The opening round of the 2025 MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship, held on April 19–20 at Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture, saw a tumultuous start amidst the battle for the top spot in the opening laps. The Motegi 2&4 Race was held in conjunction with the Super Formula series, drawing a total of 33,000 spectators over the two days. Among them were 295 Astemo employees and their families, who came out to show their support.

This round featured races exclusively from the JSB1000 class. Representing Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing were Kohta Nozane, continuing from last season, and new team member Kohta Arakawa, who will be competing full-time in the ST1000 class this year. As a part of his preparation, Arakawa joined the JSB1000 class for this round only, using his ST1000-spec machine as a real-world test.

On April 19, The qualifying session was held under unseasonably warm conditions, with track temperatures reaching 45°C. Nozane wasted no time in attacking from the start, eventually securing 6th place with a best lap of 1:47.976. Arakawa qualified in 18th with a time of 1:51.106.

On April 20, the 20-lap race took place under cloudy skies. Starting from 6th, Nozane made a solid start and surged forward through Corner 1 and 2, quickly climbing to 4th for the opening lap. On the second lap, he made a bold move at Victory Corner, passing both Yamaha's Nakasuga and Ducati's Mizuno on the inside to take 2nd place. However, he lost control under braking at the following Hairpin Corner and crashed. Though he managed to pick up the bike and rejoin, the damage to the bike forced him to return to the pits and retire from the race.
Arakawa started from 18th on the grid and rode a steady and calculated race against the more powerful JSB1000 machines. He climbed up to 14th by the checkered flag, earning 2 points in his class debut.

The next round, "Superbike Race in SUGO," will take place on May 24–25 at Sportsland SUGO in Miyagi Prefecture. SI Racing is set to enter nine riders across the JSB1000, ST1000, ST600, and J-GP3 classes. Stay tuned for more exciting performances and strong results from the team throughout the season!