Unlikely Winners Antanarau and Ri Liu And Leo's Valiant Drive Headline Autopolis 160 Mins

The second round of the 2025 HoloType Japan Series roared into life at Autopolis this weekend with the grueling 160-minute endurance format delivering drama in both Splits. As purple-clad fans bid farewell to Murasaki Shion on her graduation day, Kizuhara Leo made a poignant guest appearance—crossing the line 13th in Split A but ineligible for points—while the championship contenders sharpened their attacks ahead of the Tsuyo Cup battles. In Split A, Alticer Antanarau engineered a masterclass in consistency to deliver Nekomata Okayu her first ARO and HoloType victory. Antanarau kept a cool head through traffic. Antanarau also pulled away with a stunning first sting and made a smart call to pit later than his rivals, crossing the line 12 seconds clear of Roboco’s Callum Gibbens, who fended off a late charge from Yuzuki Choco’s Raijin Kacyznski. Misaki Sakura delivered a sterling drive to bring Himemori Luna home fourth despite her valiant efforts to score back-to-back podiums in a week, while Ozne Wizard battled from the back to secure fifth for Inugami Korone. Oozora Subaru’s Rim Elgore and Akai Haato’s Airi Nakamura both added valuable points for their talents, rounding out the top seven. Sakura Miko’s Isekaijin Mikolev held on for tenth, and Momosuzu Nene’s Shaqif Redza claimed 11th.

The guest entry of Kizuhara Leo—running Shion’s #8 with a special graduation-day jacket livery—provided emotional high drama, though Leo’s 13th place did not affect the points order. As a result, Alex Grant (14th on track) moved into 13th in the standings, while Jeff Rohan and Daniel Barguer likewise inherited points positions for their respective talents. Split B exploded into life as Dev_IS rookie Ri Liu put in a flawless opening stint to hand overall laurels to Isaki Riona on her HoloType debut. Jake Martinez followed in second for Hiodoshi Ao, while Ho Phu-My’s Tokino Sora machine sprinted home third. Jake Goodwin maintained his hot form with fourth for Ookami Mio, and Murasaki Shion’s driver Kizuhara Leo—this time in the T-shirt livery—scored a respectable fifth on her final HoloType appearance.

Maverick Deuxieme secured sixth for Omaru Polka, with Saerin seventh for Otonose Kanade. Lorenzo Ricci and Krzysztof Salmonman rounded out the top nine for Houshou Marine and AZKi respectively, while Dag Patterson delivered 10th for Rindo Chihaya. Takane Lui’s new driver Jace Kinsai narrowly missed out in 11th, as Seo Byeong-Eun made his return in HoloType in the Koganei Niko seat but finished 20th following an early off. Roboco and Callum Gibbens’s runner-up in Split A vault them to the top of the Japan standings 143 points ahead, with Riona’s debut triumph shaking up the Dev_IS leaderboard in Split B with Ri Liu only 20 points behind championship leader Maverick Deuxieme. With two rounds now complete and the Tsuyo Series looming, consistency and endurance will be paramount as the HoloType stars prepare to battle for glory at Le Mans later in May and beyond.