Racers and their loved ones know that the sports they love come with inherent levels of risk. Still, it never gets any easier when something like this happens.
On September 8, 2024, young racer Ryota Haga was competing in the Motorcycle Federation of Japan's All Japan Road Race Championship ST600 Class. It was round six of the championship, and was held at the Autopolis course in Oita Prefecture, Japan.
Haga had just turned 21 years old on August 25, 2024. He was the youngest son of Noriyuki "Nitro Nori" Haga, the storied World Superbike and MotoGP racer. He was also the nephew of fellow racer Kensuke Haga, Noriyuki's older brother. Racing, as it so often does, runs deep in the family.
According to reports, Ryota was having difficulty with his Yamaha YZF-R6 on the track, and was ultimately hit from behind by two other racers. Obituaries from the MFJ, the Autopolis race course, and the Japan Roadrace Championship (all links in Japanese) note that although he received immediate and intensive medical treatment, he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.
Haga participated in the Italian CIV racing championship from 2017 through 2019. Since 2020, he'd been running in the All Japan Roadrace Championship's ST600 class, steadily making his way up the rankings with each passing year.
He finished 2020 with a 20th place in the championship overall. The next year, he finished in 16th before moving down two slots to 18th in 2022. But by 2023, he made up any ground he'd lost (and then some) with a 10th-place ranking to finish out the season.
We at RideApart send our condolences and best wishes to Haga's friends and family during this incredibly difficult time, even though words can hardly do justice to a loss like this.
