At the fourth round of the 2009 D1 Grand Prix, held at the Okayama International Circuit in Okayama Prefecture on Sunday, June 28, Masato Kawabata of Team TOYO TIRES with GP Sports ended the tansou competition in first place with 100 points after flying through the course at very aggressive angles. He left the top four positions, however, in the head-to-head tsuisou section, with a disappointing run, and finished in fifth place. This now puts Kawabata in seventh place in the series. Kazuyoshi Okamura of Yashio Factory also brought out the cheers of the crowd with a great run, but was unable to crack the top four, ending the race in sixth place.

Rounds 5 and 6 News!
Round 5 of the 2009 D1 Grand Prix will be held on Saturday, August 29, and Round 6 the following day, both at the Ebisu Circuit in Fukushima Prefecture.