The fourth round of the 2026 D.I.D. All Japan Motocross Championship Series took place on June 6–7 at Sportsland SUGO in Miyagi Prefecture. Held over two days shortly after the third round of the season, the event was heavily affected by wet weather conditions.
Rain before and during the weekend left the track extremely challenging. Although the circuit gradually improved throughout the races, riders still had to deal with rough terrain, deep ruts, and light rain that continued to fall during the event, all of which played a major role in the outcome of the races.
In the Women’s class, contested over 15 minutes plus one lap, Manaka Kawakami (YSP Hamamatsu Boss Racing) got off to a perfect start. After qualifying in first position, she grabbed the holeshot and quickly took control of the race.
Behind her, Myuu Minoura (Team Itomo) and Nanami Honda (Team Koh-Z) settled into the leading group, while championship leader Manaka Kawai (T.E.Sport) suffered a poor start and was forced to charge through the field.
Kawai quickly found her rhythm and began making passes. After overtaking both Minoura and Honda, she had already climbed into second place by lap two. Up front, Kawakami maintained an impressive pace and built a lead of around seven seconds during the early stages of the race.
However, Kawai consistently posted faster lap times and gradually closed the gap. Lap after lap, the pressure increased as the two riders engaged in an intense fight for victory. In the closing laps, the battle took a dramatic turn when Kawakami collided with a lapped rider and crashed.
The incident handed the lead to Kawai, who seized the opportunity and never looked back. Although Kawakami remounted and pushed hard to recover, she lost valuable time and could only fight her way back to third position.
At the checkered flag, Manaka Kawai secured an impressive comeback victory and strengthened her lead in the championship standings. Nanami Honda capitalized on the late-race drama to finish second, while Manaka Kawakami completed the podium after leading much of the race.
Myuu Minoura finished in fourth position, while Itsua Akamatsu completed the Top 5. Behind them came riders such as Natsuki Kusumoto and Riko Okubo. Eiai Suzumura secured eighth place, marking her best result of the season so far. Saeko Matsuki crossed the line in ninth, allowing her to break into the championship Top 10 standings. Yuzuki Sasaki rounded out the Top 10 and claimed her first top-ten finish of the season.
Manaka Kawai : “I wasn’t feeling great from yesterday’s practice onward, and I struggled a lot with the suspension settings. In the end, I made major changes before the race. This morning, I honestly didn’t have much confidence, but after the practice session went well, I was able to regain my mindset. For this race, the inside line to the first corner had been heavily worked on before the start, so I intentionally chose a gate in the middle. I got a poor start, but surprisingly I managed to move into second place fairly quickly. However, by then the leader had already created a gap. I knew I had to push, so I kept attacking, even jumping the double heading into the European section, and little by little I closed the distance. Of course, the crash ahead helped me, but I was able to take the lead. People say luck is part of racing, and I think it was important that I put myself in a position to take advantage of that opportunity and that I kept pushing the whole time. Tomorrow, June 8, is the anniversary of Mr. Tofukuji’s passing, and I truly felt he was watching over me today. The moment I took the lead, tears came to my eyes. I’m happy I could give him a good result.”
Nanami Honda : “This was my best result of the year, but honestly the gap to the front riders was still huge. I only got second place because the rider ahead crashed, so it really made me realize the difference in pace between us. Right after the start I was running near the front, but after that they pulled away from me. My average speed just wasn’t there, and compared to the top two riders, I was losing around five seconds per lap. Before the next round, I want to close that gap and really fight properly. I’ll also be racing at Loretta Lynn’s in the United States, with the regional qualifier taking place next weekend, and I’m planning to return about a week before Hiroshima. I’m very grateful to be able to balance both challenges like this, and because of that I want to deliver strong results as a way of giving back to everyone supporting me.”
Manaka Kawakami : “My heart is honestly broken right now, but this was the first time I came back around the opening lap in the lead, and I believe this was the best riding I’ve ever done. The ruts and muddy conditions actually suited me really well, and I felt completely comfortable on the bike. Still, there were moments early in the race where I think I could have pushed the pace more and increased the gap. More than anything, the contact with the lapped rider was the biggest mistake. The other rider took the rut on the right side while I chose the left line, but both ruts came together at the exit. I knew Kawai was getting closer behind me, so I couldn’t afford to back off, and we ended up colliding at the exit. Before the next round in Hiroshima, I’ll watch today’s footage carefully to understand what worked well and why I got caught. Then I’ll keep training. Leading the race and running at the front gave me a lot of confidence, so next time I want to dominate and win convincingly.”
