On March 1, 2026, we held the RS All-Japan Championship to determine the pinnacle of Rookie Speed. As the first-ever RS one-make event, it was the site of fierce competition on the Speed Grand Prix course at Tsukuba RC Arena.
The event featured two classes: RS Scale and RS Scale Brushless. Both were defined by strict regulations to ensure equal conditions, including specified batteries and motors, as well as set limits on tire RPM.
While the speed range is easy to control, top-qualifying drivers traced tight lines and utilized precise machine settings to clock in lap times a cut above the rest. Their ability to maintain speed through corners and their sharp acceleration out of turns really stood out as they maneuvered through the corners with agility.
In the RS Scale class, TQ holder Suzuki took the lead right from the start, leaving the battle for second place behind him. Despite there being no major speed disparity, Suzuki built a several-second margin with consistent line choices and settled into a cruise. Clocking in consistent low 15-second laps, Suzuki crossed the finish line in first place.
The slightly faster RS Brushless class featured a white-hot race unfolding that was truly worthy of an "All-Japan" title.
Although Iwasa, who secured the TQ with an overwhelming time in the qualifiers, was expected to pull away from the pack in the finals, Arai hounded him from the very start, applying intense pressure. While gaps opened slightly in sections where each driver excelled, a super close-quarters battle—within fractions of a second—continued for the full five minutes. Arai made repeated attempts to dive into the inside, but Iwasa successfully fended him off with some masterful defensive driving.
Finally, the call for time was made. The spectacular battle that lasted until the final lap ended with Iwasa crossing the finish line in the lead.
RESULT
RS Scale Class
| Pos | C# | Driver Name | Laps | Total Time | Best Lap | Avg Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kenichi Suzuki | 21 | 5:07.667 | 15.002 | 15.246 |
| 2 | 4 | Nobuo Nakamura | 21 | 5:12.050 | 15.143 | 15.430 |
| 3 | 2 | Kazuto Kashima | 21 | 5:13.595 | 15.045 | 15.529 |
| 4 | 5 | Tomohiro Inoue | 20 | 5:01.285 | 15.183 | 15.647 |
| 5 | 3 | Takafumi Mizuhashi | 20 | 5:01.392 | 15.022 | 15.702 |
| 6 | 8 | Yoshinobu Ishiguro | 20 | 5:02.513 | 15.055 | 15.685 |
| 7 | 6 | Yuichi Iihashi | 20 | 5:05.747 | 15.193 | 15.890 |
| 8 | 9 | Hitoaki Nakamura | 20 | 5:08.852 | 15.347 | 16.002 |
| 9 | 7 | Nobuyuki Yumoto | 20 | 5:13.283 | 15.145 | 16.266 |
| 10 | 10 | Koji Kurihara | 19 | 5:00.472 | 15.540 | 16.391 |
RS Scale Brushless Class
| Pos | C# | Driver Name | Laps | Total Time | Best Lap | Avg Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Yasunori Iwasa | 23 | 5:14.038 | 13.974 | 14.167 |
| 2 | 2 | Naomichi Arai | 23 | 5:14.363 | 13.982 | 14.158 |
| 3 | 3 | Jiri Jiri | 22 | 5:12.589 | 14.514 | 15.475 |
| 4 | 4 | Haru Furuyama | 22 | 5:12.864 | 14.467 | 14.738 |
| 5 | 10 | Yasunori Takayoshi | 21 | 5:03.777 | 14.383 | 14.944 |
| 6 | 5 | Teruteru RC | 21 | 5:04.772 | 14.529 | 15.054 |
| 7 | 6 | Yasuaki Takakura | 21 | 5:06.540 | 14.554 | 15.142 |
| 8 | 7 | Yukihiro Sato | 21 | 5:07.745 | 14.635 | 15.182 |
| 9 | 9 | Tomohiro Inoue | 21 | 5:09.079 | 14.583 | 15.223 |
| 10 | 8 | Yuichi Iihashi | 18 | 5:01.787 | 14.832 | 17.497 |
During the race interval, we also held an exhibition race featuring Team Yokomo drivers and Yokomo employee drivers. We held a vote on who the winner would be, incorporating a handicap; Team Yokomo’s Anegawa crossed the finish line first, and Jiri Jiri, who correctly guessed the winner, won an RC bag as a prize.
With excellent track conditions and spectacular battles, the RS All-Japan Championship was a massive success. We are already planning for the next event to be even bigger. Stay tuned!
