# Japan’s keirin series Pist6 halts 2025 operations

*By Simon | September 21, 2025*

---

![Screenshot](https://globalkeirin.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/pist6banner.jpg)

## 󠀁[Japan’s keirin series Pist6 halts 2025 operations](https://globalkeirin.com/2025/09/japans-keirin-series-pist6-halts-2025-operations/)󠁿

21 September 2025

Pist6, the series aiming to present a modern take on Japanese keirin racing, has
announced that it will ‘temporarily suspend’ operations in a few weeks.

Launched in October 2021, Pist6 seemed to provide a blueprint for what
DerbyWheel could be: international UCI-style racing, held over 6 laps of the
indoor 250m track in Chiba City, with modern bikes and clothing, bright lights
and an energetic soundtrack.

Racing was live-streamed free on YouTube, with full production values; but all
too often, riders emerged from the tunnel at track centre, and gave their power
poses to an empty arena.

An [announcement on the Pist6 website](https://bet.pist6.com/announcement/419),
echoing a statement from Chiba City authorities, suggests that the suspension is
to permit a review of the competition’s proprietary betting technology, which
currently runs separately from traditional keirin betting. Racing could resume
in March 2026.

‘While our efforts to date have attracted much attention and a new fan base,’
said operators JPF in a
[statement](https://www.jpf.co.jp/en/jpfnews/2025%E5%B9%B4%E5%BA%A6%E4%B8%8B%E6%9C%9F%E3%80%8C250%E7%AB%B6%E8%B5%B0pist6%E3%80%8D%E3%81%AE%E9%96%8B%E5%82%AC%E3%81%AB%E3%81%A4%E3%81%84%E3%81%A6/)
, ‘we have also identified challenges for further growth. In order to realize
even greater potential, we will temporarily suspend the event in the second half
of fiscal 2025 and will resume it as soon as preparations are complete.’

Shuntaro Watanabe, president of parent company JPF said the event’s strategy was
based on attracting new fans to keirin, accepting that ‘competing for sales
would be a futile endeavour.

‘We are very sorry that we were unable to continue expanding the market on our
own, and that this has resulted in the temporary suspension of the event.
However, this decision is in order to move forward into the future, continuing
PIST6, raising the status of Keirin, and creating a new market. With casinos and
sports betting on the rise, raising the status of Keirin is an urgent priority
for its survival and development.’

Pist6 CEO Kazuki Suzuki accepted that it would take time for a new culture to
take root; and confessed that ‘we feel that we are not strong enough to do so…
All PIST6 management members are currently working together to prepare for the
reopening. We will do our utmost to bring you an even more powerful PIST6 when
it reopens.’

Our amigo
[TrackPiste notes](https://www.trackpiste.com/2025/09/pist6-se-toma-una-pausa-hasta-marzo-de.html)
that plans to involve international stars like Denis Dmitriev, Tomas Babek and
Jair Tjon en Fa were frustrated by Covid, and never rescheduled.

[Future livestreams](https://www.youtube.com/@pist6_official/streams) are listed
up to 27 September.

_Editor’s note: as always, we are relying on machine translation of original Japanese documents, so errors or misinterpretations are possible._

**Categories:** Original
**Tags:** japan