Team Ètoile revamps for an assault on the FIM EWC Superstock class

Third season in the FIM EWC for Team Ètoile, which signs Kaito Toba and Rei Toshima alongside Hikari Okubo and Motoharu Ito.

A private team, but with the budget and resources of a factory outfit. Team Ètoile, a Japanese squad competing since 2024 in the FIM Endurance World Cup in the Superstock class, reaffirms its ambitious aims ahead of its third season in motorcycle endurance racing. Alongside the confirmed Hikari Okubo and Motoharu Ito, Kaito Toba and Rei Toshima will take turns on the BMW M 1000 RR #25, forming a “Japanese national team” on the FIM EWC 2026 grid.

Team Ètoile made its Endurance World Championship debut at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, immediately arousing curiosity. While the structure is Japanese, its name is clearly of French origin. This is due to the professional and personal background of owner Takashi Ichikawa, who studied in Lyon for years to become a chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant. For this reason, he has always wanted to include the word “Ètoile” (“star”) in all his projects. Motorcycling included...

With full support from alpha Racing and an operational base (an extension of the Tokyo headquarters) set up in Teloché, on the outskirts of Le Mans, Team Ètoile quickly climbed the FIM EWC ranks. After finishing fifth overall in 2024 on their debut in the FIM Endurance World Cup, this year the #25 BMW ridden by Hikari Okubo, Kazuki Watanabe, Motoharu Ito, and Kyosuke Okuda secured the Superstock class victory at the Suzuka 8 Hours, remaining in contention for the World Cup title in the category until the engine failure that occurred during the night at the Bol d'Or.

Having claimed their first historic win in the discipline, the declared goal for next year is, quite simply, the Superstock title. To achieve this, Team Ètoile has revised its rider lineup, blending experience and youth. Team captain will once again be Hikari Okubo, joined for the second consecutive season by Motoharu Ito. The main novelty is the signing of former Moto3 World Championship rider Kaito Toba, coming off a 2025 spent between the World Supersport Championship (with Petronas MIE Honda) and the FIM EWC (with No Limits Motor Team). The squad is completed by Rei Toshima, a regular frontrunner in the All Japan ST600 (Supersport) class, who also made an appearance at the most recent Suzuka 8 Hours with NCXX Racing.