It was a fourth victory of 2026 for Championship leader Hayato Chishiki as a final lap attack saw him halt a charge to a home victory by Bintang Pranata. The #16’s victory means he now has a 23-point advantage in the Championship over Waku Kunitate with the #8 only managing a fifth place in Race 1. The podium was completed by Motegi winner Haruki Matsuyama for sixth career podium to consolidate his P3 in the standings.

15 laps of action were halted on Lap 2 with a red flag for track conditions, just as Chishiki had started breaking away from the chasing pack out front. A quick start procedure was then activated for the restart and with a new race distance of just 10 laps, sparks were always set to fly as the battle for victory reignited.

Repeating his fast start from the first lights out, Chishiki hit the front and instantly pulled out a gap; having fought back into P2, Pranata then whittled down the Championship leader’s advantage before taking over at the front on Lap 5. Striking back on Lap 7, Chishiki responded but the head-to-head was now on and a final lap shootout on the horizon. A bold move on the run to Turn 10 saw Pranata retake the lead before a surprise retaliation at Turn 13 by Chishiki gave him the upper hand. Despite his best efforts, Pranata couldn’t find a way through as Chishiki took a fourth win of the season whilst Pranata settled for a career-best second. Matsuyama’s third was fine ride as Kotaro Togashi took fourth and Maulana Malik a career-best fifth.

Race 2 goes green at 09:45 local time (UTC +8), don’t miss it and the start to Grand Prix Sunday at Mandalika!