Kyojo Cup - Japan’s Answer to F1 ACADEMY
Get to grips with the all female Japanese racing series.
Last weekend, the 2026 Kyojo Cup Series got underway with its first round of the new season. The all-female Japanese series was founded in 2017 by Masanori Sekiya - the first Japanese driver to win the 25 Hours of Le Mans. Originally intended to be a support championship for the Inter Proto Series, the championship has since taken on a life of its own, attracting not just talent from all across Japan but from outside the country’s borders too.
Eighteen drivers from across Japan and including five drivers from three other countries will compete in ten races across five rounds, all of which will be held at the Fuji Speedway. It’ll be the second year running that the series holds two races across a race weekend with a Sprint Race held first, followed by Final Race the day after.
Each competitor will drive a KC-MG01 F4 car, such as the kind that was previously used in the 2019 and 2022 editions of FIA Motorsport Games’ Formula 4 Cup. With a 1.4 litre engine with an output of just under 180 horsepower, a six speed paddle shift sequential semi-automatic gearbox and run on Bridgestone tyres, the KC-MG01 provides the drivers with a solid machine with which they can hone their craft.
Previous champions include Miki Koyama (who also competed in W Series), Hinako Muramatsu, Shion Tsujimoto and 2026 contenders, Miki Onaga, Ai Miura, Aimi Saito and Rio Shimono.
For the first round of the new series, the championship was held on the same weekend as 2026 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Series which this year has former F1 ACADEMY driver Amna Al Qubaisi making her debut in the endurance racing series.
With four former Kyojo Cup Champions on the grid this season, one might have expected any of them to be leading the pack straight away or at least all of them to be near the front of the field. That was not to be the case however as it was Riona Tomishita who took Pole Position for both races. In fact, such was Tomishita’s performance that she won both races of the weekend and claimed the fastest lap for the Sprint Race too. Aimi Saito stole that accolade away from her however by the end of Sunday’s Final Race. Naturally she leaves the first round of the Championship in first place overall with 33 points.
However, her domination last weekend was not as clear cut as it may seem and Riona looks set to have at least one firm challenger for the title this season - Australia’s Joanne Ciconte. The former F1 ACADEMY driver made her debut in the series as she pivoted away from F1 ACADEMY for 2026. After qualifying in second place for both races, Ciconte kept within touching distance of Tomishita throughout both races, converting her P2 starting position into back-to-back second place finishes. With twenty five points to her name, she sits in second place overall in the Championship, less than ten points behind Tomishita.
The third step on the podium however switched between drivers across the weekend. Having qualified in third for both races, Aimi Saito lost out in the Sprint Race to both Kokoro Sato and Miki Onaga. These two then battled it out for the final podium position with the former claiming it for herself come the end of the Sprint Race. On Sunday though, Saito learnt her lesson and kept ahold of third place to clinch her first podium of the season. Onaga again finished in fourth while Sato had to settle for sixth. All three are the only other drivers besides the top two to be in double figures when it comes to the overall points standings. Each of them will be hoping to improve for Round Two and put themselves firmly into the Championship fight.
Five drivers contested the remaining points paying positions across the weekend. In the Sprint Race, the top eight score but in the Final Race, points are awarded down to tenth place. Ai Miura, Rio Shimono, Hana Burton, Rami Sasaki and Sara Matsui all did battle with one another which resulted in some great edge of seat wheel to wheel action at points - reinforced by the ever heightening pitch and enthusiasm of the commentators! Ai Miura would come away as the best of the rest, collecting eight points across the weekend, while Burton and Matsui were the only drivers to only score points in one of the two races.
For the other eight drivers, the first weekend of the year proved to be a learning curve as they all worked to get to grips with their cars and the track. Kelei Kanemoto showed the most promise, finishing in P10 and P11 in the two races, just on the edge of the points. At the rear of the field were Kelsey Pinkowski and Rina Ito. For them, the knowledge they gained in the opening weekend will be vital for them to succeed later in the year.
The same can also be said for the five other drivers of Itsumo Shiraishi, Marie Iwaoka, Paige Raddatz, Sitarvee Limnantharak and Rya Yamamoto. One of the advantages for a series like the Kyojo Cup is that each round is held at the same circuit and so, while conditions will inevitably vary, progress from one race weekend to the next can be measured in a way that most other series cannot provide. For these five, they’ll each soon learn where they need to improve and what they can do to propel themselves up the order in future races.
The challenge for those at the top of the field will be honing their abilities further and remaining consistent throughout the year. A duality of challenges will emerge as they not only battle each other but those rising up the order from behind who want to be part of the conversation too.
Championship Standings
Riona Tomishita - 33 Points
Joanne Ciconte - 25 Points
Aimi Saito - 16 Points
Miki Onaga - 13 Points
Kokoro Sato - 11 Points
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The Kyojo Cup Returns June 18th-19th at the Fuji Speedway.