KRP Sanyo Industry & RS-ITOH Announces 2026 Racing Team Kawasaki Vehicles to Challenge All-Japan Road JSB1000 and Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race this Year, Too!

Sanyo Industry (Head office: Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture, hereinafter referred to as "Sanyo Industry") will participate in the All Japan Road Race Championship JSB1000 class and Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race as "KRP Sanyo Industry & RS-ITOH" for the 2026 season. In 2026, Riku Sugawara will be newly appointed to the JSB1000 class. This will be a big step up for Sugawara, who raced in the ST600 class until last year. In the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race, we will continue to employ drivers Yuto Sano and Katsuto Sano, as we did last year, and with the addition of Sugawara, we plan to enter the Formula EWC with the aim of achieving the highest team ranking. We would like to share with you our passion for Kawasaki and the enthusiasm of our riders for the 2026 race.

2025 team: Masato Sano

2026 Team Profile

Team Manager: Kazunari Ito

Advisor : Akira Yanagawa

Machine: Ninja ZX-10R

＜All Japan Road Race Championship Riders

JSB1000 Class: Riku Sugawara

＜Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race Riders

Masato Sano, Katsuto Sano, Riku Sugawara

Reasons for continuing to take on challenges with Kawasaki vehicles

Sanyo Industry, which has been involved in manufacturing parts for Kawasaki motorcycles for 47 years since its establishment, has teamed up with the prestigious road racing team RS-ITOH, with the desire to "give back to Kawasaki motorcycles. RS-ITOH has been participating in the All Japan Road Race since 1993 and the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race since 1995, both on Kawasaki vehicles. It has been 11 years since Sanyo Kogyo entered the world of road racing, and 10 years since RS-ITOH and KRP Sanyo Kogyo & RS-ITOH took up the challenge. Over the past 10 years, the number of teams competing with Kawasaki vehicles has decreased. Especially in the All Japan Road Race JSB1000 class, we will be the only Kawasaki vehicle competing as we did last year. In the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race, too, only a few teams will be competing with Kawasaki vehicles. We will continue to carry the passion of our supporters with us, and we hope you will look forward to our challenge to push the limits in 2026. We look forward to your continued support in 2026.

Kazunari Ito Director

Kazunari Ito Director

This season marks a major milestone for RS-ITOH, as it is our 40th year of racing and our 30th attempt at the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race. In this memorable year, we are aiming to be the top entrant in the All Japan Road Race Championship, and in the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race, we are aiming for a single finish. We will not give up and will fight with all our might until the end, armed with our 40 years of accumulated experience and the solidarity that only a privateer team can have. We look forward to your continued warm support.

Yuto Sano Player

Yuto Sano, rider

Last year in Suzuka 8 Hours, the average of the whole team was high, and the pace of myself, Shinjo, and my brother Katsuhito was stable. In 2026, Sugawara will join the team and we will have a team structure with young riders. I myself will be leading the team as a middle-ranking member. I am confident that my pace and one-shot times will improve, and I will seriously aim for the top 10.

Katsuto Sano

Katsuhito Sano Player

In 2025, we went with a three-member team, and by the end of my first stint, I was able to improve my position to around 17th place. In 2026, all three riders will be young, and I am confident that we have the potential as a team. We will do our best in the next round, aiming for even higher rankings.

Riku Sugawara

Riku Sugawara

My name is Riku Sugawara, and I will be racing in the All Japan Road Race Championship and Suzuka 8 Hours from KRP Sanyo Industry & RS-ITOH. With the goal of finishing in the top 10 in both the All Japan Road Race Championship and the Suzuka 8 Hours, I will work hard in my daily training and give my all in each and every race. There will be many first-time experiences, and there will be times when I feel uneasy, but the entire team will work together to make this a year of growth and development. We look forward to your continued warm support and encouragement.

Akira Yanagawa, Advisor

Akira Yanagawa, Advisor

KRP Sanyo Industry & RS-ITOH will be taking on the challenge of the 2026 All-Japan Road Race Championship season with a new organization. In my second year as an advisor, the team's strengths and challenges have become clearer. I will focus on providing on-the-spot support so that the new players and the team members who have supported the team up to now can mesh with each other at a high level. We will value the accumulation of each game and aim for solid growth. We look forward to your continued support.

Naoyuki Inoue, Representative Director of Sanyo Industry

Naoyuki Inoue, Representative Director

Last year marked exactly 10 years since Sanyo Kogyo entered the world of road racing. This year marks exactly 10 years since "KRP Sanyo Industry & RS-ITOH" was established. Ten years have passed since that day. We feel that the meaning and responsibility of running Kawasaki's machines are steadily becoming heavier every year. We are proud of our 10 years of experience, proud to be a sponsor, and aware of our responsibility to take on the team's challenges.

KRP Sanyo Industry & RS-ITOH Organization Announcement

Announcement of KRP Sanyo Industry & RS-ITOH Organization in 2025

Announcement of KRP Sanyo Industry & RS-ITOH Organization in 2025

We are pleased to announce that we will hold a "System Announcement Meeting" as follows. This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from the director and riders about their enthusiasm. For media who wish to attend, we will send you the details. Please contact the Public Relations Division of Sanyo Industry Co.

Date: Friday, February 13, 2026 from 18:00

Venue: Nishi-Akashi Hotel Castle Plaza

Contents: Declaration of determination by the director and riders, and a kickoff party

■Company Profile

Company name: Sanyo Industry Co.

Representative: Naoyuki Inoue, Representative Director

Location: 1388 Eijima, Okubo-cho, Akashi-shi, Hyogo Prefecture

Establishment : March 24, 1980

Business description: Manufacturing and manufacturing dispatch services

URL : http://sanyou-ind.co.jp/