Raido Breaks Through at Sepang, Prower and Kuromi Clash in Tsuyo Thriller

Sepang, 23 October — The Sepang 500 delivered a pair of 46-lap races that shuffled the HoloProto title picture, with Masa Raido taking Todoroki Hajime’s #82 entry to their first-ever ARO and HoloProto victory in Saturday’s Zako Cup, before Seo Byeong-Eun put Koganei Niko’s #29 DEV machine on top in Sunday’s Tsuyo Cup.

Raido’s breakthrough came in the Saturday race, held at 9am MYT/10am JST. Dag Patterson, driving Isaki Riona’s #68, overcame the disappointment of last month's Formula Hololive race at the same track to finish second on his birthday, with Alex Grant bringing Cecilia Immergreen’s #34 home third. Hanaori Miyuki’s #40 for Kobo Kanaeru crossed fourth, leaving the Indonesian star’s supporters with a podium just out of reach. Raido and Hajime, however, saw this result as historical: their first win in ARO competitions and HoloProto, achieved with Patterson and Grant unable to dislodge them from the lead.

Sunday’s Tsuyo Cup, staged at 2pm MYT/3pm JST, belonged to Seo Byeong-Eun. Grave Prower took Mococo Abyssgard’s #52 to second, while Evelyn Kuromi finished third in E. R. Bloodflame’s #53. The podium was a major blow avoided rather than a championship clincher: Prower leads the World Tsuyo with 363 points, 48 ahead of Kuromi, while Byeong-Eun’s victory moved the #29 to third on 289.

The result also tightened in the World Zako fight. Hanaori Miyuki leads on 313 points, but Raido’s victory lifted him to 289, just 24 behind with Okayama remaining. Joey, representing Juufuutei Raden, sits third on 283 after finishing ninth at Sepang. In the Japan Zako, Joey still leads on 483 points, with Rudy second on 375 and Patterson third on 370. Meanwhile The Japan Tsuyo title remains led by Lexi Boan on 327 points, with Masa Raido second on 303 and Kaminari Riba third on 282. International is a separate contest too: Nichi Michan still leads on 959, ahead of Tyler Williams on 860 and Hanaori Miyuki on 766.

Sepang has handed Raido and Hajime a landmark win, but the season’s final rounds—Autopolis for Japan, Sydney MP for International and Okayama for World—will decide each championships.