 and based in Fradley and Repton, United Kingdom. Zytek Group has two main division: Zytek Automotive, which is based at Fradley, Staffordshire; and Zytek Engineering, which is based at Repton, Derbyshire.-Zytek Automotive:Zytek... ZB408 4.0L V8 |
4 | 4 |
LMP2 standings
| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MYZ |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... GC-21 |
Toyota 2.0L I4 | 5 | 10 | 15 | |
| 2 | Jidosha Koubou Myst |
RS.KK-LM RS.Oscar SK-5.2 |
Toyota 3.0L V8 | 4 |
8 |
12 | |
| 3 | AIM Sports |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... GC-21 |
Toyota 2.0L I4 | 5 | 5 |
GT1 standings
| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hitotsuyama Racing |
Ferrari 550 Ferrari 550 The Ferrari 550 Maranello and 550 Barchetta are 2-seat grand tourers built by Ferrari. Introduced in 1996, the 550 was an upmarket front-engined V12 coupe of the kind not seen since the Daytona. It shared its platform and 5.5 L engine with the 2+2 456 but was positioned as the company's... -GTS Maranello |
Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947... 5.9L V12 |
5 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
| 2 | Team LeyJun |
Mosler MT900 Mosler MT900 The MT900 is a sports car built in the United States and the United Kingdom by Mosler. Three submodels have also been produced. The MT900R was a racing version of the MT900. The basic car was updated as the MT900S for 2005, with the MT900S Photon being its racing variant. The original MT900 was... R |
Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918... 6.0L V8 |
4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 | JLOC |
Lamborghini Murcielago Lamborghini Murciélago The Lamborghini Murciélago is a two-door, two-seat sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 2001 and 2010. Successor to the Diablo and flagship of the automaker's lineup, the Murciélago was introduced as a coupé in 2001. The automaker's first new design in eleven years, the car... RG-1 |
Lamborghini Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like... 6.0L V12 |
5 | 5 |
GT2 standings
| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Kawamura |
Porsche 911 GT3 Porsche 911 GT3 The Porsche 911 GT3 is a higher performance version of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is the latest in a line of high performance models, beginning with the 1973 911 RS... -RSR |
Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... 3.6L Flat-6 |
5 | 5 | 8 | 18 |
| 2 | Proto Works |
Mazda RX-7 Mazda RX-7 Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980... Porsche 911 GT3 Porsche 911 GT3 The Porsche 911 GT3 is a higher performance version of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is the latest in a line of high performance models, beginning with the 1973 911 RS... -RS |
Mazda Mazda is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales... 2.0L 3-Rotor Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... 3.6L Flat-6 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
12 |
| 3 | Sunburst Rush |
Porsche 964 Porsche 964 The Porsche 964 is the company's internal name for the version of the Porsche 911 model manufactured and sold between 1989 and 1994. It featured significant styling revisions over previous versions of the 911, most prominently the more integrated bumpers , although it was still obviously a 911... Carrera RS |
Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... 3.6L Flat-6 |
10 | 10 | ||
| 4 | Team Takamizawa |
Porsche 911 GT3 Porsche 911 GT3 The Porsche 911 GT3 is a higher performance version of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is the latest in a line of high performance models, beginning with the 1973 911 RS... -R |
Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... 3.6L Flat-6 |
4 | 4 | 8 |
External links
- JLMC Official Website (English)
- JLMC Points Standings
- World Sports Racing Prototypes - Results