Mr. Masahiko Kondo (left) and Mr. Satoru Nakajima (right), who will be appointed as the new chairman of JRP, which runs the All Japan Super Formula Championship.
JRP (Japan Race Promotion), which manages the All Japan Super Formula Championship, held a press conference on March 5th at Suzuka Circuit, where the Motor Sports Fan Appreciation Day is held. KONDO RACING representative and manager Masahiko Kondo announced that he would replace Satoru Nakajima as chairman of the board, and a press conference was held with the presence of chairman Satoru Nakajima, new chairman Masahiko Kondo, and president Yoshihisa Ueno.
President Yoshihisa Ueno announced the appointment of Masahiko Kondo as the new chairman. The appointment of a chairman will be unofficially decided at the board of directors meeting held on February 28, and will be officially decided at the board of directors meeting held after the shareholders and alumni association regular general meeting held mid April.
Masahiko Kondo Mr
After taking office, new chairman Masahiko Kondo said, “I want as many people as possible to understand and enjoy Super Formula.” Super Formula will be led by Yoshihisa Ueno as president in December 2021. It was decided to introduce a new vehicle “SF23” from the 2023 season, under the “SUPER FORMURA NEXT 50” initiative, which focuses on the introduction of digital shift and carbon fuel neutral.
The new chairman Kondo said, “We want to convey the quality of Super Formula to the world and Asia while continuing to work on the next go. Chairman Nakajima and the JRP railway so far, let me do as much as I can. However, I do not intend to start quickly just because I was appointed chairman. I would like you to give me your strength,” he said, saying that he would like to work carefully on the duties of the chairman while taking over the conventional route.
There was also a question about the pressure about being appointed, but “Chairman Nakajima, Mr. Tate, Mr. Hoshino, everyone recommended that I set up a back-up system, so instead of pressure, I will not fight alone, There will be various teams working together to bring excitement to the Super Formula, and you will be the representative of the team, so I will be the one to run in front of me, and when I’m in a bit of a pinch, I’ll ask for the help of my seniors .I want everyone to be at the forefront of the Super Formula, so I’d like you to run with a bit of peace of mind.”
Regarding the possibility of Asia, which he mentioned in his opening address, he said that he was attracted to Asian drivers, although he predicted that no agreement was reached at the JRP meeting. Behind Formula Nippon’s change to Super Formula, there was a part of it that was considering expanding into Asia at the time, but it seems that it will also work on internationalizing Super Formula as it moves forward with the digital shift.
Press conference held at Suzuka Circuit
