Fatigued Start, Flawless Victory: Boan and Kinsai Shine in SUGO 160 Min Double‑Header

Miyagi, 17 June 2025 – Last weekend’s HoloType Japan Round 4 at Sportsland SUGO finally kicked off Split A at 15:00 JST—five hours later than scheduled—after host fatigue and timing snafus forced organizers to delay the 160‑minute contest. Once underway, it was Lexi Boan, behind the wheel of Shirogane Noel’s #08 Oreca 07, who streaked away to claim a lights‑to‑flag triumph with a 55 second gap, fending off Hoshizono Ryo (#18, Nakiri Ayame) by 55.3 seconds and Kaminari Riba (#43, Shishiro Botan) by 56.2 seconds. In doing so she won for Shirogane Noel for the first time since August 2022, and Noel joins Roboco as vTubers who won in all three ARO sanctioned competitions.

Boan’s flawless pace—coupled with a best lap by Jeff Rohan in the stricken #10 Tokoyami Towa Oreca—cemented her position in second overall and, critically, locked her into the JP Tsuyo Series alongside Split A leader Alticer Antanarau (#5, Nekomata Okayu), who continues to top the standings on 494 pts. Among the casualties were twelve DNFs: from Rey‑Mark Rosales (#20, Shiranui Flare) to Sammy Ake (#22, Shirakami Fubuki), as spins and mechanical failures at the Dunlop chicane took down a swath of contenders.

Hanami Kiriko (#31, Himemori Luna) despite crashing earlier than Airi Nakamura (#81, Akai Haato) and Yukihara Touka (#63 Yukihana Lamy) scored in 15th due to her completing 33 laps faster than her peers.

By Sunday morning, attention shifted to Split B, where Jace Kinsai in Takane Lui’s #61 Oreca 07 crossed the line first. Danilo Goyena (#11, Usada Pekora) kept him honest, finishing just 0.56 seconds adrift after a late-race charge to catch Kinsai being stuck in lapped traffic, with Vladislav Domaschnev (#19, Aki Rosenthal) rounding out the podium. Meanwhile Houshou Marine representative Lorenzo Ricci controlled the race from the start until he was caught with lapped cars and coupled with him having the oldest tires after he undercut everyone, fell down the order and finished in 4th. Though a series of DNFs—including Jake Martinez (#05, Hiodoshi Ao) and Ri Liu (#68, Isaki Riona)—thinned the field, Kinsai’s composed drive vaulted him into the top five of Split B standings.

At the opposite end of Split A, Joey (#67, Juufuutei Raden) finds himself firmly consigned to the JP Zako Series after failing to register a finish, leaving him out of contention for the Tsuyo.

With Motegi’s twin‑race finale looming, Lexi Boan and Alticer Antanarau have already secured their spots in the Japan Tsuyo showdown, while Joey prepares for JP Zako battles after being the first driver eliminated in the hunt for the JP Tsuyo. All eyes now turn to Twin Ring Motegi (27–28 June) for the final qualifiers in a season that has tested every prototype—and every driver—to the limit.