Strong Opening Battles Across Categories as Motegi Kart Race Series Begins at Motegi

Round 1 of the Motegi Kart Race Series commenced at Mobility Resort Motegi, where drivers across nine categories began their campaigns with competitive performances through the Time Trial, Qualifying Heat, and Final Heat sessions.

YAMAHA Cadet Open
The YAMAHA Cadet Open category saw strong competition among the young drivers. In the Time Trial session, Watanabe Sadayuki of REON Racing Team set the benchmark ahead of Suzuki Hideya from Team TKC and Endo Akira of AKIGASE Kart Club.
The order remained unchanged in the Qualifying Heat with Watanabe again leading Suzuki and Endo. However, the Final Heat produced a shift at the front as Suzuki Hideya secured victory, finishing ahead of Endo Akira and early pace-setter Watanabe Sadayuki.

YAMAHA Super SS
Endo Haruhisa from Team Effegara topped the Time Trial in YAMAHA Super SS, followed by Takada Ryo of AKIGASE Kart Club and Murakami Yosuke from Team Ogast.
Takada Ryo responded strongly in the Qualifying Heat, claiming pole ahead of Endo and Murakami. In the Final Heat, Takada continued his strong run to secure the win, while Karasawa Kenjyu finished second and Endo Haruhisa completed the podium.

YAMAHA SS
Nagai Yamato delivered a dominant weekend in the YAMAHA SS category. The AKIGASE Kart Club driver topped the Time Trial and maintained control through both the Qualifying Heat and the Final Heat to secure a clean sweep of pole and Final race victory.
Behind him, the podium positions changed slightly across sessions, with Okoshi Takeshi and Hashiguchi Teruaki featuring prominently early on, while Yamamoto Yukiharu joined the podium in the Final Heat in P2 and Okoshi Takeshi in P3.

MAX Lights
Taniguchi Nao of Zi-ViVreRT demonstrated a consistent pace throughout the MAX Lights category. After topping the Time Trial, Taniguchi maintained the lead in the Qualifying Heat and continued the momentum into the Final Heat to secure victory.
Sugawara Shin remained consistently second throughout the event, while the third position changed from Muroi Asuka in the earlier sessions to Kurokawa Kosei in the Final Heat.

Mini MAX
Mini MAX saw changing leaders through the sessions. Inose Yoshishige led the Time Trial, but Ando Kaisho from GOLD MOTORSPORTS took pole in the Qualifying Heat.
Ando maintained that pace into the Final Heat to secure victory. Inose Yoshishige returned to the podium in second place, while Matsuoka Rei completed the top three.

Senior MAX
Tezuka Taiga of Zi-ViVreRT emerged as the standout driver in the Senior MAX category. After topping the Time Trial, he continued his strong form by topping the Qualifying Heat and winning the Final Heat.
Oda Yamato and Sakanoya Taiyo consistently featured among the leading positions, with Oda finishing second and Sakanoya third in the Final Heat.

Junior MAX
The Junior MAX category featured closely contested battles. Niihashi Takeshi led the Time Trial session, while Lloyd Kaito secured pole in the Qualifying Heat.
The Final Heat saw Shibazaki Takeru of HRS Japan take the win, ahead of Lloyd Kaito and Niihashi Takeshi, completing a tightly fought podium.

MAX Masters
Watanabe Masato of Super Racing Junkie! maintained a strong form throughout the MAX Masters category. He topped the Time Trial and Qualifying Heat before sealing the Final Heat victory.
Sejima Daiki and Nagato Kazuya joined him on the Final Heat podium, with Nagato maintaining consistent top three finishes across sessions.

FS-125/X30
The FS-125/X30 class also produced shifting results across the sessions. Iida Kazuhito led the Time Trial ahead of Kikuchi Yoshihiro and Matsui Toshiki.
The Qualifying Heat saw Iida again on top, but the Final Heat was won by Kikuchi Yoshihiro of K.SPEED WIN, followed by teammate Yoshida Kei and Oda Yamato.

With strong performances across multiple categories, the opening round at Motegi set the tone for a competitive season in the Motegi Kart Race Series championship.