The Australian rookie produced a standout opening round in Japan’s all-female single-seater series, qualifying on the front row before converting both races into second-place finishes across the sprint and feature events.
Ciconte was consistently in the podium fight throughout the weekend, finishing runner-up in both races behind dominant race winner Riona Tomishita, who led every lap of the 15-lap feature to extend her early-season points lead.
The result marked a history-making performance for the teenager, becoming the first non-Toyota Gazoo Racing-backed driver and the first foreign driver to step onto the Kyojo Cup podium.
Her consistency was a key feature of the weekend, with Ciconte staying inside the top three across practice and qualifying before locking in P2 in both races.
“A positive first start for my 2026 season,” Ciconte told Speedcafe.
“I managed to stay consistent through the weekend with P2 across all my races.
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“My team KCMG are methodical in supporting me, and I am grateful to be part of this incredibly exciting series.”
“The team and I are determined to find more improvements as we look forward to the next round in July, with my aim firmly focused on that top step.”
The feature race saw Ciconte immediately locked in battle at the front, holding position inside the top two from the opening lap and fending off repeated challenges to secure another podium finish.
Behind the leading trio of Tomishita, Ciconte and 2024 champion Aimi Saito, the race featured a number of position changes through the midfield, but the front order ultimately remained stable as Tomishita controlled proceedings from lights-to-flag.
Further back, fellow Australian Paige Raddatz also completed her Kyojo Cup debut weekend, qualifying 15th before finishing 14th in the sprint and 15th in the feature race.
The Kyojo Cup will return for its next round on July 18-19.
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