2026 | FRJC | Round 4 | Sugo | Miura takes points lead as Shimono claims maiden victory

Rio Shimono, Kento Omiya and Yuzuki Miura shared the victories as persistent rain shaped Round 4 of the 2026 Formula Regional Japanese Championship (FRJC) at Sportsland SUGO.

Ryota Horachi had set the pace throughout Friday’s dry running, but the competitive picture changed when rain arrived for Qualifying. Shimono claimed the Race 8 and Race 10 poles, while Omiya, the top performer of Round 3, secured the first starting position for Race 9.

Shimono converted the first of those poles into her maiden FRJC victory before Omiya controlled the heavily interrupted second race for his fourth win of the season. Miura then emerged victorious from Race 10 after a five-second penalty dropped Omiya from first on the road to fifth. That result also moved Miura back to the top of an extraordinarily close Drivers’ Championship, just 2.5 points ahead of Horachi and 14 clear of Omiya.

2026 FRJC Round 4: Sugo: Free Practice: Horachi controls Friday running

Horachi established himself as the early benchmark during Friday’s two dedicated running sessions. The Ponos Racing driver topped the first session with a 1:18.111, beating teammate Omiya by 0.343s. Sota Arao, who participated in Friday running but not the race weekend itself, took third ahead of Miura, Shimono and Masana Muto.

Conditions remained dry for the afternoon session, and Horachi improved substantially to a 1:17.472. Omiya again finished second, this time only 0.139s behind, while Miura completed the top three on a 1:17.964. Shimono placed fourth ahead of Muto, Lin Chenghua and returning Rn-sports driver Hibiki Komatsu. Yutaka Toriba led the Masters’ runners in eighth overall.

Across the combined Friday classification, Horachi therefore led Omiya, Miura, Shimono and Muto. However, none of that dry-weather running could fully prepare the field for what followed on Saturday morning.

2026 FRJC Round 4: Sugo: Qualifying: Shimono takes two poles as Omiya leads Race 9 grid

Light rain began falling immediately before the opening Qualifying session, prompting officials to declare wet conditions. Most drivers initially headed out on slick tyres, but AKITA stopped near the SP Out section on the third lap and triggered a Red Flag just as the field prepared to begin its serious attacks.

With the rain intensifying during the interruption, drivers switched to wet tyres before the session resumed with only four minutes remaining. Omiya initially led with a 1:28.934, but Shimono responded with a 1:28.770 before both improved on their final laps. Omiya lowered the benchmark to 1:28.007, only for Shimono to immediately produce a 1:27.689 and claim her first FRJC pole by 0.318s. Muto finished only another 0.003s behind in third, followed by Miura, Horachi and Komatsu.

Second-best laps from the same session determined the Race 10 grid. Shimono again led the way with a 1:28.770, giving her two poles across the weekend. Omiya joined her on the front row, with Horachi third and Miura fourth. Ueda took the Masters’ pole for Race 10, while Toriba had secured the class pole for Race 8.

Rain became heavier for the second Qualifying session, which established the Race 9 grid. Omiya immediately moved to the top before improving to a 1:27.411. Miura came closest with a 1:27.720, while Horachi took third on a 1:27.795. Shimono followed in fourth ahead of Muto and Komatsu, while Ueda qualified eighth overall and took the Masters’ pole.

2026 FRJC Round 4: Sugo: Race 8: Shimono dominates for maiden FRJC victory

Unpredictable rain continued into Race 8 and left teams facing a late tyre decision. Lin became the only driver to start on slicks, while the rest of the field selected wets for the 22-lap or 30-minute contest.

Shimono made a clean start from pole and retained the lead ahead of Omiya. Horachi produced the strongest launch among the championship contenders, climbing from fifth to third, while Miura followed in fourth. From there, Shimono immediately began separating herself from the field.

Her advantage over Omiya measured only 0.542s after the opening lap, but she steadily increased it as the race developed. By lap 11, the margin had passed 10 seconds. Behind her, Omiya came under increasing pressure as Horachi and Miura joined the battle for the remaining podium positions. At one point, only 0.036s separated Omiya and Horachi, while Miura remained within a few tenths of the Ponos driver in third.

None could challenge Shimono. The race reached its 30-minute limit after 21 laps, and she crossed the line 7.334s clear of Omiya to secure her maiden FRJC victory. Horachi held third by 0.637s from Miura, while Komatsu took fifth on his return to the championship.

Toriba climbed from ninth overall to sixth and claimed his second Masters’ victory of the season. Ueda finished second in class from eighth overall, with Hideaki Irie third in ninth.

Race 8 results

1. #86 Rio Shimono – 30:05.379
2. #54 Kento Omiya – +7.334
3. #45 Ryota Horachi – +7.962
4. #37 Yuzuki Miura – +8.599
5. #10 Hibiki Komatsu – +11.961
6. #13 Yutaka Toriba – +22.148
7. #38 Masana Muto – +38.312
8. #11 Masayuki Ueda – +47.835
9. #46 Hideaki Irie – +49.619
10. #44 AKITA – +1:06.513
11. #88 Li Xuanyu – +1:06.868
12. #18 YUKI – +1 lap
13. #36 Paul Wong – +1 lap
14. #23 YUGO – +3 laps
    NC: #48 Lin Chenghua – four laps completed

Shimono also set the fastest lap with a 1:24.473.

2026 FRJC Round 4: Sugo: Race 9: Omiya controls red-flagged contest

Rain intensified before Sunday morning’s Race 9, and all 15 drivers started on wet tyres. Omiya converted pole into the lead, while Horachi made another excellent getaway from third and went around the outside of Miura at Turn 1 to claim second.

The opening lap quickly turned dramatic. Muto and Lin made contact after Turn 2, sending Muto off the circuit before he eventually returned to the pits and retired. AKITA then spun and crashed heavily beyond the Horseback section, leaving substantial debris and forcing officials to stop the race with a Red Flag.

After an interruption of around 45 minutes, officials restarted the contest with 20 minutes remaining. Omiya immediately re-established control and steadily pulled away, while Horachi and Miura spent much of the shortened race separated by around half a second in their fight for second. Miura moved within two tenths at one stage but could not find a way past.

The restart reached its 20-minute limit after 14 laps, leaving Omiya 14.891s clear of Horachi. Miura completed the podium only 0.282s further behind, while Komatsu and Shimono rounded out the top five. Ueda climbed to sixth overall and claimed his first Masters’ victory of the season ahead of Toriba and Irie.

Because the race completed fewer than 75 per cent of its scheduled 22 laps, the championship awarded half points. That left Horachi on 147 points, Omiya on 143.5 and Miura on 142.5 heading into the final contest of the weekend.

Race 9 results

1. #54 Kento Omiya – 1:07:12.538
2. #45 Ryota Horachi – +14.891
3. #37 Yuzuki Miura – +15.173
4. #10 Hibiki Komatsu – +15.765
5. #86 Rio Shimono – +18.985
6. #11 Masayuki Ueda – +37.829
7. #13 Yutaka Toriba – +39.267
8. #88 Li Xuanyu – +45.619
9. #46 Hideaki Irie – +55.762
10. #18 YUKI – +1:13.607
11. #36 Paul Wong – +1:20.031
12. #23 YUGO – +2 laps
13. #48 Lin Chenghua – +2 laps
    DNF: #38 Masana Muto – one lap completed
    DNF: #44 AKITA – no laps completed

Omiya recorded the fastest lap with a 1:27.281. Officials also added 10 seconds to Lin’s result for dangerous driving involving contact.

2026 FRJC Round 4: Sugo: Race 10: Omiya penalty hands victory and championship lead to Miura

Shimono started the final race from pole ahead of Omiya, Horachi and Miura, with rain again leaving the 3.5865km Sugo circuit fully wet.

The championship battle remained closely fought throughout the 19-lap contest, with a Safety Car period between laps 14 and 17 compressing the order during the closing stages. Omiya ultimately reached the chequered flag with the quickest raw elapsed time, 0.453s ahead of Miura. However, the official classification subsequently changed the winner.

Officials handed Omiya a five-second penalty for dangerous driving involving contact. That sanction dropped him from first on the road to fifth and promoted Miura into victory. Horachi moved into second, only 0.795s behind the TOM’S driver, while Lin secured his first podium of the weekend in third.

Race 8 winner Shimono finished fourth, just 0.044s ahead of the penalised Omiya in the final classification. Komatsu completed another strong weekend in sixth, while Irie claimed his first Masters’ victory of the round from seventh overall. Toriba and Ueda completed the class podium.

Omiya did at least retain the fastest lap with a 1:27.537, but the penalty proved particularly significant for the championship. Instead of leaving Sugo with another victory and a much larger points haul, he scored only the 10 points available for fifth.

Race 10 results

1. #37 Yuzuki Miura – 31:19.351
2. #45 Ryota Horachi – +0.795
3. #48 Lin Chenghua – +3.702
4. #86 Rio Shimono – +4.503
5. #54 Kento Omiya – +4.547
6. #10 Hibiki Komatsu – +7.609
7. #46 Hideaki Irie – +9.180
8. #13 Yutaka Toriba – +11.536
9. #11 Masayuki Ueda – +11.807
10. #18 YUKI – +13.375
11. #36 Paul Wong – +1 lap
12. #23 YUGO – +1 lap
    NC: #88 Li Xuanyu – 13 laps completed
    DNS: #38 Masana Muto
    DNS: #44 AKITA

The 2026 FRJC picture after Round 4 at Sugo

Miura leaves Sugo with the championship lead after scoring fourth, third and first across the three races. His 44.5-point weekend takes him from 123 to 167.5, only 2.5 ahead of Horachi.

Horachi produced one of the weekend’s most consistent records with third, second and second, adding 42 points to reach 165. Omiya remains firmly involved despite his Race 10 penalty. Second place in Race 8, victory in the half-points Race 9 and fifth in the finale lift him to 153.5, leaving the leading three covered by only 14 points. The totals below combine the championship positions entering Sugo with the official Round 4 results and the half-points allocation confirmed after Race 9.

Muto remains fourth on 109 after adding only six points during a difficult weekend. Shimono makes the largest jump behind the championship contenders, with her maiden victory and fourth place in Race 10 moving her to 84 points and fifth overall. Lin follows on 66 after his finale podium, while Komatsu’s three top-six results move him to 59.

AKITA continues to lead the Masters’ Championship despite failing to start Race 10. Toriba’s Race 8 victory and two further podiums reduce the gap, while Irie’s Race 10 success moves him ahead of Ueda for third.

Ponos Racing also extends its Teams’ Championship advantage. Omiya and Horachi combine to take the team to 209.5 points, while Miura’s victory helps TOM’S TGR-DC reach 181.5.

Drivers’ Championship standings after Round 4

1. #37 Yuzuki Miura – 167.5 points
2. #45 Ryota Horachi – 165 points
3. #54 Kento Omiya – 153.5 points
4. #38 Masana Muto – 109 points
5. #86 Rio Shimono – 84 points
6. #48 Lin Chenghua – 66 points
7. #10 Hibiki Komatsu – 59 points
8. #44 AKITA – 31 points
9. #13 Yutaka Toriba – 27 points
10. #10 Shunji Okumoto – 20 points
11. #88 Li Xuanyu – 19 points
12. #11 Masayuki Ueda – 19 points
13. #10 Yu Oda – 14 points
14. #46 Hideaki Irie – 12 points
15. #40 Shoichiro Akamatsu – 11 points
16. #18 YUKI – 2.5 points
17. #21 Daisuke – 0 points
18. #23 YUGO – 0 points
19. #36 Paul Wong – 0 points
20. #60 Seimei – 0 points

Masters’ Championship standings after Round 4

1. #44 AKITA – 172 points
2. #13 Yutaka Toriba – 160 points
3. #46 Hideaki Irie – 142.5 points
4. #11 Masayuki Ueda – 132.5 points
5. #18 YUKI – 80 points
6. #40 Shoichiro Akamatsu – 70 points
7. #36 Paul Wong – 61 points
8. #23 YUGO – 48 points
9. #60 Seimei – 20 points
10. #21 Daisuke – 14 points

Teams’ Championship standings after Round 4

1. Ponos Racing – 209.5 points
2. TOM’S TGR-DC – 181.5 points
3. Rn-sports – 93 points
4. Dr.Dry Racing Team – 84 points
5. Ragno Motor Sports – 66 points
6. Abbey Racing – 31 points
7. AIWIN – 27 points
8. Team LeMans – 19 points
9. Fujita Pharmacy Racing – 12 points
10. Eagle Sports – 11 points
11. NILZZ Racing – 2.5 points
12. TB Hopper’s – 0 points
13. N-SPEED – 0 points
14. SKYMOTORSPORTS – 0 points
15. Tomei Sports – 0 points

FRJC Round 4 Sugo event page and official documents

Conclusion

Sugo produced three different winners and another major shift in a championship that remains extremely difficult to predict. Shimono converted her wet-weather speed into a first pole and maiden victory, while Omiya continued the form that carried him to a Motegi sweep by dominating the shortened Race 9.

However, Miura ultimately gained the most. Her Race 10 victory, combined with Horachi’s consistency and Omiya’s penalty, leaves the three principal championship contenders covered by only 14 points after 10 races. Muto remains fourth but now sits 58.5 points away from the lead, while Shimono’s breakthrough weekend brings her closer to the battle behind.

The Masters’ contest remains closer than it appeared after Motegi as Toriba cuts into AKITA’s advantage, while Ponos Racing continues to strengthen its position against TOM’S in the Teams’ Championship.

FRJC next heads to Fuji Speedway for Round 5, where Races 11 and 12 will form the next stage of a title fight that now has Miura, Horachi and Omiya separated by less than the value of a single race victory.