During a distinguished Wednesday-evening ceremony in Tokyo’s Hotel New Otani, Honda HRC Progressive rider Jo Shimoda was presented with the Kanto Sho (“Fighting Spirit”) Award, one of several categories in the Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize—widely considered to be Japan’s most prestigious all-sports awards event. Last September, Shimoda earned the 250 SuperMotocross Championship, becoming the first Japanese rider to win a professional AMA crown. He also posted respectable 2-6 moto finishes during his 450 debut in October, racing for Team Japan at the Motocross of Nations.
Intended “to contribute to the sound development and promotion of the professional sports world in Japan,” the Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize is organized by the Japan Professional Sports Association. Winners are selected by a committee of representatives from Tokyo sports-media organizations, including newspapers, television, radio and wire services. Apart from a three-year hiatus between 2019 and 2021, the awards have been organized annually since 1968, with the Grand Prize typically going to athletes from mainstream sports including baseball, boxing, sumo wrestling, golf, tennis and soccer. This year’s Grand Prize winner was Los Angeles Dodgers World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was seated at the same table as Shimoda.
“It’s an honor just to be considered for an award like this, let alone to win it,” Shimoda said after the event. “Motocross isn’t big in Japan, so I’m very proud be included along with athletes from mainstream sports. Thank you to everyone involved. I hope that this will be good for our sport, and I will try to continue having success for my sponsors and my home country.”
The day after the ceremony, Shimoda was feted by Honda and HRC during a separate, pop-up event in downtown Tokyo, where he had the chance to meet with race fans and sign autographs. He and Honda HRC Progressive Team Manager Lars Lindstrom were interviewed in a small press conference, and Shimoda and IndyCar racer Takuma Sato were interviewed on stage. Also celebrated were 2025 JMX Champion Yuki Okura and Rim Nakamura, a professional freestyle BMX rider.
“Everyone at Honda is proud that Jo has been able to enjoy great success on the track in 2025, and we are happy to see him get the recognition he deserves,” said Yasuhiro Yokoyama, Off-Road Racing Manager for HRC. “The Japanese public and media had the chance to meet him and congratulate him, and he was able to see how much his efforts are appreciated. We thank Jo for his hard work this year, and we look forward to more success in the future.”
Shimoda, who is currently recovering from a neck injury suffered in a training crash, will continue racing with Honda HRC Progressive in 2026.
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