Mugen driver Nojiri stretched his points advantage over the course of last weekend’s Motegi double-header event with a third-place finish on Saturday’s race and fourth on Sunday.
Sacha Fenestraz took over as Nojiri’s closest rival in the points by finishing second in a rain-soaked opening race, but then slipped to 32 points off the championship leader after coming home sixth in the second race.
With 46 points on the table at final double-header of the season at Suzuka in October, Nojiri merely needs to score 15 points across the weekend to guarantee himself a second Super Formula crown.
The 32-year-old said he would be focused only on getting the points he needs despite having not won a race since the second round of the season at Fuji Speedway.
“As long as we get the title, I don’t really care about the results in the races themselves,” said Nojiri, who can wrap up the title in the first Suzuka race by finishing second.
“This year’s battle isn’t the greatest show and it may not be that interesting for those watching, but by taking such an approach I think I’m showing a way of racing that’s different from the other drivers.
“Scoring points consistently is vital, so at Suzuka I want to understand the best way to simply get the points I need at that moment.”
Reflecting on his drive to fourth in the second Motegi race, Nojiri explained he was aware that there was a risk of being undercut by eventual winner Yuhi Sekiguchi but said his strategy was based entirely on outscoring nearest title rival Fenestraz.
He did still manage to undercut Toshiki Oyu, who started from pole but held up the leading group for several laps after the start of the pit window, but dropped behind Tadasuke Makino and a late-stopping Ryo Hirakawa as well as Sekiguchi.
“It seemed Oyu was slowing me down, so I was thinking of entering the pits, but our strategy was based on making sure we finished ahead of Sacha,” Nojiri admitted.
“That’s why we were late dealing with Sekiguchi… or rather, we considered that there were risks going down that route too. I heard that Sekiguchi was stuck in traffic, so I don’t think any of us [in the team] thought it was best.
“This time we were disciplined and stuck to covering off Sacha. It was a case of ‘know who your real opponent is’.
“Finally we were able to widen the points gap, and I think it was important to take that momentum into the season finale.”
