One of the stars of the 2024 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia-Pacific Championship (R3 APC) is Japanese rider Kakeru Okunuki, who currently leads the standings with four wins from eight races across four rounds. One of his most impressive performances came in Round 4 in Japan. He was leading in Race 1 before it was red-flagged, and in the 5-lap super sprint that followed, he went head-to-head against Thai rider Tanakit Pratumtong. After giving up the lead at one point, he came from behind to pull off a stunning victory. It was a display of his growth in both mental strength and race control, and he was beaming with confidence after the race.
Okunuki shared, “My riding career started on an electric bike when I was in 2nd grade at Mobility Resort Motegi with my Dad, who loves motorsports.”
“That's when I got interested in racing and started watching MotoGP. I thought riders like Marc Marquez were so cool, and I wanted to become a pro rider too, so I got a gasoline-powered bike.” At first, Okunuki mostly rode on the dirt, but in fifth grade he switched to road racing and made his racing debut on a kart track. He remembers those days well: “I was lapped by the top eight riders, but I kept at it and the more I rode, the faster I got on the bike, and the more I genuinely enjoyed riding,” he recalls.
After that, Okunuki continued racing as he progressed through different bikes, but there came a turning point. “In my second year of junior high school, I couldn’t get any good results in my races, and I got very impatient thinking about whether I could ever become a pro rider.” The following year, he joined a riding school and worked toward progressing into a higher class and toward getting a full-time ride in the Asia Talent Cup, but he was unable to achieve either of those goals.
After suffering a major setback and seemingly losing his path to the world stage, Okunuki was shown a new way via Yamaha’s step-up rider development program, one aspect of which is the R3 APC.
“For my dream to become a pro rider at the world level, I think this is my final challenge and my last chance, because considering my age, I need to make it to Europe to follow my dream.” He added, “In the R3 APC I get experience battling against riders from outside Japan, and if I can go on to make it to the World Cup, I’ll have the chance to challenge for two years in a high-level environment. When I was thinking about competing, it was a big attraction for me to be able to see the route I would take,” said Okunuki.
His parents, who support his dream, said, “With so few paths for riders in Asia to the world stage, Yamaha’s efforts are a huge help for us as parents who want to see our son make it to that level. Together with Kakeru, we decided to participate in this program and we see it as his last chance.”
During the season, Okunuki suffered a broken pelvis due to a fall at Round 2, which meant he did not score any points. “I heard about an athlete who broke his pelvis and recovered in two months, so I pushed myself to make it back for the next race and to be sure I could score points” he said. In his comeback event, Round 3, he finished 5th and 6th in the two races.
Following that, in Race 1 at SUGO, he was leading the race but it was red-flagged. “I was nervous because in the past I’d crashed out of a lot of re-started races,” he said, but in the end, he was able to keep his rivals at bay and take the win. His parents couched their praise by saying “He still lacks a little initiative, but...,” before saying that, “Since he started working on his injury recovery, he’s lost some of his naivete, and his desire to be a champion is getting stronger.”
“After R3 APC, I want to go on to win the World Cup title, then get good results in World Supersport before moving into Moto2, and in the end make it to MotoGP. So for me, the R3 APC is a very important opportunity that plays a huge role in my racing career from here on. I’m definitely going to win it,” concluded Okunuki. Listening to him speak, it’s clear that Kakeru Okunuki has his sights firmly set on the pinnacle of the road racing world.
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