Shota Fujii, a student in our school’s SA (Scholar-Athlete & Artist) program, competed in the 2026 SUZUKA CHAMPION CUP RACE Round 1 held at Suzuka Circuit on March 1 and finished 3rd place in the final race. This marks Fujii’s first podium finish in the formula category.

Fujii entered Ritsumeikan Uji Junior High School as an SA student specializing in racing kart. He steadily built an impressive record, and in the 2023 season (his first year of high school) he achieved four consecutive victories from Round 3 to Round 6 of the All Japan Kart Championship 2023, becoming the champion of the JAF All Japan Kart Championship OK class.

In his second year of high school, Fujii stepped up to the formula category. While gaining experience and steadily improving his performance, he achieved an outstanding result by finishing third in this race, held just before his graduation.

Fujii is scheduled to graduate from our school on March 7. We look forward to his continued success in the future.

【Comment from Fujii】

It took me two years after moving up from karting to the formula category, but I was finally able to stand on the podium for the first time. Depending on the qualifying results, I might even have been able to aim for the victory, so the race left me with both joy and frustration. Still, I’m glad that I was able to achieve a satisfying result in what was the final race of my high school career.