Kyojo Cup: Riona Tomishita dominates sprint, Sato enjoys brilliant comeback

In the third sprint race of the Kyojo Cup season, Riona Tomishita led from lights to flag to take her third win of the season in dominant fashion. As Rio Shimono and Aimi Saito rounded out the podium, Kokoro Sato put on a stellar drive from the back to take valuable points

Photo credits: Kyojo Cup

Cerumo/INGING's Riona Tomishita returned to form in round three of the 2026 Kyojo Cup season to storm to pole and take a comfortable sprint race win to kick off the weekend.

On Saturday morning, qualifying took place around the famed Fuji Speedway, in which the Chiba-born driver was contending for the top spots, but there was one name that led most of qualifying. Reigning champion Rio Shimono was the driver to beat during the session, as she led the majority of it, until Tomishita stunned the paddock to take pole at the last possible minute.

Lining up alongside her on the grid was Shimono, while championship leader Aimi Saito and Miki Onaga were on the second row. Rami Sasaki beat Kondo Racing's Sara Matsui for fifth, while Kilei Kanemoto took seventh ahead of championship contender Joanne Ciconte. Behind them, Ai Miura and Sitarvee Limnantharak closed out the fifth row of the grid.

From pole, Tomishita held off Shimono in the opening laps to maintain the lead, while Onaga stalled at the start and fell down the order. As one KCMG fell down the order, her teammate Ciconte had a strong start from eighth, as she avoided chaos and convincingly passed Sara Matsui on lap three to take fifth.

She wasn't the only one making a comeback from a lowly starting position though, as Cerumo/Inging's Kokoro Sato was rapidly climbing through the field from 15th. The Hyogo-born driver was up to ninth by lap four, before moving up to eighth on the following lap after passing Paige Raddatz.

Up ahead of her, Sara Matsui was defending from Ai Miura to maintain sixth, but as Sato joined the battle it quickly became a hard task for the 16-year-old to maintain her ground. On lap seven, Sato passed Miura for seventh and began pestering Matsui for sixth.

At the front, Saito passed Sasaki after a sector-long battle at the beginning of lap nine to take third, while Ciconte followed suit to take fourth from her teammate on the final lap. Just behind them, Sato made a decisive move to take sixth away from Matsui at Turn 1.

In the end, Tomishita led all 10 laps to secure her third win of the season and put herself two points away from the championship lead. Shimono and Saito rounded out the podium, with the latter maintaining her points lead. Ciconte completed a fine drive to take fourth and the fastest lap, while Sasaki finished close behind her in fifth.

In sixth, Sato sealed a brilliant comeback drive from 15th, ahead of Matsui and Miura, while Raddatz and Onaga finished just outside the points in ninth and tenth. Kanemoto crossed the line in 11th, ahead of Hana Burton and Itsumo Shiraishi, while Limnantharak and Ryu Yamamoto rounded out the top 15.

Rina Ito took 16th, ahead of Zhao Yunqing and Kelsey Pinkowski, while Marie Iwaoka salvaged a 19th-place finish after a spin on lap three.