Sugo Showdown Looms as HoloType Japan Contenders Scramble for Tsuyo Berths

Sugo, 13 June – After rounds at Fuji, Autopolis and Le Mans, the HoloType Japan series arrives at Sportsland SUGO for Round 4: a grueling 160‑minute double‑header split into an opening Split A and a later Split B. With only one event—Motegi’s twin races—remaining before the Japan Tsuyo Series grid is set, every prototype on the grid will be chasing one simple goal: finish inside the top 11 of your split to punch your ticket to Tsuyo, or risk the Zako consolation bracket.

In Split A, championship leader Alticer Antanarau (driving Nekomata Okayu’s #5 LMP2 prototype) arrives off back‑to‑back wins at Autopolis and Le Mans, sitting on 404 points. Callum Gibbens (#64 Roboco) trails on 375, while Hoshimachi Suisei’s Daniel Barguer (#41) and Tsunomaki Watame’s Mohamed Khashiu (#3) round out the top 4. Behind them, Akai Haato’s Airi Nakamura (#81) and Shirogane Noel’s Lexi Boan (#08) occupy 5th and 6th, but it’s at P12 where the real drama lies: Yukihara Touka replacing Alex Grant (#63 Yukihana Lamy) sits just outside the cut line on 148 points—only three markers shy of Sakura Miko’s Isekaiijin Mikolev (#35) in P11. A big score here could vault Touka into Tsuyo contention, while any misstep could send her tumbling into the Zako.

Meanwhile, Misaki Sakura vacates the Himemori Luna seat, with Hanami Kiriko set to make her ARO debut replacing Sakura.

Split A frontrunners will have to tame SUGO’s elevation changes and tire‑eating asphalt to protect their positions, but dark‑horse threats lurk in the mid‑pack. Rustim Kurashio (#39 La+ Darknesss) and Rim Elgore (#48 Oozora Subaru), both inside striking distance with 134 and 118 points, will be hunting podium finishes to push for a Tsuyo spot. Switching to Split B, it’s Jake Martinez (Hiodoshi Ao’s #05 Ligier LMP2) leading the standings with 247 points after a 2nd place at Autopolis. Ho Phu‑My (#36 Tokino Sora) is his closest pursuer on 240, with Maverick Deuxieme (#46 Omaru Polka) and Ed Skye (#16 Kazama Iroha) locked in a three‑way fight for P3–5. Further down, Allie Jay (#51 Kikirara Vivi) clings to 11th on 130 points, just ahead of Dag Patterson (#78 Rindo Chihaya) on 104 and Saerin (#59 Otonose Kanade) on 72.

The SUGO format—with two 80‑minute stints—rewards consistency as much as outright pace. In Split B, a single DNF could drop a driver outside the top 11, so expect conservative strategies from the bubble‑dwellers, while the likes of Martinez and Ho Phu‑My push the limits to build a points cushion.

Once the chequered flag falls on both splits, only the top 11 in each will advance to the Japan Tsuyo Series finale at Motegi—where another twin‑race weekend will crown the 2025 champion. For those who fall short, the Zako Series offers a secondary crown, but the real prize remains the Tsuyo title.