Nojiri and his teammate aboard the #8 ARTA machine, Nirei Fukuzumi, ended up finishing down in 12th overall on less than half the points tally of Honda’s other two Bridgestone-shod GT500 crews, marking the Aguri Suzuki-led team’s worst result since the 2016 season.
The only visit to the podium all year for Nojiri and Fukuzumi came in May’s second round of the season at Fuji, as the pair took a low-key win in a race shortened by Nissan driver Mitsunori Takaboshi’s terrifying crash, and only after two Toyota crews were penalised.
