 has sponsored the Isu-1 GP, a Gran-Prix-style racing event. Held in ten cities around the country, the rules are pretty simple: Your vehicle is an off-the-shelf office chair that you propel with your legs. Anyone caught modifying their){kind=link}
For the past 16 years, the Japan Office Chair Racing Association (JORA) has sponsored the Isu-1 GP, a Gran-Prix-style racing event. Held in ten cities around the country, the rules are pretty simple: Your vehicle is an off-the-shelf office chair that you propel with your legs. Anyone caught modifying their chair will be disqualified. And you must wear a helmet, gloves, elbow pads and knee pads.
The race courses are 200-meter loops, with a set racing time of two hours. Each team consists of three members, who can swap out, Le-Mans-style, to deal with fatigue. Each team can field a maximum of two chairs. And before each race is a qualifying lap, to determine the race order of the teams.
Here’s footage of last year’s winner of the race held in Nankan Town, Kumamoto:
The 2025-2026 season is currently underway, with the next race taking place February 23rd in Kumamoto. First, second and third prizes consist of 90kg, 60kg and 30kg of rice, respectively.
I think Herman Miller, Steelcase, and Humanscale need to step up and start sponsoring some racers.
