Muroya claims historic first win for Japan and all of Asia posted: 05/06/2016
Yoshihide Muroya of Japan arrives after he won the finals of the third stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Chiba, Japan on June 5, 2016
Yoshihide Muroya wrote a new page in Japan's sporting history on Sunday with his first race win - and the first-ever for Asia - at the Red Bull Air Race World Championship stop in Chiba, Japan. The home hero needed luck as well as supreme skill in a breathtakingly close battle, where Martin onka of the Czech Republic claimed second, while the USA's Kirby Chambliss took third.
To the cheers - and even tears - of 50,000 home fans, Japanese pilot Yoshihide Yoshi Muroya broke through the clouds over Toyko Bay for a breakthrough of his own: his first race win in five seasons of competition for the Red Bull Air Race World Championship. As the only Asian pilot of the ultimate motorsport series in the sky, Muroya showed why his countrymen call him Eternal Pioneer, logging a historic first for Japan and the entire continent as well. The victory on Sunday was a nail-biter right to the last fraction of a second. Muroya's time of 1:04.992 barely edged out the 1:05.097 clocked by Martin onka of the Czech Republic. Kirby Chambliss of the USA finished a fiercely competitive third.
Conditions changed from moment to moment in Chiba's tight and technical racetrack, keeping pilots on the edge and in the penalties. Muroya's win looked improbable as he began the race with a one-second penalty for insufficient smoke, but his strong flying pushed his opponents in the Round of 14 and the Round of 8 to exceed the G limit, advancing the Japanese hero to the final, where less than eight-tenths of a second separated the four pilots' results. onka, meanwhile, earned the DHL Fastest Lap award for his blistering time of 1:04.352 in the opening round.
The result in Chiba - which was the first podium of the season for all three top finishers - breaks the World Championship wide open with five races still to go. At the top of the standings, Matthias Dolderer of Germany has seen his lead cut to a mere 10 points ahead of the second place position now held by the American Chambliss, while Nicolas Ivanoff of France, who did not compete due to illness, clings to the third spot by just one point over Muroya. The middle of the field is clumped closely behind, and the title is still anyone's to seize.
It feels very special. We were very close to Martin in the times, but the fans pushed us into the win, said Muroya, who noted that his Team Falken is working together exceptionally well. I've been flying for 25 years and this is my first win, so it's taken a long time. Its a big, big moment.
Earlier in the day, Chile's Cristian Bolton was victorious in the Challenger Class, while American Kevin Coleman launched to the top of the Challenger leaderboard with his third consecutive second-place finish.
Hostesses seen at the race airport prior to the finals of the third stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Chiba, Japan on June 5, 2016
Tickets for all stops of the 2016 Red Bull Air Race World Championship - including the next race in the scenic heart of Budapest, Hungary on 16-17 July - are on sale now. For more information on tickets and all the latest, visit www.redbullairrace.com
Results Master Class Chiba:1. Yoshihide Muroya (JPN), 2. Martin Sonka (CZE), 3. Kirby Chambliss (USA), 4. Nigel Lamb (GBR), 5. Juan Velarde (ESP), 6. Hannes Arch (AUT), 7. Matt Hall (AUS), 8. Matthias Dolderer (GER), 9. Petr Kopfstein (CZE), 10. Fran ois Le Vot (FRA), 11. Peter Podlun ek (SLO), 12. Pete McLeod (CAN), 13. Michael Goulian (USA), 14. Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA)
World Championship Standings: 1. Matthias Dolderer (GER) 30 pts, 2. Kirby Chambliss (USA) 20 pts, 3. Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA) 19 pts, 4. Yoshihide Muroya (JPN) 18 pts, 5. Hannes Arch (AUT) 17 pts, 6. Nigel Lamb (GBR) 16 pts, 7. Martin onka (CZE) 14 pts, 8. Matt Hall (AUS) 12 pts, 9. Pete McLeod (CAN) 11 pts., 10. Fran ois Le Vot (FRA) 10 pts, 11. Juan Velarde (ESP) 7 pts, 12. Michael Goulian (USA) 6 pts., 13. Peter Podlun ek (SLO) 3 pts, 14. Petr Kopfstein (CZE) 2 pts
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Muroya claims historic first win for Japan and all of Asia posted: 05/06/2016 
