International A-class professional motorcycle rider Satoshi Tsujimoto began racing motorcars and labeled himself as a "Drider", a word he created by combining "driver" and "rider". Tsujimoto entered Japan's Super Taikyu endurance-race series with a custom-built Civic. He was paired with co-driver Yasukichi Yamamoto. In the season finale at Fuji Speedway, they drove cautiously on a faulty driveshaft, and limped to a 5th-place finish after their main rivals had dropped out. As a result, Tsujimoto and Yamamoto put a 9-point lead on the 2nd place team to seal their series title.