All Japan Road Race Final Round at Suzuka: Hada crowned ST1000 champion, 3 riders on podium
With the series champion in sight, on October 25 and 26 (Sat to Sun), 2025, the final round 7of MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship Series for th' 2025 season was held at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture. Leading into the race, SI Racing was fighting for the 2nd overall spot for the JSB1000 class, while our team was heavily favored to win the series championship for the ST1000 class.
Rider Kohta Nozane aimed to enhance his ompetitiveness by updating the engine, but during the short riding sessions on Thursday and Friday, he had to work through machine setup while facing challenges.
Race 1 of the JSB1000 class on Saturday turned into wet conditions as heavy rain draped the tarmac began just before the start. Nozane experienced a machine issue immediately after the start. Aiming to earn as many points as possible to finish second overall in the series rankings, he dropped to 8th position at one point but recovered to 6th.
In the previous Okayama round, Taiga Hada of the ST1000 class claimed his third victory of the season, entering the final round with the championship title within reach. Once the riding sessions began, he took to the track alongside his teammates Kohta Arakawa and Nakarin Atiratphuvapat. On the course, Hada led the two riders while sharing machine setup data, and thanks to this synergy, all three consistently ranked at the top of the time sheets. Hada,in particular,maintained strong form, recording the fastest times in all sessions on Thursday and Friday under dry conditions.
The ST600 class qualifying was held under semi-wet conditions, and Takuto Suzuki placed 20th.
Rain continued from the morning on Sunday, and Race 2 was held under wet conditions.
The ST1000 class final was declared a wet race and shortened by two laps, making it a 10-lap contest.
Takuto Suzuki struggled with machine setup in the ST600 class final. Even under wet conditions, he was unable to find a good feeling with the bike, making for a challenging race. Nevertheless, he managed to complete the race and finished in 23rd place.
Due to wet conditions, the J-GP3 class final was shortened by two laps and contested over 11 laps.
In these challenging conditions, I’m truly glad that Hada was able to stay focused on his task and win the championship. In the ST1000 class, the team worked as one—sharing setup data and supporting each other during qualifying and race sessions. Centered around Hada, Arakawa and Nakarin also contributed greatly to the result. I once again felt that this outcome was only possible thanks to Astemo’s support.
This time, we started by checking the updated engine. By Friday afternoon, I felt the pace had slightly improved. On Saturday, the qualifying was held in semi-wet conditions, and Race 1 was fully wet, making it hard to find a consistent rhythm. Having to suddenly switch to wet settings was honestly quite difficult. In Race 1, we had some trouble, and it was a tough race, but I managed to finish in 5th place. Since I was still in contention for 2nd in the rankings, I prioritized finishing the race to keep that hope alive.
Honestly, I wanted to finish the season with a win in the final round, but I knew the rainy conditions would be tough. So I decided to focus solely on winning the championship.
To be honest, I wasn’t in great form this time and was struggling with the direction of the setup. However, as I reviewed things with the team, I gradually started to get a better feel, and I was able to post a decent time in qualifying. The final race was in the rain, but the feeling was better than expected. Although there were still areas I wanted to improve, I managed to finish in second place.
I’ve raced at Suzuka Circuit before in the Suzuka 8 Hours, but this race week was my first time riding in the ST1000 class with different machines and tires. Thanks to my teammate Hada, who helped guide me, I was able to learn the course quickly in a short amount of time. In qualifying, Hada secured second, Arakawa third, and I took fourth, allowing three Astemo SI Racing bikes to line up together on the grid.
During Thursday and Friday’s dry conditions, I felt some improvement on Friday compared to the first day, but the overall feeling still wasn’t great, and I felt my riding style wasn’t syncing well with the setup. Even in the wet, I couldn’t get the feeling I wanted, and I ended up finishing the race without ever really finding a good rhythm.
Suzuka is a circuit I’ve raced on last year, and I came into this round with confidence gained from the previous race in Okayama. That helped me improve my performance significantly by the time qualifying came around. Despite the difficult conditions, I was able to secure 8th on the grid—my personal best starting position so far.
From Friday’s practice sessions, the bike felt really good, and I was able to ride comfortably. As a result, I set a new personal best in free practice and built great momentum heading into the final race. My pace remained stable in qualifying, and I secured 9th on the grid in the third row. With both a time improvement and my best-ever starting position, I felt that my goal of battling within the top 10—set after the previous round—was becoming realistic.
This time, there was no pre-race testing, and the race week began with special sports practice sessions on Thursday.
■October 25 (Saturday): Warm-up session, qualifying, and JSB1000 Class Race 1 - Weather: Rain / Track: Wet
- JSB1000 class qualifying
On Saturday, with unstable weather conditions and a wet track that didn’t dry, the official qualifiers took place. Despite the difficult conditions, Nozane secured 4th position on the grid for both Race 1 and Race 2.
- JSB1000 Class – Race1
Toward the end of the race, the rain intensified, causing multiple riders to crash. A red flag came out at the start of the final lap, and since one rider failed to return within five minutes after the red flag, the official result was based on the standings at the end of lap 12, placing Nozane in 5th.
- ST1000 Class
In Saturday’s official qualifying, Hada clocked a time of 2:08.157. Although he narrowly missed pole position, he secured a solid second place. Arakawa and Nakarin followed closely in third and fourth positions, resulting in a lineup of Astemo-colored Honda CBR1000RR-R machines occupying the 2nd to 4th spots on the grid.
- ST600 Class, JGP-3 Class
In the J-GP3 class qualifying, the session also took place under challenging semi-wet conditions.
Techin In-Aphai (Brite) of Astemo SI Racing with Thai Honda secured 8th position, while Rintaro Todaka of Astemo SI Racing with RSC achieved 9th. Both riders earned their personal best grid positions.
■Sunday, October 26: Final races – JSB1000 Race 2 / ST1000 / ST600 / J-GP3 - Weather: Rain/ Track: Wet
- JSB1000 Class – Race 2
Kohta Nozane made a strong start, taking the holeshot and briefly leading the race. However, he was overtaken by Uramoto at Turn 2. Nozane regained the lead at Turn 3 and entered the West Course in first position. He was then passed by Uramoto at the hairpin, Mizuno at 130R, and Iwata, but managed to retake Iwata at the chicane, finishing the opening lap in third place.
Nozane tenaciously chased the two riders ahead, but the gap gradually widened. On lap 4, a crash occurred at 200R, prompting the deployment of the safety car. This allowed the gap to close again, but after the restart, the top two pulled away once more, leaving Nozane running solo in third. He maintained this position to the checkered flag, finishing third in the final race of the 2025 season.
- ST1000 Class – Final Race
Taiga Hada made a strong start, taking the holeshot, followed by Kohta Arakawa in second and Nakarin Atiratphuvapat in fourth. However, at Turn 3, Kunimine overtook Hada to take the lead and began pulling away, only to crash on lap 3. Kamei, who then took the lead, also crashed on lap 5, resulting in the provisional second- and third-ranked riders exiting the race.
Hada regained the lead but chose not to engage in risky battles with riders approaching from behind, instead responding calmly. Arakawa moved ahead of Hada and finished second, while Hada crossed the line in third, securing the series championship title.
This marked Hada’s first championship win, and for the team, it was their fourth title overall, and the first since Kazuma Watanabe’s three consecutive wins from 2021.
- ST600 Class – Final Race
- J-GP3 Class – Final Race
At the start of the race, Rintaro Todaka led Brite (Techin In-Aphai), setting the pace. On lap 6, Brite moved ahead and began gaining positions. Despite both riders lacking an ideal wet setup, they completed the race solidly.
Brite achieved his personal best finish in 11th place, while Todaka finished 14th.
■Comments from Team Directors and Riders
- Director Shinichi Ito
This time, many executives came to the track, and I genuinely felt that we were 'fighting as part of Astemo.' I’m deeply grateful for that.
As for Nozane in the JSB1000 class, we simply didn’t have enough time. But with Honda’s backing, I can see his strength steadily growing. The top machines and riders were very strong, but we also felt we were closing the gap. Next year, we’ll prepare thoroughly during the off-season and aim to be fully involved in the title fight.
- Kohta Nozane
Race 2 was also wet, and although I got ahead early on, the top two riders had incredible pace, and I couldn’t hold them off. Still, I feel I gave everything I had. Looking back on this season, it was truly a year of challenges. Both the team and I made continuous updates, and although we faced issues and crashes, we gained a lot from the experience.
I believe this was the season where I came closest to winning. Next year, I’ll aim for my first victory—and beyond that, the championship.
- Taiga Hada
In the end, I achieved that goal, and I’m truly happy and relieved. This result was made possible because the team provided me with an outstanding bike. I was able to win every race held in dry conditions, and securing the series championship is thanks to the team, everyone at Astemo, and all the supporters. I’m sincerely grateful to all of you. Thank you very much.
- Kohta Arakawa
This season had its ups and downs, including bike troubles and moments when things didn’t go as planned, but all of it was a valuable learning experience. Joining the team this year, everything was a continuous process of learning. Each race helped me recognize my challenges and growth. More than anything, I realized the importance of being flexible in my thinking and approach. I’ll use this experience to become stronger next year.
- Nakarin Atiratphuvapat
The final race was wet, and with limited experience in rainy conditions at Suzuka, it was a tough challenge for me. I battled with Sakumoto for fourth place for much of the race, but unfortunately, the gap to third widened, and I couldn’t catch up. Still, I’m very satisfied with the result, as I was able to push close to my limit and finish the race safely. I sincerely congratulate Hada on winning the championship—well done! And thank you for always supporting me.
Heading into the final round of the Asia Road Racing Championship in Thailand, I’ll carry this momentum forward and aim to win the championship just like Hada.
Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to Thai Honda, Director Ito, the mechanics who always supported me, and everyone who cheered for me throughout this year. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to race in the All Japan Road Race Championship as a member of Astemo SI Racing.
- Takuto Suzuki
In the first half of the season, I was affected by injury, but in the second half, I was able to ride without any issues. That’s why I’m really disappointed I couldn’t achieve the results I was hoping for, and I feel I caused trouble for the team. Still, I’m grateful that I was able to race all the way through to the final round. Thank you so much to everyone who supported me.
- Techin In-Aphai (Brite)
Unfortunately, the final race was held in the rain, and since my wet setup wasn’t ideal, it was a tough race. Still, I managed to finish safely without crashing and crossed the line in 11th place, again setting a new personal best. My best lap time during the race was comparable to the riders ahead of me, and I truly felt that I’ve made solid progress.
I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to compete full-time in the highly competitive All Japan Road Race Championship this season. I sincerely thank everyone at Thai Honda for believing in me and giving me this chance, Director Ito, the mechanics, and all the team staff who supported me throughout. I strongly hope to continue racing with this team next year.
- Rintaro Todaka
The final race was held in the rain, and due to my lack of experience with wet setups, it was a tough race. Still, I gave it my all and finished in 14th place, the same result as in Okayama. I’m disappointed that I couldn’t carry the momentum from Saturday into the final, but I learned a lot.
Looking back on this year, I truly feel that I’ve grown as a rider. At the same time, my desire to become faster has grown even stronger. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Director Ito, Mr. Yanagimoto from RSC, Performance Director Mr. Watanabe, and all the team staff who supported me. Thank you so much. I hope to continue pushing myself alongside my teammates next year.
