The "Mote tai (Mote endurance)" is beloved by many motorcycle fans as one of the largest grass races in the world, and this year marks its 16th event. On August 24 (Sat), a total of 116 teams participated in the official qualifying rounds. A heated time attack unfolded, aiming for a spot in the 7-hour endurance final held the following day, August 25 (Sun). The qualifying rounds of "Mote tai" are divided into two groups, A and B, with the rankings determined by the combined best times of the first and second riders. In other words, to secure a top position in the qualifiers, the performance of these two riders is crucial. Although there were some wet patches on the track due to rain lingering until early morning, the weather was clear, and the session for the first rider of Group A started at 8 AM.

In this group, Nagano from #12 CLUB1.2FK Kushitani Kawaguchi, competing in the BRAVE class, made a strong start and recorded a best time of 2'18.642. Similarly, Taura from #6 PUTO Densetsu Sakai Koushi also showcased an impressive performance, marking a best of 2'19.887. Following these two was Miyazono from #30 Auto Technique Sports, but he finished significantly behind the top two with a time of 2'22.790. Since the track conditions were not completely dry yet, the difference in the riders' abilities was clearly reflected in the results.

The session for the continuing Round 1 Rider B group clearly showed improved track conditions compared to the A group. As a result, Ishizuka from Team Penske, participating in the WT class, marked a time of 2'18.215, rising to the top of the B group. Moreover, this performance was a remarkable run that broke the previous course record of 2'18.440 for the Mote tai WT class. Following him was Yamamoto from YSS Racing Mercury, also competing in the WT class, with a time of 2'19.930. Additionally, Kosakabashi from YSS Racing Bulldozer Tagos followed with a time of 2'20.969. It was also notable that, due to the dry conditions on the racing line, the time differences among those in third place and beyond were closely matched compared to the A group.

In the continuing Group A of the 2nd Rider, Sano from #12 CLUB1.2FK Kushitani performed exceptionally well. His qualifying time of 2'17.637 was the only time in the 17-second range, including those from the subsequent Group B, making it the top time for the 2nd Rider. Suzuki from #4 Team Penske finished 2nd in Group B, WT class with a time of 2'18.497, while Moriyama from #30 Auto Technique Sports took 3rd in Group A, WS class. Additionally, Kanayama from #1 YSS Racing Bulldozer Tagos, competing in Group B, secured 4th overall and 2nd in the WT class with a time of 2'21.179.

As a result of the sessions held by all the 1st and 2nd Riders, the pole position was secured by [#12 CLUB1.2FK Kushitani Kawaguchi], marking a combined time of 4'36.279. This team is in its 4th year of participating in the Mote tai and last year achieved 2nd place overall in the 7-hour endurance race. "Since we were 2nd overall last year, we aimed for pole position and victory this year. So, by securing 1st place in qualifying, we have cleared one of our goals. However, the class we are participating in, the BRAVE class, has a handicap due to refueling time compared to other classes. I believe we need to improve our lap times to eliminate that handicap," he commented. As he said, we hope to see them demonstrate the speed to overcome the handicap in the final race.

At 1:30 PM, a 4-hour endurance race was held with 39 teams that unfortunately did not qualify. The team that made the hole shot from the traditional Le Mans start was #130 Garage130R & Jr’s, which started in 1st place in qualifying. Competing in the BRAVE class with their original machine, they pulled ahead from the first lap, creating a significant gap from the second place and leading the race solo. In 2nd place was #69 Business Lariat & with RS, followed by #35 Onoue Service, #18 Quore Rosso☆Indies, #822 RT Bakusou Sena, and #881 8810R in the group behind.

In the 4-hour endurance race, refueling during the final is essential. Additionally, there are handicaps depending on the class, so while the speed of #130 Garage130R & Jr's was overwhelming, it became a race to see how they would cover the long refueling time and connect it to victory.

About an hour after the start, the leading team [#130 Garage130R & Jr’s] made a pit stop for refueling. During this time, [#69 Business Lariat & withRS], who was battling for second place, moved up to the top position. Approximately 0.7 seconds behind was [#18 Quattro Rosso☆Indies], followed by [#108 Underwater Camera Answer + Moro Farm] in third place, and [#130 Garage130R & Jr’s] in fourth. As each team made their pit stops around this one-hour mark, [#69 Business Lariat & withRS] continued to run without showing any signs of a pit stop. Ultimately, the team made the most of the regulation stating, "A single rider's continuous running time is up to 90 minutes," and finally headed for their first refueling around 3 PM, after 1 hour and 30 minutes had passed since the start.

The subsequent race development saw #130 Garage130R & Jr’s escape with overwhelming speed. Each time they pitted, #69 Business Lariat & with RS rose to the top, a scenario that unfolded until the 3-hour mark. At this point, both teams had completed 69 laps on the same lap. In third place and beyond, the teams #18 Quore Rosso☆Indies, #921 PEPSIMAN + Kunii Design + Nao, and #88 Plan B Racing Team × ARATA followed with 68 laps, one lap down.

Well, it was a highly anticipated battle for the top, but #130 Garage130R & Jr’s showcased an otherworldly speed that can only be described as a solo run, completing 95 laps and crossing the finish line in 1st place. The performance that covered the pit stop time handicap imposed on the BRAVE class with sheer speed was truly a demonstration of overwhelming strength. Meanwhile, #69 Business Lariat & withRS, which had been performing well up to that point, ultimately finished 2 laps down with 92 laps completed, securing 2nd place overall. In 3rd place was #88 Plan B Racing Team × ARATA, which had been steadily running from the beginning.