RIO SHIMONO Dominates Rain-Soaked Kyojo Cup Opener Ahead of ONAGA & HIRAKAWA

May 10, 2025

GRRL! SUMMARY:

RIO SHIMONO delivered a masterclass performance in treacherous conditions, securing pole position by just 20 milliseconds over HANA BURTON before dominating the sprint race with a commanding 9.6-second victory. The Dr. Dry with Impul driver led two of three practice sessions and never looked back once the green flag dropped, opening both the season and what organizers are calling “a new era” for the championship.
MIKI ONAGA made the most of early race chaos to snatch second place from BURTON at turn one, then held her ground to claim a solid runner-up finish for TOM’S. Meanwhile, MAKO HIRAKAWA quietly worked her way to a podium finish for Rookie Racing, crossing the line third and 12.1 seconds behind Shimono in what proved to be a clean, strategic drive.
The rain-soaked weekend created plenty of drama, with HANA BURTON’s promising pole-fighting performance unraveling due to handling issues that dropped her from second to eighth by mid-race before recovering to sixth. Other notable performances included KOKORO SATO’s steady fourth-place finish and AYUMU NAGAI rounding out the top five, while late-race incidents caught out several drivers including ITSUMO SHIRAISHI who spun out of sixth with two laps remaining.