Yamaha’s official rider in the all-Japan Enduro Championship (JEC), Ryota Baba, claims his fourth consecutive title with victory at rounds 6+7 in Osaka.

16 timed tests per day

The final round of the JEC series took place at an off-road park located close to the centre of Osaka. The course offered a tough, technical mix of motocross track sections and single tracks in the woods. Both Cross Tests (CT) and Enduro Tests (ET) were utilised, resulting in an exceptionally demanding race with a total of 16 timed tests per day.

Day 1

In stark contrast to the heavy rainfall at Hidaka in the previous round, the race started in dusty conditions that favoured high-speed riding. Riders with strong motocross experience were able to show their full potential in these fast tests.

In the A Class, Ryota Baba (Yamaha) recorded the best time from the very start. He maintained his dominant form throughout the day, recording the best time in all 16 tests to secure the victory on Saturday. Hidetaka Horikoshi finished second on a Yamaha YZ125X, and Ryosuke Enokida (Honda) completed the final step of the podium.

With the points earned on this day, Baba secured the JEC title for the fourth consecutive year: “I set the suspension aggressively, but overall I didn’t push myself too hard. I’m happy with the result. I made contact with the gate once and fell, but I’m glad there was no damage to the bike. I've already secured the title today, but I’m going to race again tomorrow!”

Day 2

It rained lightly overnight, providing good Sunday conditions with no dust. However, the rigorous running from the first day had left the test tracks extremely rough, making the competition even more physically challenging.

Ryota Baba, riding the YZ250FX and having already clinched the series championship on Saturday, continued his exceptional performance. He once again recorded the best times in all tests, achieving a complete victory for the weekend.

Baba commented: “I felt better physically than on Saturday. However, I felt fatigue in the second half. I feel that I need to improve my physical strength.”

Ryosuke Enokida improved his position to finish second on Day 2. In third place was Sherco Japan-supported Tomoya Suzaki, who had won both days at the previous Hidaka round.

In the B Class, Yu Iwasaki (Yamaha) won both days. However, the B class title was claimed byYusuke Nobehara (Yamaha). He had won every race leading up to this final round. In the Women's Class, Natsume Kinoshita (KTM) won both days and also took the national title.

Results: Day 1

A class

1. Ryota Baba, Yamaha YZ250FX

2. Hidetaka Horikoshi, Yamaha YZ125X

3. Ryosuke Enokida, Honda CRF450R

4. Takase Tanaka, Honda CRF450R

5. Tomoya Suzaki, Sherco 300SEF

6. Kaisei Nishigaki, Honda CRF

B class

1. Yu Iwasaki, Yamaha YZ125

2. Yusuke Nonehara, Yamaha YZ250X

3. Ayumu Kusuhara, KTM250XC-F

4. Nobuhisa Owari, XCF

5. Kouji Ikeda, KTM350XC-F

6. Kazuyuki Yamanaka, Beta RR300 Racing

Women

1. Natsue Kinoshita, KTM250EXC

2. Asuna Hosaka, Kawasaki KX112

3. Chihiro Hirai, Beta X-Trainer 300

Day2

A class

1. Ryota Baba, Yamaha YZ250FX

2. Ryosuke Enokida, Honda CRF450R

3. Tomoya Suzaki, Sherco 300SEF

4. Hidetaka Horikoshi, Yamaha YZ125X

5. Kaisei Nishigaki, Honda CRF

6. Ren Ishidoya, Beta RR2T 300

B class

1. Yu Iwasaki, Yamaha YZ125

2. Yusuke Nonehara, Yamaha YZ250X

3.Ayumu Kusuhara, KTM250XC-F

4. Kazuyuki Yamanaka, Beta RR300 Racing

5. Nobuhisa Owari, XCF

6. Kouji Ikeda, KTM350XC-F

Women

1. Natsue Kinoshita, KTM250EXC

2. Asuna Hosaka, Kawasaki KX112

3. Chihiro Hirai, Beta X-Trainer 300

Images: Masanori Inagaki - off1.jp

Words: BIG TANK