Shibazaki, Hida, Kunibo and Keelin Prevail as Penalties and Drama Shape Rotax Max Challenge Japan APG Round 4

Micro MAX

Uruma Nushido opened the weekend on top in qualifying, edging Sei Shimizu and Takahisa Kunibo despite Hisato Shimoyama losing his fastest lap for a front fairing infringement.

Once racing began, however, Kunibo emerged as the benchmark. He won both heats, leading Hugo Liang home in each race while Shimizu and Minato Mori shared the remaining podium positions. The category saw its share of penalties, including Hidetoshi Matsuda's disqualification in Heat 1 for a dangerous act under yellow flags and multiple front fairing penalties across the field.

The final cemented Kunibo's dominance. He secured a third consecutive victory of the weekend ahead of Rui Mikami and Shimizu, while Mori failed to start and Matsuda retired. Eiba Ogino was later disqualified for a return-to-queue zone violation, ensuring the final classification remained under scrutiny until the last review.

MAX Lights and MAX Lights KYOJO/Junior

Muneyuki Hatta topped MAX Lights qualifying, but the momentum shifted quickly. Ryu Miyazaki inherited control after Hatta retired in the heat, defeating Kijutsu Asaka and Ai Morozumi.

The final followed the same pattern. Miyazaki completed a clean sweep of the competitive sessions, leading Asaka and Morozumi home to secure maximum points from the round.

The combined MAX Lights KYOJO/Junior field delivered a more varied story. Momoka Ishizaki claimed pole position, but Mao Shimazu fought back in the heat, defeating Rinsho Akaike and Kanon Tamura.

When the categories split for their finals, Shimazu converted that momentum into victory in KYOJO, ahead of Seira Kojima and Ishizaki. Akaike took top honours in Junior, leading Kazuki Ishihara and Issho Takeda.

Mini MAX

Mini MAX produced one of the most competitive weekends at Gotemba. Minato Mori secured pole position despite Aito Yokoi losing his fastest qualifying lap for exceeding track limits.

Tomoya Onishi struck first in Heat 1, beating Shunya Niwa and Rei Matsuoka, before Mori responded in Heat 2 ahead of Yoshishige Inoshe and Matsuoka.

The final ultimately belonged to Onishi. He secured victory after a hard-fought contest, with Matsuoka second and Yokoi recovering to third. Naira Arita was later disqualified for a return-to-queue zone violation, bringing another layer of post-race adjustment to the results.

MAX Masters

MAX Masters was arguably the most dramatic category of the weekend.

Masanori Kato led qualifying from Yoichi Kiyama and Terry Keelin, though multiple lap deletions and tie-break decisions influenced the final order. Megumi Yuge then won the heat ahead of Keelin and Kiyama, setting up a closely contested final.

Post-race scrutiny transformed the result entirely. Kiyama and Kato were both disqualified, while Yuge was excluded for a dangerous re-entry. Those rulings elevated Keelin to victory ahead of DRAGON and Yasushi Otsubo, turning what appeared to be a podium battle into one of the most significant classification shake-ups of the weekend.

Senior MAX

Senior MAX featured one of the deepest fields at APG.

Akihiro Hida topped qualifying from Ryusei Murata and Sosho Iida, while Evan Gilaire remained a constant threat despite losing his fastest qualifying lap. Hida won Heat 1 ahead of Gilaire and Yuichi Mikasa, before Taito Sakano responded in Heat 2 with victory over Hida and Gilaire.

The final returned control to Hida. He delivered a composed drive to secure the win ahead of Gilaire and Iida, successfully converting qualifying pace into the category's most important result.

Junior MAX

Junior MAX delivered perhaps the busiest stewarding workload of the entire weekend. Multiple lap deletions, penalties, disqualifications, and procedural infringements reshaped nearly every session.

Michinaga Fujiwara claimed pole position, but Kosei Imamura won Heat 1 ahead of Kazuhito Iida and Takeshi Niihashi. Takashi Shibazaki then emerged in Heat 2, leading Niihashi and Iida.

The final saw Shibazaki complete his rise through the weekend. He secured victory ahead of Niihashi and Imamura after Iida dropped from a podium position following a five-second penalty. Additional penalties for yellow-flag violations, dangerous re-entries, and post-race conduct continued to alter the order long after the chequered flag.

Round 4 at Auto Paradise Gotemba reinforced a recurring theme of the 2026 Rotax Max Challenge Japan season: outright speed alone is rarely enough. Across seven categories, drivers had to combine pace with discipline, as penalties and technical infringements repeatedly proved capable of changing the outcome as much as performance on track.