17 year old Juju Noda is set to make her testing debut in Super Formula in the series' post season test at Suzuka with TGM Honda.
Japanese sensation Juju Noda made headlines in 2023 with a remarkable Euroformula Open campaign, where the 17 year old was able to take podium finishes and wins among the rookie class, before contesting for overall podiums and overall victories as the season progressed. Noda famously won her first race at Circuit Paul Ricard, challenging the Motopark outfit in the family-run Noda Racing operation.
Juju – daughter of former F1 and Indycar driver Hideki – left the series just ahead of the Austrian round, but continued in the Zinox F2000 Trophy – where she would claim the title with six victories and 11 podiums – as well as in the Drexler-Automotive Formula Cup, where she was runner up, always at the helm of the Noda Racing Dallara 320 machine. She also made appearances in the Dallara World Series Renault car in the BOSS GP championship, where she drove the fastest and most high-downforce car in her career so far.
Noda started to drive F4 and F3 machinery as early as at the age of 9, testing in Japan. She then moved to Europe aged 14, when she made her competitive debut in Danish F4 as soon as she reached the required age. She continued in the Danish series in 2021, before being selected for the W Series championship in 2022, which represented her move to Formula Regional machinery.
At the demise of W Series, Noda continued in Europe and, to this day, has never raced on home soil. In a significant development for her career, she will now have the chance to drive for the first time the Super Formula Dallara SF23 at the series' post season testing at Suzuka, returning to Japan in front of her vast fanbase for the first time in four years.
Juju has in fact been announced as part of the TGM Honda squad for the 6-8 December test alongside Nobuharu Matsushita and Rasmus Lindh aboard the #55 machine.
"For four years I have been competing in Europe, it's really been a while since I raced here in Japan", Noda commented. "I am so looking forward to it, and no doubt I will do my best to challenge my own driving as I have always done. No matter what happens, I will never give up! I am so grateful to everyone who made this happen."
Super Formula represents Japan's premier formula series, one of the fastest in the world due to its high downforce that allows high cornering speeds.
The Japanese series has established itself as one of the most professional forms of single seater racing in the world and also promoted several drivers to F1 in the latest years.
TGM ran a two car operation in 2023, with Cem Bolukbasi and Toshiki Oyu starting the season, as the latter was then replaced by Hiroki Otsu and, for the final two rounds, by Toshiki Oyu.
Tatiana Calderon is the last woman to have entered a Super Formula race, having competed in Japan in 2020 and 2021.