“From Asia to the World” – Taiga Yanase to Compete in the 2027 FIM Motocross World Championship MX2 Class

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) has announced that Taiga Yanase, the 2026 All-Japan Motocross Championship (JMX) IA2 champion, will compete in the MX2 class of the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) in 2027.

HRC will continue to support young Asian riders as they take on the challenge of competing on the world stage.
For the 2026 season, HRC signed 21-year-old Yanase as an HRC rider for the IA2 class, following his participation with a Honda Motorcycle Japan-supported team. In the IA1 class, HRC expanded its rider development activities across Asia, signing 20-year-old 2025 Thailand Motocross Championship winner Jiraj Wanarak, who became the first international rider to compete in JMX as an HRC rider.

These initiatives aim not only to develop young riders in Japan, but also to establish JMX as a pathway to international competition and help riders from across Asia progress to the world stage.

As the first step in this initiative, Yanase, who claimed the 2026 JMX IA2 championship, will take on a new challenge on the world stage in 2027.

Through its “From Asia to the World” initiative, HRC will continue to support young riders pursuing opportunities to compete at the highest levels of international motorcycle racing.

HRC looks forward to the continued support of fans as Taiga Yanase takes on this new challenge in 2027, and as HRC continues its efforts to develop the next generation of riders.