【KYOJO CUP Round 4 Report｜Fujisan Shizuoka Racing】
From October 10 (Sat) to 11 (Sun), 2026, Fujisan Shizuoka Racing competed in “KYOJO CUP Round 4” held at Fuji Speedway, with drivers Paige Raddatz and Rina Ito.
KYOJO CUP is a race series competed exclusively by female drivers, featuring two races per event: a Sprint Race and a Final Race.
On the morning of the first day, drivers take part in a time‑attack session called Official Qualifying, and the recorded lap times determine the starting grid for the afternoon Sprint Race.
Furthermore, the results of the Sprint Race set the starting grid for the Final Race held on the following day. In other words, each event is structured through three sessions: Saturday morning qualifying, Saturday afternoon sprint, and Sunday’s final race.
【Official Qualifying Report】Results: Car #11 – 10th / Car #12 – 19th
On October 10, the official qualifying session for the 2026 KYOJO CUP Round 4 was held at Fuji Speedway. The weather was sunny, and the track was in dry condition. As all competitors pushed to set their fastest lap times, a red flag was displayed toward the end of the session, bringing qualifying to an early conclusion.
Fujisan Shizuoka Racing entered two cars: No. 11, driven by Paige Raddatz, and No. 12, driven by Rina Ito.
No. 11 Paige Raddatz recorded her fastest lap of 1:44.849 on her seventh lap, securing 10th place in qualifying.
Aiming to improve her lap time further, she completed a cooldown lap to allow the engine and tires to cool before making another attempt. With just one minute remaining in the session, she began her final qualifying attack. However, a red flag was displayed just before the Coca-Cola Corner, forcing her to abort her lap. The session was subsequently brought to an end, leaving her unable to complete her final attempt.
No. 12 Rina Ito recorded her fastest lap of 1:46.301 on her sixth lap, placing 19th in qualifying.
However, following the session, she received a penalty for multiple track-limit violations during qualifying. As a result, she was handed a three-place grid penalty for the Sprint Race.
In the afternoon’s Sprint Race, both drivers will aim to gain positions from their respective starting positions.
【Sprint Race Report】#11 Paige Raddatz – Sprint Race Result: Car #11 Finishes DNF
Battling Hard Despite Contact Damage, Forced to Retire on Lap 6
On the afternoon of October 10, the 2026 KYOJO CUP Round 4 Sprint Race was held at Fuji Speedway.
Under sunny skies and dry track conditions, No. 11 driver Paige Raddatz started the race from 9th position.
Immediately after the start, she made an aggressive move into Turn 1, gaining one position. However, during the maneuver, her tires made contact with another car, affecting the balance of her machine. Even on the straights, she had to keep the steering wheel slightly turned to maintain a straight line, forcing her to continue the race under difficult conditions.
Despite the setback, Paige continued pushing forward. At Turn 13 on the opening lap, she successfully overtook the car ahead by diving down the inside. From the main straight into Turn 1 on Lap 2, four cars ran side by side in an intense battle. Although she lost out to one car, she managed to hold off the other two and maintain her position.
Despite the issues with her car, Paige stayed with the group ahead. However, she dropped one position at the Dunlop Corner on Lap 4. On Lap 5, she successfully defended against a strong challenge from a following car, but was unable to hold her position at Turn 1 on Lap 6.
Immediately afterward, she made contact with a following car at the Coca-Cola Corner, causing her to spin. Although she managed to rejoin the track, the damage sustained in the collision forced her to return to the pits, where she retired from the race.
Following a post-race investigation, the other driver involved in the incident was penalized for causing a collision with another car.
Despite experiencing car problems from the early stages of the race, Paige continued to fight for positions on multiple occasions. She never gave up chasing the cars ahead, even under challenging circumstances, but unfortunately, her race came to an end following the collision.
【Sprint Race Report】#12 Rina Ito – Sprint Race Result: Car #12 Finishes 18th
Overtakes Four Cars Early from the Back of the Grid, but Contact Damage Ends Race Early – Finishes 18th
No. 12 driver Rina Ito started the Sprint Race from 20th position following the penalty imposed after qualifying.
Immediately after the start, she made an impressive move through the crowded field at Turn 1, overtaking three cars in one go. She then won another battle at the Dunlop Corner on the opening lap, gaining an additional position and making an excellent start to the race.
Rina continued to fight for positions with the cars ahead. However, on Lap 5, she was overtaken on the inside by a following car at Turn 1, dropping one position. She immediately attempted to regain the position and made a move down the inside at the Coca-Cola Corner. However, the two cars made contact. Although she managed to rejoin the track, her front wing was damaged, leaving the car unstable.
She continued driving, but an orange ball flag was displayed, instructing her to return to the pits for repairs. After it was determined that the damage could not be adequately repaired at the circuit, her race was brought to an end.
Her final result was recorded as 18th place, classified as a finisher.
Following a post-race investigation, the other driver involved in the collision was penalized for causing contact with another car.
Despite starting from the back of the grid, Rina showed impressive pace and determination, overtaking four cars in the early stages of the race. Unfortunately, contact-related damage forced her to end her race prematurely, resulting in a disappointing finish.
【Final Race Report】#11 Paige Raddatz – Final Race Result: Car #11 Finishes 9th
From 18th to 9th: Fighting Through the Chaos and Battling Back Despite Technical Issues
On October 11, the 2026 KYOJO CUP Round 4 Final Race was held at Fuji Speedway. Under sunny skies and dry track conditions, No. 11 driver Paige Raddatz started the race from 18th position.
Immediately after the start, Paige held her position through Turn 1. At the Coca-Cola Corner on the opening lap, she made a move down the inside of the car ahead to gain one position, followed by another successful overtake around the outside at the ADVAN Corner.
She also engaged in a battle with her teammate, No. 12 driver Rina Ito. Paige managed to get ahead just before the final corner, gaining three positions in total during the opening lap.
On Lap 2, two cars ahead made contact and spun at the ADVAN Corner, allowing Paige to gain another two positions. The Safety Car was deployed from Lap 3 to allow the incident vehicles to be recovered, and the race resumed on Lap 6.
On Lap 7, following the restart, three cars ahead were engaged in an intense battle at the final corner. Contact occurred between them, and Paige skillfully took advantage of the confusion to overtake all three cars in one move.
However, she then encountered an electrical issue, making it difficult to keep pace with the group ahead as the gap gradually widened. Despite this setback, she continued pushing hard. On Lap 9, she avoided another collision between cars ahead at Turn 1 and gained one more position.
In the closing stages, Paige successfully defended against repeated attacks from the cars behind. However, on the final lap, she was overtaken on the main straight approaching Turn 1, losing one position. She crossed the finish line in 9th place.
Starting from 18th on the grid, Paige made a series of aggressive overtakes from the opening laps. Despite experiencing technical problems, she fought her way through several intense battles to gain nine positions and finish 9th.
It was a strong comeback performance following her retirement from the Sprint Race.
【Final Race Report】#12 Rina Ito – Final Race Result: Car #12 Finishes 12th
Fighting Through Intense Battles, Climbing from 17th to Finish 12th
No. 12 driver Rina Ito started the Final Race from 17th position.
Immediately after the start, she overtook one car at Turn 1, followed by a bold move around the outside at the Coca-Cola Corner, demonstrating an aggressive approach from the very beginning of the race.
Just before the final corner on the opening lap, she was overtaken by her teammate Paige. However, on Lap 2, she avoided two cars that had made contact at the ADVAN Corner, gaining two positions. She then became involved in a three-way battle with the cars ahead and behind at the Dunlop Corner. Despite some minor contact, she managed to gain another position.
The Safety Car was subsequently deployed to allow the recovery of the cars involved in the earlier incident, with racing resuming on Lap 6.
On Lap 7, Rina avoided a collision involving three cars ahead at the final corner, gaining another position.
However, on Lap 8, she was overtaken by a following car at Turn 1. At the Coca-Cola Corner, she ran slightly wide and went off track, allowing another car to pass. However, as a car ahead also went off track, her overall position remained unchanged. She then made another successful overtake at the Dunlop Corner, regaining one position.
Intense battles continued from the main straight through the 100R Corner, but Rina successfully defended her position. On Lap 9, a car ahead retired following a collision, allowing her to move up another place.
Although she was overtaken by a following car at Turn 1 on Lap 11, she held off further attacks until the finish, crossing the line in 12th place by just 0.2 seconds.
From the opening laps, Rina showed an aggressive approach, making several successful overtakes and engaging in numerous position battles throughout the race.
She fought hard until the very end, climbing five positions from 17th on the grid to secure a 12th-place finish after a series of closely contested battles.
Team Owner & Driver Messages
【Message from Fujisan Shizuoka Racing Team Owner, Takahito Kojima】
As the KYOJO CUP season enters its final stages, Round 4 marked another important chapter in our championship campaign.
Throughout the entire race weekend, we were fortunate to enjoy dry track conditions, making this the most comfortable race weekend of the season so far.
Building on the positive momentum from the first three rounds, we entered this event aiming for even stronger results. However, during Saturday’s Sprint Race, both of our cars were unfortunately caught up in separate incidents, forcing both drivers to start Sunday’s Final Race from the back of the grid.
Despite this setback, both drivers demonstrated their trademark determination in the Final Race. They fought their way through an intense and unpredictable race to the very end, with Paige Raddatz making an impressive recovery of nine positions and Rina Ito climbing five positions. Both delivered strong comeback performances.
There is certainly some disappointment, as we believe we could have challenged for even higher positions had Saturday’s incidents not occurred. However, this is also part of racing. This event reminded us once again of the importance of staying focused, adapting to unexpected circumstances, and doing everything possible as a team, even when things do not go according to plan.
Looking back, all four rounds of this season have been intense and memorable experiences. Through both the highs and the disappointments, our drivers and team members have continued to grow, and we feel that our unity and strength as a team have become even stronger.
Now, only the final round remains.
As we look to conclude our first season competing with two cars, we aim to turn all the experience and progress we have accumulated into strong results. We hope to show our sponsors an even stronger and more developed Fuji Shizuoka Racing.
We will continue to embrace every challenge and approach the final round united as one team, giving it our very best until the very end.
We sincerely appreciate your continued support and encouragement.
【11号車 ペイジ・ラダッツ選手のコメント】
Although Round 4 was a challenging weekend, I am proud of the progress and growth we have made throughout the season.
I secured 10th place in qualifying, but unfortunately, I was hit from behind during the Sprint Race and was unable to finish. As a result, I had to start the Final Race from the back of the grid. With a damaged wheel, I also had to compete on a set of used tires.
Despite these challenges, I managed to gain nine positions in the Final Race, and I feel we were able to finish the weekend on a positive note.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the team, my family, and everyone who has supported me throughout this season.
Racing in Japan has been an incredible experience for me. With every round, I continue to learn so much and feel that I am growing as a driver. I am truly proud of everything we have achieved together as a team, and I look forward to continuing to develop and improve while making the most of every race ahead!
【12号車 いとうりな選手のコメント】
Thank you, everyone, for your continued support.
At Round 4, I got off to a good start, but unfortunately, I struggled to improve my lap times. Even when I managed to overtake other cars, I often found myself being overtaken again. As a result, I was unable to achieve a top-10 finish.
I am determined to score points, so I will give it everything I’ve got in the final round without holding anything back.
Thank you again for your continued support and encouragement.
