Rintaro Takemoto, a second-year student at our high school, has been crowned the season champion in the domestic JP250 road race category. In recognition of his achievement, he has been selected for the YAMAHA Scholarship and will compete in the "YAMAHA R3 bLU cRU FIM World Cup" in Europe in 2026.

This season, although Takemoto had not yet secured a win in the All Japan Championship, he claimed his first victory at the final race held at Suzuka Circuit. With this result, he topped the season rankings and secured the championship title.

Last year, he participated in the "IDEMITSU Asia Talent Cup," a prestigious series featuring top riders from across the Asia-Oceania region. The series began in Qatar and spanned six rounds, but Takemoto was unable to achieve the results he had hoped for, finishing 8th overall. Fueled by this frustration, he challenged the JP250 class this year. Although the opening round saw him score no points due to being caught in another rider’s crash, he went on to finish on the podium in all five remaining races. With a win in the final round, he secured the season championship in spectacular fashion.

Takemoto shared his joy as follows:

Takemoto's journey continues. Ritsumeikan Uji remains committed to supporting students who strive toward their dreams with unwavering effort.