All Japan Road Race at Autopolis:Nozane takes consecutive second-place podiums in JSB1000 class!
For round 5 of MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship Round 5 “Superbike Race in Kyushu,” held at Autopolis (Oita prefecture) on September 13 – 14 (Sat/Sun), Nozane continued his podium streak.
Unlike the scorching heat of the Suzuka 8 Hours and the previous Motegi round, the temperatures were more moderate. However, the weather remained unstable throughout race week due to the unpredictable climate typical of Autopolis, nestled within the nature of Aso.
On Saturday the 13th, although there were occasional rain showers under cloudy skies, the qualifying sessions were held in dry conditions. In the JSB1000 class qualifying spanning 30 minutes, Nozane with further machine updates recorded a time of 1:48.815 on his first attack. He later improved his time to 1:48.351, securing second place on the grid for Race 1 and the third for Race 2.
The ST1000 class qualifying was 20 minutes long, but rain began to fall right after the riders started their runs. Despite avoiding contact with other riders, Haneda recorded a time of 1:51.379 on his second lap, earning second on the grid. Nakarin followed closely behind Hada and secured sixth position on the second row. Arakawa marked a time of 1:52.595 late in the session, placing tenth. In the J-GP3 class qualifying, four riders—Thanachat, Noprutpong, Techin, and Todaka—participated. All four steadily recorded times during the 20-minute session and secured positions from 15th to 18th.
In Race 1 of the JSB1000 class spanning over 15 laps. Nozane made a strong start and took the holeshot, leading the race early on. However, on lap 4, he was overtaken by Nakasuga (YAMAHA Factory Racing Team) and fell back to sixth after being swallowed by the pack. He continued to battle within the group fighting for second place and was running fifth at the start of the final lap. Then, sudden rainfall hit the track. While others rode cautiously, Nozane boldly pushed forward, climbing to second place and crossing the finish line to claim a podium spot.
On Sunday the 14th, heavy fog caused poor visibility, leading to the cancellation of the J-GP3 final race and delays in the overall schedule. However, the weather improved before JSB1000 Race 2, allowing the race to proceed with a reduced lap count of 12. In Race 2, Nozane allowed Nakasuga to take the lead at the start and entered Turn 1 in second. He briefly took the lead at the final corner of the opening lap but was overtaken again the following lap. As the gap gradually widened, Nozane continued to race despite sensing issues with his machine and held onto second place at the finish. He secured second-place podiums in both Race 1 and Race 2 of Round 5.
The scheduled ST1000 final was hit by heavy rain just before the warm-up session, followed by another wave of dense fog. As a result, the race was canceled, and riders up to 15th in qualifying were awarded half the points normally given in the final.
The next round will be held at Okayama International Circuit in Okayama Prefecture on October 4 – 5 (Sat/Sun). We appreciate your continued support.
