Ryusei Yamanaka is a pure product of the Road to MotoGP™ program. In 2017, he participated in two of these series: the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, where he won his very first race a year later. That same season, the Japanese rider also left the IATC in favour this time of the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Championship, in which he would perform well for a fifth-place finish. Under the colours of the Estrella Galicia 0,0 team, he made four wildcard appearances in 2019 before becoming a full-time rider in 2020. He managed to crack the Top 10 in his full debut year, while in his sophomore season, he was a regular point scorer as he joined forces with Pruestel GP. However, his promising start to the season dwindled in what proved to be a tumultuous year for the German team. In 2022, he would be paired with rookie Diogo Moreira in the newly formed MT Helmets - MSI team. The Japanese rider's season would turn out to be the best of his career to date, finishing 12th overall. Following a similar campaign in 2023, Yamanaka continued with MT Helmets - MSI for the 2024 season, securing his first Grand Prix podium at the Italian GP and cementing the #6 a new contract extension for 2025.