The Women’s class at the fifth round of the 2025 Japanese Motocross Championship — the Kinki Tournament held at Meihan Sportsland in Nara Prefecture — was contested in a single moto of 15 minutes plus one lap.
Local favorite Suzu Matsuki (#10, Yogibo Pirelli Mountainriders/Kawasaki KX85) grabbed the holeshot on her home track, closely followed by Myu Minoura (#6, Team Itomo/Honda CRF150R) and Manaka Kawakami (#3, BLU CRU YSP Osaka Minoh/Yamaha YZ85LW). Championship leader Manaka Kawai (#1, TESport/Honda CRF150R) started slightly behind in fourth, but wasted no time charging forward.
A Decisive Move on the Coca-Cola Jump
Minoura made an early move on Matsuki to take the lead by the end of the first lap. However, Kawai was quick to close the gap, catching Minoura at the start of lap two. What followed was an intense battle for first place, with Minoura defending strongly. But Kawai found her edge by being the only rider in the class to successfully clear the challenging “Coca-Cola Jump” — a double jump that proved decisive. Using this advantage, she passed Minoura and steadily pulled away.
Behind them, Kawakami was gaining ground and managed to overtake Minoura with under four minutes left on the clock. Minoura fought back but unfortunately clipped Kawakami’s rear wheel during the duel, resulting in a crash that dropped her down the field. Matsuki capitalized on the incident to reclaim third position.
The final standings saw Mao Kawai take a dominant win — her first-ever victory at Meihan Sportsland — followed by Maka Kawakami in second and Saeko Matsuki securing the final podium spot in third. Kawai further consolidates her position as leader of the championship.
#1 Manaka Kawai: “I’m really happy to take my first win at Meihan. I started around fourth and had to work my way forward. Riders like Kawakami, who know the track well, were ahead of me, so I thought it might be difficult to get past them. But I was the only one doing the double jump, and that became my key overtaking point. Thanks to that, I was able to take the lead more smoothly than I expected. Being able to hit that jump also helped me maintain a good rhythm throughout the race, and overall, this was the best I’ve felt riding at Meihan this year. The next round is my home race, and with a lot of supporters coming out, I really want to win there too.”
#3 Manaka Kawakami: “About a week ago, I had a crash and injured the area around my shoulder blade, so I had to race while taking painkillers. I wasn’t in the best condition, but during the final I didn’t feel too much pain. What affected me more was the nerves — it had been a while since I raced in the All-Japan Championship, and the pressure made my body tense, which caused me to use up more energy than usual. I wasn’t able to ride the way I wanted all the way to the end, and I’m frustrated that I couldn’t take the win. That said, I’ve shaken off the nerves now, and the two remaining rounds are on tracks I’m confident on — so I’ll be going for the win.”
#10 Suzu Matsuki: “This is my home track — both for me and my team — so I put in a lot of time here and felt confident going in. But once the race started, the nerves hit me. Still, I was really happy to get the holeshot. I took the lead off the start and planned to stay in front, but I got passed early on and, for a moment, it shook my confidence. But I told myself I couldn’t let the race slip away, and I was able to refocus and ride with the persistence that’s one of my strengths. Of course, I’m a little frustrated not to win, but I’m relieved and proud to be on the podium. The next round is on a track where I’ve already finished on the podium before, so I’ll go in with confidence — and this time, I’m aiming for my first victory.”