Ryota Haga, the 21-year-old son of former Superbike racer Noriyuki Haga, was killed Sunday during a ST600 Japanese Championship race at Autopolis International Racing Course, located in Ōita Prefecture, in Japan, according to multiple sources.
Ryota Haga raced a Yamaha YZF-R6 for the WORK NAVI Nitro Racing team. He had been racing in the series since 2020, and finished 10th in the ST600 Championship in 2023.
At the start of Sunday’s race, Haga had trouble launching his Yamaha off the grid, lost power, and was struck by two motorcycles from behind. He was transported to a hospital via helicopter, but he succumb to his injuries.
The race was cancelled.
The MFJ All-Japan Road Racing Championship has not released any official information about Haga’s death or the incident on its website of social media feeds.
We will update this post as more information becomes available.
