Taiyo Furusato has steadily improved in the Moto3 Championship for Honda Team Asia over the season, consistently scoring points.
The Japanese rider has scored points in seven of the last eight races this year, competing in the midfield while suffering from retirement in Indonesia.
Furusato is getting towards the end of his third season in Moto3, and he is on target for his highest championship finish in that time.
He is 11th in the standings heading into the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend, an improvement from last year when he finished 16th in the championship on his Honda.
Furusato has shown he can race at the front of the field, taking two podiums so far this season, enjoying third place in Qatar and second in Germany at Sachsenring.
He could be a contender for the Moto3 championship next season, and Neil Hodgson explained on TNT Sports 2 (1/11, 5:34) that he has one key quality that could lead Furusato to the title.
Taiyo Furusato has ‘definitely got the speed’ to challenge for Moto3 title next year
Furusato has been getting closer to the front of the field this season, taking two podiums and multiple top-five finishes for Honda Team Asia.
He has yet to win a race at the Moto3 level despite a successful career leading up to the class, winning the Asia Talent Cup in 2021 and taking all eight race wins.
Moto3 is a step up as the series races on the same weekends as MotoGP, and there are more tracks to learn over a season.
Hodgson explained while commentating on the Moto3 practice session at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia that Furusato could be a frontrunner next season.
READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia says he must stop ‘believing’ in one thing after controversial Jorge Martin battle
He said: “He could be definitely a dark horse. He really impressed me. The flashes are brilliance. There have been enough of them for me to believe that he’s the real deal.
“You just feel like you need to just convert one or two of them to get that little bit of momentum in this Championship.
“But he’s definitely got the speed. And what I do like about Furusato is he’s a hard charger, he’s aggressive, and that is, we can talk about it all the time, you have to be in this class, otherwise you’ll just get bullied out of the way.”
Taiyo Furusato has struggled in Malaysia in the past
Furusato has raced in Malaysia twice during his time in the Moto3 series, retiring on both occasions at the Sepang International Circuit.
It is the only track at which the Japanese rider has yet to see the chequered flag during his three seasons in the championship.
Despite a difficult run at the track in the past, he began this weekend well with a productive practice session, setting the third-fastest time, half a second slower than pace-setter David Alonso.