The third round of the 2026 D.I.D. All Japan Motocross Championship Series, the 21st Group Cup, took place from May 23–24 at Offroad Village in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. It marked the first two-day event of the season.
Heavy rain from Thursday into Friday raised concerns about track conditions, but by Saturday afternoon the weather had improved significantly, with dust beginning to rise from the circuit.
In the Ladies class, raced over a single 15-minute plus one lap moto, it was Myu Minoura (Team Itomo) who grabbed the holeshot ahead of defending champion Manaka Kawai (T.E.Sport) and Manaka Kawakami (YSP Hamamatsu BOSS Racing).
Kawai quickly made her move on Minoura during the opening lapses to take control of the race. Soon after, Kawakami advanced into second place, setting up an intense duel for victory between the two front-runners.
Despite deep ruts and heavy lapped traffic making conditions extremely difficult, Kawakami repeatedly attacked using different lines and closed alongside Kawai several times throughout the moto. Under constant pressure, Kawai responded with smart line choices and calm race management, successfully holding off Kawakami until the checkered flag to secure her third consecutive victory of the season.
Kawakami finished a strong second, while Minoura completed the podium in third.
Behind them was Nanami Honda (Team KOH-Z), who, despite her good pace, couldn’t quite reach the podium. Manaka Hokari (BLU CRU Tomo) completed the top five, her best result of the season.
The battle promises to be intense between Manaka Kawai and Manaka Kawakami, even though the reigning champion seems to be the clear favorite at the moment with three victories.
Manaka Kawai (#1)
“It was a tougher race than I expected. Because of the weather and humidity, we never fully got the carburetor setup right, and I struggled because the bike felt down on power. During the race, I focused on protecting my lines while watching where Kawakami could close the gap. I really had to think out there. From the middle of the race, the lapped riders started to come into play, and I tried to use them to my advantage. But it looked like Kawakami managed to get through them well too. I won the race, but I made too many mistakes and I’m not fully satisfied with my riding. The next round at Sportsland SUGO will probably get rough as well, but I’m confident because I like rutted tracks. I’ll keep pushing for another win next time.”
Manaka Kawakami (#14)
“Of course I’m frustrated, but more than anything I’m happy that we had such a fun race. Right after the race I kept thinking about why I couldn’t make the pass, but I could see Kawai making mistakes too, and I think I was able to put pressure on her. Up until Round 2, there was always a gap between us, so being able to battle from start to finish like this gave me confidence and made me feel like I was finally able to ride my own race. After the moto, we talked and both agreed it had been a really enjoyable race, so that was nice. The next round is also my birthday weekend, so I’ll do my best to give myself a win as a present.”
Myu Minoura (#2)
“I had ridden a lot before this event and tried many different setup changes until we found the best solution, so I felt confident coming in. I got a good start, and even after being passed I was still able to stay with Kawai, so I really felt like I had a chance today. But I still struggle mentally with deep ruts, and I made too many mistakes which caused me to lose contact. I also crashed during practice yesterday and the handlebars came off, so getting replacement parts ready was difficult, but I’m glad we were still able to race. There are only two weeks until SUGO, but I want to use this experience to keep improving even more.”
