Keito Abe
Keito Abe 阿部 恵斗 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 13 September 2003 Akishima, Tokyo, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Japanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | SDG Harc-Pro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bike number | 39 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Keito Abe (Japanese: 阿部 恵斗, Hepburn: Abe Keito; born 13 September 2003)[1] is a Japanese motorcycle racer who competes in the ASB1000 class of the Asia Road Racing Championship for SDG Harc-Pro.
Abe is a double All Japan ST600 champion, having claimed the title in 2023 and 2024. He has also raced in the JSB1000—the top class of the All Japan—as a replacement rider in the final two rounds of 2025.
Early and personal life
[edit]Born in Akishima, Tokyo,[2] Abe started riding motorcycles at the age of four. He later moved to mini bikes in 2012, aged nine, and entered the Team Norick program—a young rider development ladder originally started by Norifumi Abe. In the following years he competed in the S80 class in the Tsukuba Road Race Championship, and ultimately moved to a TZ 250 in the J-GP3 class of the same championship in 2015, where he ranked second.[3]
He is not related to Norifumi Abe.[4]
Career
[edit]All Japan Road Race Championship
[edit]J-GP2 (2018–2019)
[edit]Abe entered the All Japan Road Race Championship in 2018, aged 14. He was given a spot in the J-GP2 class aboard a Yamaha YN6 prototype, racing for Team Norick.[5][6] He finished his rookie season in fourteenth place after a best place finish of eleventh at Sportsland Sugo. In 2019, Abe faced his second year in the J-GP2,[7] where he clinched top-ten finishes in all races and finished in fifth place at Tsukuba and Suzuka. He finished the season in eighth place in the championship standings.
ST600 (2020–2024)
[edit]After the J-GP2 class had folded at the end of 2019, Abe moved categories to ST600 for 2020, racing with the same Team Norick aboard a production YZF-R6.[8][9] He had a strong rookie season where he clinched top-ten finishes, with a best place result of fifth at Sugo and later at Motegi, including a maiden pole position in the latter.[10] His final position in the standings was eighth again. In 2021, Abe faced his second running in the ST600 class, still under the Team Norick umbrella.[11] He clinched his maiden podium in the sixth at Okayama, with a third place finish after achieving pole position the day before. He would go on to close off the season with another podium at Autopolis, this time with a second place after beating Haruki Noguchi in a final lap battle.[12]
Abe left the Norick program at the end of 2021 and switched to Team 51 Garage for the 2022 season onwards. That year he clinched his maiden win at Autopolis, after a last lap battle with Kohta Arakawa and Shota Ite.[13] He claimed a second podium in the following round at Okayama and finished the season in third place overall. In 2023, Abe claimed his first All Japan title in the ST600 class, after finishing on the podium in every race and winning the first header at Sugo.[14][15] He was officially proclaimed champion in the final round at Suzuka after finishing in front of his teammate and championship contender Sho Nishimura.[16]
In 2024, Abe faced his fifth and final ST600 season.[17] He dominated the championship by winning five races and four pole positions in a row,[18][19] and was crowned ST600 champion for a second time—in the penultimate round at Okayama.[20][21] Shortly before the final round at Suzuka, Abe's team decided not to participate in the event following the unexpected death of the team director Takahiro Sohwa.[22]
JSB1000 (2025)
[edit]Abe debuted in the All Japan Road Race Championship's top class JSB1000 in 2025, with SDG Harc-Pro. He replaced the injured Teppei Nagoe and participated in the final two rounds of the season at Okayama and Suzuka.[23] His best result was a fifth place in the second header of the Suzuka round.[24]
Asia Road Racing Championship
[edit]SS600 (2022–2023)
[edit]Abe entered the Supersport class of the 2022 Asia Road Racing Championship for three rounds at Sugo, Sepang and Buriram. He clinched a podium in his debut race at Sugo and would later grab two more top-ten finishes in the following two rounds.[25] In 2023, Abe entered his first Asia Road Racing Championship full-time season. In the first two rounds at Buriram and Sepang, he claimed several top-five finishes, and clinched his maiden win in the first header of the Sugo round. He finished in second place in Race 2.[26][27] He ended the season with more top-five finishes and placed fifth in the championship standings.
ASB1000 (2025–present)
[edit]After his success in the All Japan, Abe returned to the Asia Road Racing Championship in 2025, this time debuting in the top class ASB1000 with SDG Harc-Pro. He made the jump to a Honda CBR1000RR-R, after competing on Yamaha machines for most of his early career. He claimed a podium in his debut round at Buriram, after finishing in third place.[28] In his home round at Motegi, Abe won the first race and finished second in the next one, which put him as championship leader for the first time.[29][30] He claimed another second place in the following round at Mandalika, but lost the championship lead following a crash at Sepang.[31] Abe ultimately placed third in the overall championship standings at the end of the season.
Abe entered his second ASB1000 season with SDG Harc-Pro in 2026.[32] In the opening round at Sepang he clinched two podiums, finishing second in both races and fending off Andi Izdihar by six milliseconds in Race 2.[33]
Suzuka 8 Hours
[edit]In 2025, Abe competed in the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race for the first time. He entered the event with SDG Harc-Pro, alongside Yuki Kunii and Teppei Nagoe.[34] The team ran in third place for a big part of the race but ultimately finished in fourth place and missed the podium.[35][36]
Career statistics
[edit]All Japan Road Race Championship
[edit]Races by year
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | J-GP2 | Yamaha | MOT 14 |
SUG 11 |
TSU1 15 |
TSU2 16 |
AUT 14 |
OKA 11‡ |
SUZ 16 |
14th | 48 | |||
| 2019 | J-GP2 | Yamaha | MOT DNS |
SUG 6 |
TSU1 5 |
TSU2 7 |
OKA 7 |
AUT 6 |
SUZ 5 |
8th | 93 | |||
| 2020 | ST600 | Yamaha | SUG 5 |
OKA C |
AUT 6 |
MOT 5 |
SUZ Ret |
8th | 47 | |||||
| 2021 | ST600 | Yamaha | MOT 6 |
SUG 25 |
TSU1 Ret |
TSU2 4 |
SUZ 6 |
OKA 3 |
AUT 2 |
5th | 72 | |||
| 2022 | ST600 | Yamaha | MOT 5 |
SUG1 7 |
SUG2 10 |
AUT 1 |
OKA 3 |
SUZ 7 |
3rd | 79 | ||||
| 2023 | ST600 | Yamaha | MOT 2 |
SUG1 1 |
SUG2 2 |
AUT 2 |
OKA 2 |
SUZ 3 |
1st | 124 | ||||
| 2024 | ST600 | Yamaha | MOT 1 |
SUG1 1 |
SUG2 1 |
AUT 1‡ |
OKA 1 |
SUZ | 1st | 112.5 | ||||
| 2025 | JSB1000 | Honda | MOT |
SUG1 |
SUG2 |
MOT1 |
MOT2 |
AUT1 |
AUT2 |
OKA 19† |
SUZ1 7 |
SUZ2 5 |
17th | 26 |
- † – Rider did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed more than ~75% of the race distance.
- ‡ – Half points were awarded based on the qualifying results.
Asia Road Racing Championship
[edit]Races by year
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Pos | Pts | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | |||||
| 2022 | SS600 | Yamaha | BUR | BUR | SEP | SEP | SUG 3 |
SUG Ret |
SEP Ret |
SEP 9 |
BUR 11 |
BUR 8 |
12th | 36 | ||
| 2023 | SS600 | Yamaha | BUR 4 |
BUR 4 |
SEP 7 |
SEP 5 |
SUG 1 |
SUG 2 |
MAN 4 |
MAN 5 |
ZHU DNS |
ZHU 6 |
BUR 7 |
BUR 5 |
5th | 145 |
| 2025 | ASB1000 | Honda | BUR 5 |
BUR 3 |
SEP 4 |
SEP 3 |
MOT 1 |
MOT 2 |
MAN 9 |
MAN 2 |
SEP Ret |
SEP 4 |
BUR 3 |
BUR 4 |
3rd | 170 |
| 2026 | ASB1000 | Honda | SEP 2 |
SEP 2 |
BUR 3 |
BUR 2 |
MOT 2 |
MOT 2 |
MAN 2 |
MAN 2 |
SEP |
SEP |
BUR |
BUR |
2nd* | 156* |
* Season still in progress.
Suzuka 8 Hours
[edit]| Year | Class | Team | Co-riders | Bike | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | EWC |  SDG Team Harc-Pro Honda |
Yuki Kunii Teppei Nagoe |
CBR1000RR-R | 4th |
| 2026 | EWC | SDG Team Harc-Pro Honda |
Yuki Kunii Teppei Nagoe |
CBR1000RR-R | TBD |
References
[edit]- ↑ "阿部 恵斗｜ライダー紹介｜JRR 全日本ロードレース オフィシャルファンサイト" jrr.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ↑ "2018 – J-GP2 – #30 阿部 恵斗 – 2957 | SUPERBIKE.JP" superbike.mfj.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ↑ "【リレー式インタビュー】レーシングライダー 阿部 恵斗選手の場合". bike-news.jp (in Japanese). 2 June 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
- ↑ "ノリックJr.がロードレースに挑戦開始！「目標はMotoGP。お父さんのようになりたい」". car.motor-fan.jp (in Japanese). 12 March 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
- ↑ "14歳の阿部恵斗が全日本J-GP2クラスにフル参戦。Webikeチームノリックヤマハ2018年チーム体制発表会". news.webike.net (in Japanese). 28 February 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
- ↑ "阿部恵斗・14歳が全日本J-GP2クラスにデビュー！". superbike.mfj.or.jp (in Japanese). 27 February 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
- ↑ "15歳の阿部恵斗が全日本J-GP2クラスにフル参戦。Webikeチームノリックヤマハ2019年チーム体制発表会". news.webike.net (in Japanese). 8 March 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
- ↑ "新たな戦いに挑む、チームノリックの2020年始動！". mr-bike.jp (in Japanese). 3 March 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
- ↑ "16歳の阿部恵斗が全日本ST600クラスにフル参戦！Webikeチームノリックヤマハ2020年チーム体制発表会". news.webike.net (in Japanese). 3 March 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
- ↑ "阿部恵斗がうれしい初ポールポジション獲得 ! ! 前には誰もいないので、勢いで優勝を狙います！」". archive.mfj.or.jp (in Japanese). 17 October 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "阿部恵斗がチャンピオンを狙う！ 真生騎は全日本ロードフル参戦か!? Webikeチームノリックヤマハが体制発表". as-web.jp (in Japanese). 15 March 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "【Webikeチームノリックヤマハ】MFJ全日本ロードレース選手権 第7戦 阿部恵斗選手が2位獲得". news.webike.net (in Japanese). 24 September 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "【2022年全日本ロードレース選手権 第6戦 オートポリス ST600】赤旗中断で10周の短期決戦を阿部恵斗が制して全日本初優勝！". ms.bridgestone.co.jp (in Japanese). 29 August 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "【ブログ】JSB1000とST1000マシンの違いを取材・毎年群雄割拠のST600／カメラマンから見た全日本ロード第3戦SUGO". as-web.jp (in Japanese). 15 June 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "阿部恵斗の世界を見据えた挑戦④ 歯車が狂い始めたオートポリスラウンド". racingheroes.jp (in Japanese). 5 February 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "王者インタビュー、ST600阿部恵斗「ホッとした。やっとだな～」". chunichi.co.jp (in Japanese). 15 December 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "阿部恵斗の世界を見据えた挑戦⑤ 悲願のシリーズチャンピオン獲得！". racingheroes.jp (in Japanese). 11 February 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "【2024年全日本ロードレース選手権 第3戦 SUGO ST600】阿部恵斗がダブルウインで開幕3連勝". ms.bridgestone.co.jp (in Japanese). 27 May 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "【2024年全日本ロードレース選手権 第7戦 岡山 ST600】阿部恵斗が赤旗中断のレースを制して優勝、タイトル獲得". ms.bridgestone.co.jp (in Japanese). 30 September 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "全日本ロードST600で2年連続王者の阿部恵斗、2025年はSDGからレース参戦へ。選手権とクラスは未発表". as-web.jp (in Japanese). 29 October 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "「ST600には阿部がいる」という存在になりたかった 阿部恵斗インタビュー 飛躍の一年を振り返る". chunichi.co.jp (in Japanese). 24 December 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "激しい走りで知られた「タイガー宗和」 宗和孝宏さんが59歳で急逝 全日本ロード参戦 スクアードラ・ティーグレ タイラプロモート監督". chunichi.co.jp (in Japanese). 8 October 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "全日本第6戦岡山 代役参戦の阿部恵斗が予選で2番手獲得！". harc-pro.com (in Japanese). 6 October 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "全日本第7戦MFJ-GP 代役参戦の阿部恵斗がレース2で5位獲得". harc-pro.com (in Japanese). 15 January 2026. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "アジアロードレース選手権". race.yamaha-motor.co.jp (in Japanese). 14 August 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "不安定な天候で荒れに荒れたレース1。前田恵助が3位表彰台／2023FIMアジアロード第3戦 日本ラウンド 土曜日". as-web.jp (in Japanese). 25 June 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "阿部恵斗の世界を見据えた挑戦③ 日本人最速を見せつけたアジアロード". racingheroes.jp (in Japanese). 22 July 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "期待の阿部恵斗、目標はデビューイヤーでのタイトル獲得！". mr-bike.jp (in Japanese). 15 May 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "阿部恵斗、もてぎでASB1000初優勝。ポイントリーダーに浮上！ ワイルドカード勢も活躍／アジアロード第3戦日本". as-web.jp (in Japanese). 16 July 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "阿部恵斗、地元での活躍でランキング首位に浮上！". mr-bike.jp (in Japanese). 26 July 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "阿部恵斗、手痛い転倒もランキングトップをキープ". mr-bike.jp (in Japanese). 4 September 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "SDG株式会社 企業サイト｜2026年SDG HARC-PRO参戦体制発表". sdg-ing.com (in Japanese). 8 January 2026. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "ASB1000でハフィス・シャリンがダブルウイン、阿部恵斗もダブル2位入賞【アジアロードレース選手権第1戦マレーシア】". ridingsport.jp (in Japanese). 13 April 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ↑ "2025 FIM世界耐久選手権 "コカ・コーラ" 鈴鹿８時間耐久ロードレース 第46回大会" (PDF). sdg-ing.com (in Japanese). 5 June 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "初のセーフティーカー導入、Honda HRCがトップ【EWC第3戦鈴鹿8耐決勝7時間目】". ridingsport.jp (in Japanese). 3 August 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "[Race Final Result] Honda HRC Achieves Fourth Consecutive Victory at Suzuka 8 Hours with Two-Rider Lineup". honda.racing. 3 August 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2026.