Juju Noda

Juju Noda is a Japanese racing driver making waves as the first Japanese woman to compete in Super Formula, following in the tire tracks of her father, former F1 driver Hideki Noda—because apparently, the need for speed is hereditary.

EARLY YEARS

Born February 2, 2006, in Tokyo, Japan, Juju Noda didn’t exactly have a typical toddler experience. While most three-year-olds were mastering tricycles, she was already karting under the watchful eye of her father, Hideki Noda, a former Formula One driver who clearly believed in an early start. When Juju turned four, the family relocated from Tokyo to Mimasaka City in Okayama Prefecture, where Hideki had established the NODA Racing Academy at Okayama International Circuit. Living at a racetrack wasn’t just convenient—it was destiny in motion.

Her competitive debut came at age four in 2010, when she entered the KIDS Kart Competition beginner class. She won. Because why ease into things? By 2011, still barely old enough for kindergarten, she claimed double championships in both the 30cc and 40cc expert classes. Her childhood wasn’t about playgrounds and playdates; it was about racing lines and lap times. As a high school student in 2024, she balanced textbooks with telemetry data, a duality that would make most teenagers’ heads spin faster than her kart ever did.

OTHER INTERESTS

No information available on hobbies, interests, or activities outside of motorsports. If Juju has time for anything beyond racing, she’s keeping it to herself—or she simply doesn’t have time, which, given her schedule, seems more likely.

EARLY SUCCESS

Noda’s karting career from 2009 to 2012 reads like a highlight reel on fast-forward. After her 2011 double championship run, she dominated 2012 with three wins in the 100ccSS class and a perfect 4-for-4 sweep in Rotax Max. But karting was just the appetizer. At age nine, she tested single-seaters, and by ten, she became the youngest F4 debutant—a record that had the motorsports world doing double-takes at her birthdate. At twelve, she won the F4 U17 class; at thirteen, she conquered the F3 U17 class. Most teenagers are still figuring out geometry; she was calculating apexes at triple-digit speeds.

Her proper single-seater debut came in 2019 at the Lucas Oil Winter Race Series in the United States, where she finished 14th overall at just thirteen years old. In 2020, racing with the family team Noda Racing in the F4 Danish Championship, she won her debut race and finished sixth overall in the series. She returned in 2021, placing seventh. Racing in Denmark at fourteen wasn’t a gap year—it was grad school. As she later reflected, “With every race and training session, I could feel myself grow.” The European circuits weren’t just tracks; they were classrooms, and she was an excellent student.

By 2023, she had moved up to more competitive machinery. She competed in Euroformula Open, securing a win in Round 4 in France, and dominated the Zinox F2000 Formula Trophy in Italy across 14 rounds, claiming five race wins and the overall championship—becoming the first female driver to do so. During the Rome round, she demonstrated the composure of a seasoned pro: when cars crashed ahead of her while she was running fifth, she calmly radioed her father, “Am I in the lead?” She was. That kind of ice-cold awareness under pressure isn’t taught—it’s either there or it isn’t.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2010: Won debut race at age four in KIDS Kart Competition beginner class.
• 2011: Double champion in KIDS Kart 30cc and 40cc expert classes.
• 2012: Three wins in 100ccSS class and perfect 4-for-4 record in Rotax Max class.
• 2015: Became youngest F4 debutant at age ten.
• 2018: Won F4 U17 class at age twelve.
• 2019: Won F3 U17 class at age thirteen.
• 2020: Won debut race in F4 Danish Championship; finished sixth overall.
• 2023: Won Round 4 of Euroformula Open in France.
• 2023: First female champion of Zinox F2000 Formula Trophy with five wins across 14 rounds in Italy.
• 2024: Became the first Japanese woman to compete in Super Formula (formerly Formula Nippon), racing for TGM Grand Prix; finished 21st overall with a best finish of 12th at Suzuka in the penultimate round.
• 2025: Continued in Super Formula with newly established Hazama Ando Triple Tree Racing; finished 23rd overall.

INSPIRATIONS

There’s no mystery about who inspired Juju Noda: her father, Hideki Noda, is her hero, mentor, coach, and race engineer rolled into one. A former Formula One driver, Hideki didn’t just encourage his daughter’s interest in racing—he built an entire academy around it and moved the family to a circuit to make it happen. Her dream since childhood has been to follow in his footsteps to Formula One, a goal she’s pursued with single-minded determination. When your dad raced at the pinnacle of motorsport and then dedicated his post-retirement life to training the next generation, the bar isn’t just high—it’s in the stratosphere.

REPUTATION

Noda is widely regarded as a wunderkind and rising star, earning international attention for her youth, skill, and barrier-breaking achievements. Media coverage consistently emphasizes her pioneering role as the first Japanese woman in Super Formula and her rapid progression through increasingly competitive series. Her youngest-ever F4 debut made her a hot topic in motorsports circles, and her calm composure under pressure—exemplified by that matter-of-fact radio call in Rome—has only added to her mystique. While her Super Formula results in 2024 and 2025 showed she’s still learning at the highest national level (never qualifying higher than 19th and averaging 1.7 seconds off the pace in 2024), the fact that she’s there at all, at her age, speaks volumes. She’s capturing worldwide attention not just for what she’s done, but for what she represents: the next generation refusing to wait its turn.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Noda continues to compete in Super Formula with Hazama Ando Triple Tree Racing, a team she joined in 2025 when it was newly established. The 2026 season is currently in progress, and she remains committed to developing her skills in Japan’s premier single-seater series. Her ultimate goal, stated since childhood, is clear: to become a motorsport champion and reach Formula One, just like her father. Whether that path leads through F2, F3, or continued success in Super Formula remains to be seen—but if her track record is any indication, counting her out would be a mistake. She’s been defying expectations since she was three years old. Why stop now?

References:

Wikipedia – Juju Noda
Japan Forward – Profile on Juju Noda’s Super Formula Entry (2024)
NamuWiki – Juju Noda Career Details
Honda Racing – Super Formula Driver Profile: Juju Noda
Adria Mobil – Motorsport Inspiration: Juju Noda (2023)
Official Website – Juju Noda
YouTube – Juju Noda Career Retrospective (2023)