Formula Beat, known as JAF Japan Formula 4 (JAF 地方選手権 F4, JAF Chihou Senshuken) until its rebranding in 2023, is a formula racing class in Japan. The class was founded in 1993 by the Japan Automobile Federation as a class above FJ1600 and below the former All-Japan Formula Three Championship and the current Formula Regional Japanese Championship and Super Formula Lights.

Formula Beat
CategorySingle seaters
CountryJapan Japan
Inaugural season1993
Tyre suppliersYokohama (2008—2011)
Dunlop (2012–present)
Drivers' championJapan Itsuki Satō
Official websiteFormula 4

Formula Beat is an open chassis class, open for all chassis manufacturers. Since 2012 the engines have been limited to a maximum capacity of 2,000cc. Currently the cars are allowed to be fitted with a Honda K20A, Toyota 3ZR or Nissan SR20 engine. In the early 2010s, most cars were primarily built by Japanese constructor West Racing Cars, but the championship has since seen entries from older Dallara-built Formula 3 cars and Tatuus chassis.

Champions

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1993-1996

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Season Suzuka Champion TI Champion Tsukuba (1993-96)/Mine Champion Super F4 Champion
1993   Ryō Michigami   Ryō Michigami Not held Not held
1994   Hiroshi Sasaki   Yutaka Okano
1995   Shōta Mizuno   Tatsuya Mizutani   Yasuhisa Fujiwara
1996   Tsuyoshi Takahashi   Ryōhei Sakaguchi   Takaya Tsubobayashi
1997   Yūsuke Matsuura   Akihiro Asai   Seiji Yoshimura
1998   Kōta Sasaki   Naoki Yokobayashi   Kōta Sasaki   Naoki Yokobayashi
1999 Not held   Hideki Nishimura   Takeshi Ohtani
2000   Shun Nakamura   Takahiro Ogawa

1997-present

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Season Kantō Champion Kansai Champion
1997   Akihiro Asai N/A
1998   Takeyuki Kishi N/A
1999   Touya Higuchi   Keita Sawa
2000   Issei Nishio   Hideaki Nakao
2001   Naohiro Kawano   Kenji Kanehisa
2002   Tetsuya Fujisawa   Katsumasa Katayose
2003   Kei Idaka   Kenji Ōtaki
Season East Champion West Champion
2004   Masanobu Katō   Koudai Tsukakoshi
2005   Satoru Okada   Masaki Tanaka
2006   Muneyuki Kurihara   Taku Ikeda
2007   Kei Idaka   Yoshinari Tomimoto
2008   Yūsuke Tsuchiya   Shōta Hanaoka
2009   Tsubasa Kondō   Shōta Hanaoka
2010   Makoto Kanai   Naoki Nishimoto
2011   Yuhi Sekiguchi   Ryo Hirakawa
2012   Ryōsuke Takehira   Kosuke Hattori
2013   Kenta Yamashita   Shintarō Kawabata
2014   Yuichi Mikasa   Yūya Hiraki
2015   Tadasuke Makino   Tadasuke Makino
2016   Toshiki Ōyu   Toshiki Ōyu
2017   Yūki Tsunoda   Keisuke Ohara
2018   Makoto Kanai   Norio Kubo
Champion
2019   Kouhei Tokumasu
2020   Isao Nakajima
2021   Yūya Motojima
2022   Itsuki Satō
2023   Kōta Sasaki
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