The final round of the 2020 Japanese Enduro Championship landed in the Murata-Sugo for an ISDE-style 2-Day enduro which saw Beta take their first ever JEC overall title and Tadashi Kugimura his fourth crown.

Although the 2020 Japanese Enduro Championship (JEC) was forced to suspend for six months due COVID-19, it has finished with a flurry of racing which concluded with the final round at the Murata-Sugo 2 Days Enduro.

Running across two days but with an ISDE-like format, with one cross test and two enduro tests and a final-cross at the end of the schedule, 160 riders from all over Japan tackled around 25km of transfer sections consisted of paved roads and narrow single-tracks, with one time TC near the Parc ferme and nine laps across the two days.

November in Northern Japan can see snow but riders were blessed with warm weather and the dry conditions in the special tests produced close times.

Kugimura’s fourth championship

In A class Tadashi Kugimura arrived at the final round leading having changed teams this year and is now riding a Beta two-stroke. It proved a successful switch as he won both days over his rivals to take the championship.

“The quality of my bike was good and this time I came here to the last round with a lot of confidence – I was able to start off with a relaxed mind.” Says Tadashi. “The special test was difficult, but I was able to ride with about 80 percent and still get good times. That’s how well the bike works!” The 2020 Championship means Kugimura has won his fourth JEC title for himself. This also became the first JEC title for Beta.

In the B class, Yamaha-mounted Homare Watanabe won the series title and will be promoted to the A class next season. Watanabe crashed hard on the first day and lost time, but won the second day with the best times in all the special tests and even won the final cross test. In the women’s class, Tomoyo Takami won both days.

DAY 1 Results:

A class

1. Tadashi Kugimura, Beta RR2T300

2. Kenji Suzuki, Yamaha YZ250F

3. Yoshitaka Atsuta, Honda CRF450RX

4. Ryosuke Enokida, Husqvarana FC350

5. Yoshikazu Hosaka, GASGAS EC250

6. Taka Maehashi, KTM 250EXC-F

B class

1. Takahito Toda, KTM250EXC

2. Yasuyuki Konno, Husqvarna FC350

3. Takahiro Nakajima, KTM300EXC

4. Yusuke Hino, Honda CRF250R

5. Keiichi Sato, Yamaha WR250F

6. Kakeru Shimane, Yamaha YZ125X

Women

1. Tomoyo Takami, Yamaha YZ125X

2. Akiko Matsumoto, Husqvarna TE150XC-W

3. Ayako Wada, Kawasaki KX100

DAY 2 Results:

A class

1. Tadashi Kugimura, Beta RR2T300

2. Kenji Suzuki, Yamaha YZ250F

3. Ryosuke Enokida, Husqvarana FC350

4. Yoshitaka Atsuta, Honda CRF450RX

5. Yoshikazu Hosaka, GASGAS EC250

6. Taka Maehashi, KTM 250EXC-F

B class

1. Homare Watanabe, Yamaha YZ250X

2. Takahiro Nakajima, KTM300EXC

3. Keiichi Sato, Yamaha WR250F

4. Takahito Toda, KTM250EXC

5. Yusuke Hino, Honda CRF250R

6. Yasuyuki Konno, Husqvarna FC350

Women

1. Tomoyo Takami, Yamaha YZ125X

2. Akiko Matsumoto, Husqvarna TE150XC-W

3. Ayako Wada, Kawasaki KX100

The JEC 2021 Schedule is not confirmed yet but the Hidaka Two Days Enduro, an FIM sanctioned event open to international riders, is confirmed for September 18-19, 2021.

Words and Photo Credit: BIG TANK

More content from Japan can always be found on the Big Tank Facebook page.