All Japan Road Race Championship
MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Race Championship | |
---|---|
Teams | 5 manufacturers |
Sport | Motorcycle sport |
Founded | 1967 |
Country | Japan |
Champion | Atsushi Watanabe (Rider) Suzuki (Manufacturer) |
The All Japan Road Race Championship (全日本ロードレース選手権/Zen Nihon Rōdorēsu Senshuken) is the premiere motorcycle road racing championship in Japan. It is run by the Motorcycle Federation of Japan (MFJ) (日本モーターサイクルスポーツ協会) - the Japaneses affiliate of the FIM.
History
The MFJ was formed in 1961 and held its first motorcycle road race in 1967.
The Championship's premiere class for a number of years had been GP500 but it was replaced by a superbike class in 1994.
During the 2002 season the championship was used by some manufacturers to test their MotoGP prototypes. The prototypes usually won the races but were not eligible for points.
The series now runs a small 7 round schedule but has a large field of Japanese riders and bikes. Atsushi Watanabe won the 2007 championship riding a Yoshimura Suzuki.