SARGA.CO - From the racetrack to the motorcycle circuit, Uma Musume: Pretty Derby is once again bringing horse-racing culture into motorsport.
Announced by Cygames, Inc., the popular cross-media project becomes the first video game title to be the official event partner of the 2026 MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix, taking place at Mobility Resort Motegi from 2 to 4 October.
The collaboration will see Uma Musume characters appear throughout the venue, including an enormous 155-metre-long display board. Fans will also get to see one of the series' voice actresses take part in the real-world racing action.
Installed along the wall around Turn 4 of Motegi’s former oval course, the display features eight Uma Musume characters: Vodka, Daiwa Scarlet, Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross, Jungle Pocket, Agnes Tachyon, Almond Eye and Lucky Lilac.
It is expected to remain until 8 November, allowing visitors beyond the race weekend to see the unusual crossover between the horse-girls and Japan's premier motorcycle racing venue.
Additional Uma Musume-themed installations will be placed around the circuit. Fans will find signage near the grandstand entrance and Gate 6, while a special four-sided photo spot will be installed in the Central Entrance lawn area during the weekend.
Moreover, Tomoyo Takayanagi, the voice actress of Oguri Cap, is scheduled to wave the checkered flag for the Moto2 and Moto3 races, to add extra flair to the end of each competitive spectacle.
The MotoGP collaboration arrives as Uma Musume continues to expand its presence at major international sporting events, like the 2026 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, which will feature life-size versions of Orfevre and Gold Ship at ParisLongchamp.
Even this most recent Motegi collaboration is not Uma Musume's first venture into professional motorsport, having previously partnered with Pacific Racing Team, a long-running competitor in Japan's Super GT championship.
In 2026, the team raced the PACIFIC Umamusume NAC BMW, decorated with six Uma Musume characters: Special Week, Maruzensky, Rice Shower, Winning Ticket, Curren Chan and Buena Vista.
It shows that while Uma Musume is fundamentally rooted in Japanese horse racing, its central themes of speed, competition and passion translate naturally into motorsport.
Held across 18 countries worldwide, MotoGP itself brings together the world's leading motorcycle manufacturers and riders, with the Japanese Grand Prix serving as one of the championship's major annual events.
At Motegi, however, spectators will find additional racing-themed attractions around the circuit: ones populated by Uma Musume characters inspired by some of Japan's most celebrated thoroughbreds.
The horses may not be racing at Motegi, but their fictional successors will certainly be part of the show.
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