2023 Super Formula Championship

[21] Nojiri also took pole position for the second race of the weekend, but a great start by Oyu saw him take the lead into turn three.

Oyu tried once to retake the lead, but then struggled for pace, allowing INGING's Sho Tsuboi to take second place, before dropping further down and finishing last.

TOM'S driver Ritomo Miyata and Hirakawa stopped under the ensuing safety car, thereby coming out third and fourth.

Their fresher tyres allowed them to take the fight to the leaders, with Miyata eventually ending up in the lead and winning the race ahead of Tsuboi, and Hirakawa passing Lawson for third.

Miyata was the only other frontrunner yet to pit and did so as Oyu and Sakaguchi crashed to bring out a timely safety car.

He then pitted a lap earlier than the leader and once again used his warmed up tyres to take first place, just as he did against Nojiri in the first race of the season.

As the race stayed green until the end, the drivers who delayed their stop, led by KCMG's Naoki Yamamoto, were also no problem for him.

Miyata had started fifth and passed Nakajima Racing's Ren Sato for third on lap 31 to hold on to his championship lead by a single point.

[26] Mobility Resort Motegi played host for round seven, and Nojiri was back on pole position.

This saw Lawson aggressively challenge Nojiri for the lead into turn two, with the New Zealander running wide over the kerbs, spinning across the track, hitting Makino and Impul's Yuhi Sekiguchi and sending both cars airborne.

After the restart, the race remained relatively uneventful, with Nojiri leading the pack home after a slow pitstop cost his nearest challenger Hirakawa any chance of victory.

[27] The final double header at Suzuka began with Nojiri taking a crucial pole position to earn three more points and move past Lawson, who could only qualify seventh.

[28] Lawson took pole position for the final race of the season to minimize his gap to Miyata to twelve points.

Ohta pitted later than his rivals, came out in front and spent the rest of the race fending off Lawson before eventually taking his maiden win.

Nojiri could only manage fourth after a longer first stint waiting for a safety car and therefore lost second in the standings to Lawson by half a point.

[29] While all the talk was of the battle between Nojiri and Lawson leaving the first weekend, Miyata strongly inserted himself into the discussion through the next rounds.