Rei Wakamatsu
| Rei Wakamatsu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wakamatsu in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Japanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 2 March 2006 Katsushika, Tokyo, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Japan Post NTT docomo Business | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bike number | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rei Wakamatsu (Japanese: 若松 怜, Hepburn: Wakamatsu Rei; born 2 March 2006)[1] is a Japanese motorcycle racer who competes in the J-GP3 class of the 2026 All Japan Road Race Championship for Japan Post NTT docomo Business.
He made his Grand Prix debut in the Moto3 World Championship in 2024, acting as a replacement rider for MLav Racing. He is also an Asia Talent Cup graduate, having participated in the 2019, 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Early life
Wakamatsu was born in the Katsushika ward of Tokyo, Japan.[2] He started riding bikes at the age of 5, influenced by his father Hiroki, who was an All Japan Road Race 125cc rider at the time.[3] He was a student of the MFJ Road Race Academy and Musashi HARC-Pro Scholarship, where he was mentored by former 125cc world champion Kazuto Sakata, who sponsored him for a wildcard appearance in the 2018 All Japan Road Race Championship at Tsukuba Circuit.[4]
Career
Asia Talent Cup
Wakamatsu was selected to compete in the 2019 Asia Talent Cup season, at the age of 13.[5] His best result in his debut year was a 12th place at Sepang. He was set to start his second Cup season in 2020 but the championship was cancelled after just one round at Qatar due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Wakamatsu faced his second full-time Asia Talent Cup season in 2021, where his best results were two fourth-place finishes at Lusail.[7]
In 2022, Wakamatsu would participate in his third and final Asia Talent Cup season. He earned his maiden podium with a second-place finish at Sepang, only milliseconds off first, and finished in ninth place overall.[8]
All Japan Road Race Championship
J-GP3 (2020–present)
In October 2020, Wakamatsu made a wildcard appearance in the J-GP3 class of the All Japan Road Race Championship at Motegi, where he claimed a tenth-place finish.[9] In 2021, Wakamatsu competed part-time in the J-GP3 class, where he achieved a fifth best place finish at Suzuka.[10][11]
In 2022, Wakamatsu entered his first full-time J-GP3 season, where he scored his first class podium at Sportsland Sugo.[12][13] He ended the season in seventh place in the standings, despite missing two rounds due to his participation in the Asia Talent Cup. Wakamatsu signed with Kohara Racing TP for the 2023 J-GP3 season. He clinched three podiums in total, one being his maiden win at Okayama, and finished third in the overall standings.[14][15] In 2024, he stayed with the same team. He won the opening round at Motegi, in front of Ryota Ogiwara, and claimed a second win at Okayama later that season. He finished on the podium in every round except for the final one at Suzuka, which placed him as runner-up in the final standings.[16][17]
Wakamatsu won the opening round of the 2025 J-GP3 championship in front of Hiroki Ono at Sportsland Sugo, where he scored his first class podium in 2022.[18] However, due to an injury, he missed the final round at Suzuka and finished the season in fourth place.
Moto3 World Championship
MLav Racing (2024)
Wakamatsu made his Grand Prix debut at the 2024 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix in Moto3, riding aboard a Honda NSF250RW, similar to the one in J-GP3, as a replacement rider for MLav Racing. He finished the race in 20th place.[19][20]
Career statistics
Asia Talent Cup
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Pos | Pts | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | ||||
| 2019 | Honda | QAT 17 |
QAT 16 |
THA 15 |
THA 13 |
MAL 17 |
MAL 12 |
CHA 13 |
CHA 14 |
JPN Ret |
JPN Ret |
SEP C |
SEP | 21st | 13 |
| 2021 | Honda | QAT Ret |
QAT 4 |
DOH 4 |
DOH Ret |
INA 11 |
INA 9 |
MAN 10 |
MAN C |
9th | 44 | ||||
| 2022 | Honda | QAT Ret |
QAT 9 |
INA 5 |
INA 6 |
JPN 4 |
JPN C |
THA Ret |
THA | MAL 2 |
MAL 4 |
MAN 9 |
MAN 13 |
9th | 85 |
All Japan Road Race Championship
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | J-GP3 | Honda | SUG | OKA C |
AUT | MOT 10 |
SUZ | NC[a] | - | ||
| 2021 | J-GP3 | Honda | MOT | SUG 6 |
TSU1 12 |
TSU2 8 |
SUZ 5 |
OKA | AUT | 11th | 36 |
| 2022 | J-GP3 | Honda | MOT 9 |
SUG 3 |
TSU 6 |
AUT | OKA | SUZ 6 |
7th | 43 | |
| 2023 | J-GP3 | Honda | MOT 5 |
SUG 8 |
TSU 2 |
AUT 4 |
OKA 1 |
SUZ 4 |
3rd | 93 | |
| 2024 | J-GP3 | Honda | MOT 1 |
SUG 2 |
TSU 2 |
AUT 3 |
OKA 1 |
SUZ 11 |
2nd | 114 | |
| 2025 | J-GP3 | Honda | SUG 1 |
TSU1 19† |
TSU2 2 |
MOT 2 |
AUT 4‡ |
OKA | SUZ DNS |
4th | 71.5 |
- † – 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 at the 2025 Autopolis round, after the race was cancelled due to low visibility.
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
By season
| Season | Class | Motorcycle | Team | Race | Win | Podium | Pole | FLap | Pts | Plcd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Moto3 | Honda | MLav Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31st |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
By class
| Class | Seasons | 1st GP | 1st pod | 1st win | Race | Win | Podiums | Pole | FLap | Pts | WChmp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moto3 | 2024 | 2024 Japan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Races by year
(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 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Moto3 | Honda | QAT | POR | AME | SPA | FRA | CAT | ITA | NED | GER | GBR | AUT | ARA | RSM | EMI | INA | JPN 20 |
AUS | THA | MAL | SLD | 31st | 0 |
Notes
- ^ Competed under a Special Participation license which is ineligible for points.
References
- ^ "2025 Rider Profile" jrr.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "若松怜" rei-wakamatsu.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "ゲスト 若松怜 選手（全日本ロードレース選手権 J-GP3 / 日本郵便docomo business）：「くらさんの今日もツーリング日和」バイクの輪" fmyamato.co.jp (in Japanese), 27 February 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "Moto3クラス 若松怜 代役参戦" ameblo.jp (in Japanese), 3 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "Final Asia Talent Cup entry list and 2019 calendar". mcnews.com.au. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup to return to racing in 2021". asiatalentcup.com. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Asia Talent Cup: Japan's Furusato completes double". staddoha.com. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "Race One triumph for Carter Thompson in Malaysia". mcnews.com.au. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ "2020 MFJ全日本ロードレース選手権シリーズ第4戦 Superbike race in Motegi" archive.mfj.or.jp (in Japanese), 18 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ^ "【レポート】尾野弘樹が圧倒的な速さで今季2勝目！" superbike.mfj.or.jp (in Japanese), 19 July 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "【決勝結果速報】2021年全日本ロードレース選手権 Rd.3 SUGO J-GP3 決勝" ms.bridgestone.co.jp (in Japanese), 23 May 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "【2022年全日本ロードレース選手権 第4戦 SUGO J-GP3】上原大輝が2戦連続表彰台を獲得" ms.bridgestone.co.jp (in Japanese), 5 June 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ "尾野弘樹が今シーズン初優勝。上原、若松が表彰台に登壇" honda.racing (in Japanese), 5 June 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ "全日本RR第7戦岡山【J-GP3決勝】若松怜が全日本初優勝！" ridingsport.com (in Japanese), 24 September 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ "2023 筑波マイスター・トロフィー/全日本ロードレース選手権 第4戦" tsukuba-circuit.jp (in Japanese), 18 June 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ "若松がJ-GP3クラス開幕戦を優勝で飾る" honda.racing (in Japanese), 15 April 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ "【2024年全日本ロードレース選手権 第7戦 岡山 J-GP3】若松怜が初のポールtoウインを飾りポイントリーダーに肉薄" ms.bridgestone.co.jp (in Japanese), 30 September 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ "【J-GP3決勝】落ち着いたレースコントロールで、中盤の貯金を活かした若松 怜選手が独走優勝" news.webike.net (in Japanese), 26 May 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ^ "2024MotoGP第16戦日本GP エントリーリスト／若松怜がMoto3で代役参戦" as-web.jp (in Japanese), 3 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ "急遽代役参戦も初Moto3に大苦戦の若松怜「心がポッキリ折れました。最終戦鈴鹿は気持ちよく終わりたい」／第16戦日本GP" as-web.jp (in Japanese), 8 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2025.