All Japan Road Race Round 3: Crashes and heated battles for the 4 young riders at Tsukuba
MFJ All Japan Road Racing Championship kicked off the third round at Tsukuba Circuit in Ibaraki Prefecture on June 21-22. Held concurrently with the Tsukuba Road Racing Championship, this race featured only the J-GP3 class in a two-race format, with qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday, and Race 2 on Sunday.
The two-kilometer Tsukuba Circuit is renowned for its many cambered corners, and for being a tight and technical 2-kilometer course—the shortest in race series. Of the four J-GP3 class riders, only the second-year rider Thanachat had prior experience at Tsukuba, while Techin, Noprutpong, and Todaka were tackling the course for the first time.
In Saturday’s official qualifying, Noprutpong recorded a time of 1:00.912, placing 11th, followed by Thanachat in 12th, Tehsin in 17th, and Todaka in 18th. In Race 1, both Techin and Todaka were involved in crashes; Todaka restarted but later retired, and Noprutpong also retired following a fall during the 11th lap. Thanachat was the only rider to complete the race, finishing in 10th place.
On Sunday, Race 2 was held amidst scorching summer-like conditions, with temperatures reaching 34°C and track surface temperatures peaking at 60°C. Despite the heat affecting bike performance, adjustments were made based on lessons learned from Race 1. Starting positions for Race 2 were as follows: Noprutpong in 11th, Thanachat in 13th, Techin in 16th, and Todaka in 17th. Noprutpong made a great start, finishing the opening lap in 10th, but gradually lost positions afterward. Thanachat improved his standing, ending the race in 12th. For the race’s conclusion, Todaka finished 17th, Noprutpong 18th, and Techin 23rd. Despite the grueling heat, all riders managed to finish the race.
