They say when racing is in your blood, being on track comes naturally, but it doesn’t come without years of practice and patience to get to the top.
Juju Noda is a 16-year-old Japanese racing driver who recently competed in the 2022 W Series. Across the 2022 season, Juju entered seven races with Academy in W Series, achieving a highest finish of 9th.
Some people may recognize the name Noda, and that’s because Juju is the daughter of former Formula One driver, Hideki Noda. The racing gene has clearly been passed down from generation to generation, as Juju started her karting career at just three-years-old.
By the time she was ten, Juju had already made her Formula debut in the Danish FR Championship. Just two years later and she had won the F4, then moved up and won F3 U17 class races by the age of 13. Of course, all of these results and podiums soon caused those within the racing world to take note of the young prodigy.
So, it should come as no surprise that Juju Noda became one of the breakout academy starlets in the 2022 W Series. She appeared in Barcelona for the second pre-season test of the year, the only driver to do so without either appearing in the first pre-season test or coming in as an automatic qualifier.
And Juju was certainly not there to just make up the numbers, as she even scored two points and finished 14th in the W Series championship table. Juju’s points came after a 9th-placed finish in Hungary, following her 12th, 15th, 13th, 16th, and 13th placed finishes in the previous five weeks.
711 with Juju Noda
7 Minutes / 11 Questions
From toys to cars…what was it about karting that sparked the desire to be where you are now, and with aims to steer into Formula 1.
I started karting when I was 3. But I also tried many other things such as gymnastics, classical ballet, karate, soccer, swimming, horse riding!…. But I was only interested racing.
Since then I am always thought about being one of best driver in the world.
I have natural feeling to drive the car without someone teaching me.
Though the last races of this season have been cancelled, this gives you extra time to work on and off the track! What hobby are you most looking forward to bring your attention to this winter ? And are you scheduling more time on track ?I don’t have much time to spend on my hobby in fact I like driving and while I am on a track for driving a car is what I want.I may be driving some race car in the winter in Japan.
Racing runs in your blood, can you say that your dad is your biggest support? What’s the favourite one-liner he regularly tells you.He usually doesn’t tell me much. But yes he is supporting me best he can.We always say Even you lose and again losing , you will never give up.How was racing alongside Formula One, and how did it differs from supporting other championships?Most difference is the track conditions. You will find a lot of grip during F1 event.Other than that it is not much different except you have to park the road car so far away , paddock is very far from the pit. You don’t feel like you are racing with F1.
What racing championships interest you the most that aren’t single-seaters?Probably LMP cars. It is close to single seater and a lot of downforce.
You were scheduled to are in Japan before the season calendar was altered. Did you feel more support from Singapore compared to in Europe?It is shame that we couldn’t come to Suzuka. But yes I felt a lot of support in Singapore.
And I liked the street circuit.What do you feel your biggest success in your racing career has been thus far.Managed to drive Formula 4 when I was 9 years old.Won the championship of Formula U17 in Japan.Won my debut race in Europe.Won Drexler cup race in Czech.
How fast is fast?I did 260km/h but didn’t feel so fast.Who are you looking forward to racing most next season?Myself.
What is your favourite circuit and why?I don’t have any preference circuit.How do you balance school and work at such a young age.You cannot balance it. You won’t be able to get everything you want but you can focus on what you would like to achieve.And finally, what words of encouragement would you give to young drivers aspiring to be just like you.I am still learning and feel not the position to say any to people yet.But I can say that I am putting everything and all the effort for achieving my goal.
