Fighting his way through the pack, the Jaguar driver ended his 'mega' race in the points, keeping him firmly in the top three as a fierce manufacturer battle ensues ahead of the European rounds.
Despite starting the inaugural Tokyo E-Prix in 19th, Nick Cassidy bounced back on the Japanese streets, ending the race eighth while collecting some much-needed points to fuel his championship campaign.
The Kiwi went into Tokyo as the standings leader but, following a miserable qualifying session, which saw his time deleted due to a technical infraction, started the race near the back of the grid.
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"It's difficult [starting at the back] in the context of trying to look after your front wing," he said immediately after the race. "Racing at tracks like this, you have to choose the right lanes and pick your moments to be aggressive."
Doing just that, Cassidy started to move up the order, taking three places in the first six laps. By the mid-way point, he was up to 12th, closing in on the points, while carefully preserving his Jaguar I-Type 6. At the same time, the same couldn't be said for his teammate Mitch Evans, who was forced into retirement following contact with ERT's Sergio Sette Camara.
"Today I was more on the calm side," admitted Cassidy after the race. "After Sao Paulo, I tried to bring things back a bit and it worked out - we scored good points."
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With extensive experience in Japan, racing in Japanese Formula Three, Super Formula and Super GT, alongside a solid track record in Macau, Cassidy was holding out for a good result in Tokyo. "My career took off in Japan and it's where I got my chance in motorsport, so I'm really looking forward to going back," admitted the Kiwi ahead of the race. "The Japanese fans are very passionate about their motorsport, so I'm hoping I can give them something to cheer about."
Taking on the Tokyo streets with aplomb, Cassidy was visibly charged following his return to racing in Japan. "It was mega," he said, smiling in the post-race media pen. "It was a proper Formula E track with bumps, fast sections and corners - you're really on the limit. You have to attack in Qualifying. I thought the track was fantastic. I'm a proper street circuit lover, which is Formula E's DNA."
After keeping his promise to give the home crowd something to cheer about with an impressive points finish, Cassidy has successfully kept himself in the fight for the Drivers's World Championship. Picking up an essential four points in Tokyo, his 61-point total places him just two points adrift of new championship leader Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche).
Still, the battle is far from over. With Wehrlein, Cassidy and Rowland within touching distance of each other in the Drivers' World Championship standings - just nine points separate the trio - a three-way manufacturer battle is emerging between Porsche, Jaguar and Nissan. Who will emerge victorious remains to be seen but, for Cassidy, he's certain the British marque needs to improve.
"I don't feel like we're super efficient right now - we've got to improve. That's going to be key [in Misano]."
"[Nissan and Porsche] have made huge jumps and I think they're stronger than us right now, so we've got to improve. I'm not sure we can do that before Misano but we'll do our best."