The second round of the 2025 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Japan was held at Autopolis International Racing Course, Kyushu’s only international circuit. Surrounded by lush greenery, the venue hosted intense battles across five classes.

A defining characteristic of this round was the sudden changes in weather. While the original forecast predicted rain for Saturday, the first qualifying session was moved to Friday. Although there were hopes that the weather would improve for the final, rain returned just before the race started. Teams were forced to adapt to drastic changes in conditions from free practice through to the final, making tire choices and car setups crucial factors in determining victory and defeat.

Trofeo Pirelli. In the Trofeo Pirelli class, the highlight was the debut of Sota Muto (M. Auto Italia). He secured pole position by an impressive margin of about 1.5 seconds ahead of second place in qualifying. In the final, he maintained his momentum and showcased consistent driving, cruising to a dominant victory with a gap of around 20 seconds to second place. Muto had already demonstrated his ability in virtual racing, and this event proved his speed translates to real-world racing. Akihiro Tsuzuki (Auto Speciale), who made his first appearance this year, outdueled Tadao Uematsu (Cornes Shiba) in a fierce scrap for third and crossed the line in a strong second place.

Trofeo Pirelli Am class featured a small yet competitive field of three cars. Yasutaka Shirasaki (Rosso Scuderia), starting second, overtook Motohiko Isozaki (Cornes Shiba) in the final and took the checkered flag in first. Cold Max (Cornes Osaka) finished a close third.

In the inaugural running of the Trofeo Pirelli 488 Challenge Evo class, three cars competed. Yosuke Yamaki (Grantesta Nanano) started on pole and saw off all challengers to claim a notable victory. Takeshi Shogaki (Cornes Shiba) finished second, followed by Kane Kim (Nicole Competizione) in third.

Coppa Shell. In the Coppa Shell class, once again, Phil Kim (Nicole Competizione) delivered unmatched stability in both qualifying and the final, taking pole-to-win for his third consecutive victory. He also performed impressively against the Pirelli Am drivers in the overall standings. Masafumi Hiwatashi (European Version) finished second, showing steady and clean racing throughout.

Coppa Shell Am class saw 11 cars take to the track, providing plenty of excitement. Pole sitter Norikazu Shibata (Cornes Osaka) held the lead from start to finish to claim victory. Through the middle stages, Ryutaro Saito (Mid Sapporo) launched relentless attacks and attempted multiple overtakes, but spun out on the final lap, dropping to third. Yu Liang Chen (Rosso Scuderia) took advantage to finish in second. The top battle remained thrilling right up to the checkered flag.

This round was characterized by extremely challenging conditions, with dry sessions for qualifying and free practice, but a heavy wet final. Nonetheless, all drivers delivered calm and fair competition with no troubles, treating fans to high-level close racing.

The next race, Race 2, is scheduled for May 25 at 3:00 PM local time.