All Japan Road Race Rd.2 Sugo: Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing takes victory, multiple podiums. Taiga Hada wins ST1000, Kohta Arakawa finishes 3rd, and Kohta Nozane earns podium in JSB1000
The second round of the 2026 MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship, “SUPERBIKE RACE in SUGO,” was held at Sportsland SUGO in Miyagi Prefecture from April 25 (Sat) to 26 (Sun). All classes competed during the event, and around 300 Astemo employees and their family members came to support the team.
Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing competed with eight riders across four classes: JSB1000, ST1000, ST600, and J-GP3.
April 25 (Sat): Qualifying / Weather: Cloudy / Track: Dry
-
- JSB1000 Qualifying and Race 1
The JSB1000 class featured two races during the weekend. Kohta Nozane steadily improved the machine setup throughout race week, despite the crash during pre-event testing.
Qualifying took place in cool conditions, and Nozane secured 4th on the grid for Race 1 and 6th for Race 2, both from the second row.
In the 18-lap Race 1, Nozane made a strong start and joined the lead group from the opening laps. He battled intensely for the podium positions and later fought with Nagashima (DUNLOP Racing Team with YAHAGI) for 3rd place. On the final lap, Nozane successfully overtook his rival in the chicane and crossed the line in 3rd, earning his first podium finish of the season.
- ST1000 Qualifying
Qualifying in the ST1000 class was interrupted by a red flag after a machine issue for Kohta Arakawa. Shortly after the session resumed, Taiga Hada crashed and heavily damaged his machine, but the team came together to repair it.
As lap times from the early part of the session remained unchanged, Hada secured 2nd on the grid and Arakawa 3rd, placing both riders on the front row.
- ST600 Qualifying and Race 1
The ST600 class also held two races. Kanta Hamada qualified 13th for both races, while Kenshin Nakatani started from 18th for both Race 1 and Race 2.
In Race 1, Hamada finished 13th and earned championship points. Nakatani showed strong pace while moving through the field, but later retired after a crash.
- J-GP3 Qualifying
In J-GP3 qualifying, second-year rider Techin Inaphai improved his time near the end of the session and secured an impressive 2nd place on the grid. Teammate Pongkhun Aeimnoi qualified 8th, while Rintaro Todaka improved his time to take 9th. Two riders lined up on the third row.
April 26 (Sun): Race / Weather: Sunny / Track: Dry
-
Race 2 for JSB1000 and ST600, along with the ST1000 and J-GP3 finals, were held on Sunday.
- JSB1000 Race 2
In the 22-lap Race 2, Nozane again fought near the front from the opening laps. As in Race 1, he battled closely with Nagashima for 3rd place throughout the race. However, contact occurred at Turn 3 with three laps remaining, causing him to lose positions. He pushed until the end but finished 4th, narrowly missing back-to-back podium finishes while still collecting valuable championship points.
- ST1000 Race
Hada made a perfect start and took the holeshot, leading the race from the opening lap. He then entered a close battle with Kunimine but maintained a steady pace and controlled the race to claim victory.
Arakawa also maintained a strong pace and fought for the podium throughout the race before finishing 3rd. Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing celebrated a double podium finish in the ST1000 class with 1st and 3rd places.
- ST600 Race 2
Hamada showed strong determination and finished 12th, scoring points in both races. Nakatani unfortunately retired after another crash but again demonstrated competitive speed during the race.
- J-GP3 Race
In the 20-lap race, Techin stayed in the group fighting for 2nd place during the early stages, while Pongkhun and Todaka also chased the leading riders. Midway through the race, all three riders joined the same group. On lap 17, Pongkhun overtook Techin and moved ahead. Pongkhun finished an impressive 6th in his debut race in Japan, while Techin crossed the line in 7th. Todaka battled for 9th place but narrowly finished 10th.
At an event where all classes competed, Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing earned its first JSB1000 podium of the season with Nozane’s 3rd-place finish. In ST1000, Hada claimed victory while Arakawa added another podium with 3rd place, demonstrating the team’s overall strength.
The next round, the “MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship Round 3 Kyushu,” will be held at Autopolis in Oita Prefecture from May 30 (Sat) to 31 (Sun). Thank you for your continued support of Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing.
■Comments from Team Director and Riders
-
- Team Director Shinichi Ito
This was the first full race weekend of the season with all classes competing, and our 2026 campaign has now fully started with eight riders across four classes. I would like to thank Astemo and everyone involved for supporting this team structure.
We had many crashes from the pre-event test onward, so it was a difficult race week for the team. In JSB1000, Nozane finished 3rd and 4th, but the gap to the top is still large, and we clearly identified areas to improve. We will prepare carefully from the next test session before Autopolis and work to close that gap.
In ST1000, both Hada and Arakawa reached the podium with 1st and 3rd places. Hada crashed in qualifying and heavily damaged the machine, but the staff repaired it perfectly and connected that effort to a great result. Arakawa also experienced technical trouble and could not complete enough laps, but his race performance showed clear progress, and we will continue improving so he can fight for victories in future rounds.
In ST600, Hamada suffered arm pump issues and could not fully show his performance, but he still finished in the points in both races. We will improve the physical side and aim for stronger results next time. Nakatani became faster every session and had the pace for a top-10 finish, but both races ended in crashes. Still, he pushed hard, and we expect good things from him in the next round.
In J-GP3, Techin had been strong in testing but could not achieve the results he wanted. Pongkhun, in his first race in Japan, steadily improved and finished 6th, which was an excellent performance. Todaka also improved and finished inside the top 10.
This SUGO round made our challenges very clear as a team, and we will aim for even better results at the next round.
-
- Rider: Kohta Nozane
Honestly, I wanted to increase the pace a little more throughout the race weekend. My average pace became more stable, and I was able to maintain consistent lap times, but it still was not enough to challenge the top two riders. Even so, I feel I gave my best with the current package.
Race 2 was frustrating because I could not fully take advantage of the momentum from Race 1. We also had a difficult race week after my crash in testing, but I’m thankful that the team prepared the machine perfectly and allowed me to finish both races without trouble.
I really wanted another podium in Race 2, so I also feel sorry about missing it. There are still balance issues with the bike, but I feel more comfortable attacking when the temperature is higher. For Autopolis, we will review both my riding and the machine setup and continue trying new ideas to improve.
-
- Rider: Taiga Hada
I crashed at Turn 3 during qualifying and badly damaged the bike. It was almost completely destroyed, but the mechanics worked until Sunday morning to repair it.
Everything had been going smoothly from testing until the qualifying crash, so I felt very sorry to the team for breaking that good momentum myself. In the race, I believed I could win if I got to the front and rode at my own pace. I’m very happy that I could repay the mechanics who repaired the bike by winning the race. I can only thank the whole team. I want to continue this momentum and fight for another win at the next round.
-
- Rider: Kohta Arakawa
During the pre-event test, I struggled to find good form, but once race week started, we gradually got back on track and moved in a positive direction.
We had trouble during qualifying and could not secure enough track time, but the Astemo staff and mechanics handled the situation very well and prepared the bike perfectly for the race. I’m grateful that we were able to complete the race safely despite the limited time.
Because I could not do enough long runs and continuous laps, I could not fully establish my pace during the race, and there were still some mistakes and setup details left unfinished. Still, I felt I was able to adjust little by little during the race, and I want to build on that experience for the next round.
At Autopolis, I want to use what I learned at SUGO to achieve more stable performance and stronger results.
-
- Rider: Kanta Hamada
This was my first race with the new team, and during testing I was running inside the top 10, so I had high expectations for myself. However, during race week the other riders improved further, while I could not make the next step and lost some ground.
Still, compared to last year, I definitely feel that I have improved. Maybe it was not a huge step forward, but I believe I am progressing steadily.
In Race 1, I struggled with arm pump, and in Race 2, after making adjustments, I made a mistake at the start. I had confidence in my starts, so that was frustrating, but I see it as valuable experience for the future.
The races made our challenges very clear, so I want to improve both physically and technically before Autopolis and aim for higher positions.
-
- Rider: Kenshin Nakatani
Both races ended in crashes, but I believe my pace before the crashes was not bad. In Race 1 I was in range of earning points, and in Race 2 I had moved close to 10th place, so I feel I have enough speed to compete.
The most important thing now is to stop crashing and maintain the positive aspects throughout the entire race. In Race 2, I was able to improve on the issues from Race 1, and I felt some progress in my performance.We did not make major setup changes because I focused more on confirming my own riding skills, so there is still room for improvement. Autopolis will also be my first time racing there in ST600, but I will prepare carefully.
-
- Rider: Techin Inaphai
I could not make a good start in the race, so I pushed hard in the corners to recover positions. I was able to catch the riders ahead in the corners, but after corner exit I could not gain enough speed, and I lost ground on the straights.
I kept fighting in the group without giving up, but I could not make the passes I needed. I had strong pace from the pre-event test and throughout race week, and I earned 2nd place on the grid, so I am really disappointed with the result. I will review the race carefully, understand the problems, and come back stronger at Autopolis to make up for this frustration.
-
- Rider: Pongkhun Aeimnoi
I was a little nervous for my first race in Japan. From Friday through qualifying, my lap times improved steadily, and I secured 8th place on the grid.
I made a good start to Turn 1, but I dropped to 9th in Sector 3. After that, I stayed in 8th place for most of the race. Midway through the race, I caught the group ahead, and near the end I joined the battle for 6th place.
I’m satisfied with my performance because I was able to finish 6th in the end. Thank you to Astemo SI Racing with Thai Honda and all the fans for your support. Please continue cheering for me at the next round.
-
- Rider: Rintaro Todaka
I struggled during the pre-event test and could not achieve the lap times I wanted. Once race week started, I gradually improved my pace, and in qualifying I significantly improved my personal best lap time.
I entered the race hoping to use that good feeling and momentum, but unfortunately I could not fight with the leading group. After that, I battled with Ota, but in the second half of the race I struggled to maintain my lap times.My challenge now is to keep my pace from dropping late in the race. I also need to increase my overall speed so I can join the riders fighting further ahead. Thank you for your continued support.
