Ducati scores historic race victory in Japan

The All Japan Road Race Championship had a distinct Italian flavour on the weekend.

Ryo Mizuno in winning form.

For the first time since the series inception back in 1994, a non-Japanese brand took the checkered flag in a championship round.

The historic victory took place on the weekend at Motegi when Ryo Mizuno piloted his Ducati Team Kagayama Panigale V4 R to a pole position in qualifying on Saturday and followed that up with the race win on Sunday and fastest lap along the way.

Mizuno grabbed the race lead on Sunday in the first lap as he passed leader Kohta Nozane on his Honda CBR 1000-RR and then stayed out front for the rest of the 20-lap feature. He won by a margin of 4.135 seconds over the Yamaha YZF-R1 of Katsuyuki Nakasuga and 5.384 seconds over Yamaha racer Yuki Okamoto.

Ryo Mizuno took the lead on the first lap.

Mizuno is second in the overall championship points standings, 19 points behind Nakasuga.

The next round of the eight-race series is Saturday and Sunday, September 7 and 8 at AUTO POLIS in Kyushu.