Takuma Aoki made it clear from the start that he would outclass everyone in 1996. Once again proving his abilities in the rain he dominated the season opener and repeated the feat in every other wet race; he had all-round pace in any weather and was on the podium in every race he finished. Mathematically unbeatable at the final round Aoki had nothing to lose and his season ended with a crash with Noriyuki Haga while battling over the lead. For Haga it wrecked a potential runner-up championship finish; as one of 6 riders with a chance to claim 2nd place he was anxious to score well and his crash was one of many. Those of his rivals Akira Yanagawa and Norihiko Fujiwara left everyone unharmed but Shin'ya Takeishi was less fortunate. He highsided in front of the pack on lap 1 and the unavoidable hit from Kiyokazu Sato's Honda left him severely injured for most of the winter. Akira Ryo's podium finish in the finale secured 2nd in the championship, demoting the unfortunate Fujiwara to 3rd.