By finishing fifth two weeks within the past at Motegi, Mugen Honda driver Nojiri wrapped up a title that has constantly regarded seemingly to be his ever since he made it back-to-back wins your total technique back in April, when the sequence made its first search recommendation from of the year to Suzuka.
But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing at stake for this weekend’s season finale on the Eastern System 1 venue, which moreover carries the prestigious ‘JAF Colossal Prix’ title.
Nojiri is also extra than 30 facets definite on the head of the drivers’ standings, but the gap from 2d to eighth is a mere 17 facets, with 28 up for grabs this weekend – which technique that anybody of seven drivers would possibly maybe maybe also ward off Suzuka as the runner-up.
Here, we trip thru every driver in turn and what they are going to be focusing on particularly:
Ingredients: 47.5, Wins in 2021: 0 (2nd x1)
Purpose: Cement handiest-ever championship receive, abet actual Teams’ title for Impul
Yuhi Sekiguchi, carenex TEAM IMPUL
Portray by: Masahide Kamio
Sekiguchi lies 2d within the standings heading to Suzuka following a solid trip to fourth closing day out at Motegi, and if he can hold on to that feature it would possibly maybe maybe mark the 34-year-light’s handiest-ever result – bettering the third he secured in his rookie advertising and marketing and marketing campaign in 2016.
What Sekiguchi has lacked this year by strategy of wins he has made up for by strategy of sheer consistency, with four high-five placings out of six (supreme Nojiri has extra). That acknowledged, with out his error behind the security car at Autopolis and any other plug-up that designate him third to Tadasuke Makino at Motegi, he’s also even additional within the definite within the fight for 2d.
There’s moreover the secondary plot of helping Impul to actual what would be its first groups’ title since 2010. Because Mugen’s two autos are a small little bit of bizarrely registered individually for groups’ facets, Impul in fact takes a lead of two facets to Suzuka over the ‘fundamental’ Mugen team, represented supreme by Nojiri.
Toshiki Oyu (Nakajima Racing)
Ingredients: 41. Wins in 2021: 0 (2nd x2)
Purpose: Replicate his Suzuka receive of 2020
Toshiki Oyu?TCS NAKAJIMA RACING?
Portray by: Masahide Kamio
After a formidable trip to 2d behind Nirei Fukuzumi at Sugo, quick sophomore Toshiki Oyu’s title hopes had been dealt a deadly blow by two unlucky results within the two Motegi races.
Now the Nakajima Racing teen returns to the scene of his step forward receive from closing year, but this time with out the stress of attending to withhold the title fight alive. A sorrowful birth from third on the grid averted Oyu from demonstrating his doable on this year’s first Suzuka trip, but his speed all the way thru the Mie Prefecture track is no longer in doubt.
In the fight for 2d within the championship, Oyu will drop his worst ranking (two facets) if he rankings no longer decrease than three facets this weekend, so the effective gap to Sekiguchi, who’s supreme shedding half a degree, is admittedly eight facets.
Sena Sakaguchi (Inging)
Ingredients: 35.5, Wins in 2021: 0 (2nd x2)
Purpose: Seal Rookie of the 365 days honours
Sena Sakaguchi, P.MU/CERUMO?INGING
Portray by: Masahide Kamio
No matter occurs at Suzuka, it has already been a truly carried out season for Sakaguchi, who has scored two runner-up finishes this term and has absolutely destroyed a highly-rated teammate within the compose of Sho Tsuboi within the Inging squad.
On the other hand, Sakaguchi is in pole feature to receive ‘Rookie of the 365 days’ honours, albeit with a noteworthy reduced margin of two facets over fellow newcomer Hiroki Otsu. Sakaguchi has two facets to drop whereas Otsu has actual one, so seemingly whichever of the pair finishes increased up the expose on Sunday will advance away with the prize.
Nirei Fukuzumi (Dandelion)
Ingredients: 34, Wins in 2021: 1
Purpose: Smash out his put up-Sugo lunge
Nirei Fukuzumi, DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING
Portray by: Masahide Kamio
Fukuzumi used to be arguably the ‘accurate victor’ on Trim System’s first search recommendation from to Suzuka this year, having led barely very effortlessly from Nojiri before a puncture ended his hopes.
Even when he made up for that disappointment two races later at Sugo with a maiden receive within the category, hopes of a concerted title fightback had been effectively over after a unlucky qualifying effort within the August Motegi round, even before he used to be punted correct into a crawl by Kenta Yamashita on lap one and then clobbered by Koudai Tsukakoshi for factual measure.
After a frankly anonymous 2d search recommendation from to Motegi that yielded a 12th-space receive (no longer helped by deciding on the imperfect time to pit for slick tyres), Fukuzumi will merely be aiming to recapture his earlier sturdy compose with out annoying too noteworthy about one thing else else, boosted by victory in closing weekend’s Autopolis SUPER GT round.
Hiroki Otsu (Mugen)
Ingredients: 33.5, Wins in 2021: 1
Purpose: Tag Motegi used to be no fluke
Hiroki Otsu, Red Bull MUGEN Workforce Goh
Portray by: Masahide Kamio
Trim System’s most fresh winner heads back to a circuit where he had his handiest results of the season before closing weekend’s miraculous victory at Motegi in blended prerequisites.
Otsu himself used to be gracious sufficient to admit he used to be lucky to catch the benefit of his team’s call to position him on slicks whereas the remainder of the sector went with wets on a drying track in Q3, giving him pole, and then a security car within the trip made it a straightforward resolution to pit for slicks and withhold the lead.
It used to be a effectively-timed receive for Otsu, who has potentially executed sufficient to be obvious that his presence on the Trim System grid for any other season. But nonetheless, he’ll be desirous to show what he can fabricate on a truly dry circuit with out any the abet of the weather gods.
Ryo Hirakawa (Impul)
Ingredients: 31, Wins in 2021: 0 (2nd x1)
Purpose: Re-keep supremacy over Sekiguchi
Ryo Hirakawa, carenex TEAM IMPUL
Portray by: Masahide Kamio
Lacking a trip at Sugo hasn’t helped Hirakawa’s feature within the championship, but even environment that aside it’s been a tough couple of races for the man who, no longer decrease than on the evidence of the first two races, gave the affect devour the staunch Toyota driver capable of preventing on the entrance.
Perchance there used to be an component of stress associated with Motegi being portrayed as one thing of a Hirakawa fiefdom thanks to the Impul man’s wins on the track in 2019 and 2020, particularly with Nojiri effectively definite within the standings by that time. Both technique, now the title fight is over, Hirakawa can merely focal point on scoring a first victory at a track as antagonistic to Motegi.
There’s moreover the matter of intra-Impul bragging rights to resolve. While Sekiguchi is also too a ways forward to prefer within the standings, no longer since April’s first Suzuka trip has Hirakawa truly executed sooner than his teammate – an anomaly he’ll be obvious to accurate this weekend.
Nobuharu Matsushita (B-Max)
Ingredients: 30.5, Wins in 2021: 0 (third x2)
Purpose: Persuade Honda to withhold him in space for 2022
Nobuharu Matsushita, B-Max Racing Workforce
Portray by: Masahide Kamio
Pondering regarding the team missed the first trip of the season and modified engineers after the 2d, it’s no longer been a corrupt advertising and marketing and marketing campaign at pondering regarding the minute B-Max outfit and its new talisman Matsushita. In actuality, such has been the ex-F2 driver’s fresh compose, no longer decrease than on trip day, that a first receive for B-Max seems devour a life like purpose now.
Unlike the other drivers on this list, Matsushita is no longer officially affiliated to either engine manufacturer and is known to catch introduced a small funds to actual his seat, as soon as Honda had dropped its objections to having a Nissan SUPER GT driver in considered one of its seats.
That puts him in a relatively extra precarious feature almost a couple of 2022 seat, so a formidable pause to the season would fabricate his hopes of staying on the grid next year no wound at all.
