Honda Racing India
Global Motorcycle Racing
Honda Racing India
Global Motorcycle Racing
· Maintaining his cool, Rajiv Sethu finished the second race of ARRC round 2 at 15thand added 1 more point in the kitty
· Fighting hard to seal 14th place in today’s race, crash in last corner of race creates trouble for Senthil Kumar who ultimately finished 16th
Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), 29May 2022: The day 2 of Round 2 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) was filled with drama. As many as 14 riders across 5 categories lost traction and crashed out today at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. But ending the round on a good note, Honda Racing India team added yet another point in Asia Production 250 class (AP250) of thechampionship.
Making a good start in today’s race, Rajiv Sethu quickly climbed from 16thto 14th position before finishing lap 1. But then, he was caught in a stiff battle with Indonesia’s Fitriansyah Kete and local rider Md Idlan Haqimi. From there on, he pushed back to 17th in lap 5. After the 6thlap, Rajiv had returned to 16th. In last lap, Rajiv spotted the perfect moment and overtook the rider before him to finish 15th and add 1 more point to Honda Racing India’s kitty.
Rajiv’ steam mate Senthil Kumar had put up a tough fight today. Starting 17thon grid, he jumped to 16th in lap 1 and maintained his position till lap 2 but returned to 17th in lap 3. Between lap 4 and 5, Senthil geared up and accelerated ahead of his contenders consequently taking 14thposition and recorded his personal best lap of 2:29.078 at Sepang. Grappling to fight his momentum from there on, Senthil went wide at last corner of the 8 lap race where he crashed but recovered and managed to finish the race.
Quote of Mr.Prabhu Nagaraj, Operating Officer - Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India
“Malaysia has been a satisfying round for us. On aday that saw 14 riders crashing out on the circuit, our riders had putrelentless efforts to complete the race despite fighting neck-to-neck with their nearest competitors. Each race imparts a valuable lesson. I am confident that our riders and team will adopt these learnings and will further improve their performance. Next up, the ARRC round 3 will head to Sports land Sugo International Circuit in Japan. This will be absolutely a new experience for us. Both our rider will be racing there for the first time. I am sure that we will add more points in Japan too.”
Quote of Honda Racing India rider Rajiv Sethu:
“It was certainly not a satisfactory race for me. Although I made a good start in the race but to avoid the crash, I went wide in Lap 5 after getting closer to nearest riders. Nevertheless, it was another day of learning for me. I will work harder to further improve my skills and return back stronger to bring laurels for my country.”
Quote of Honda Racing India rider Senthil Kumar:
“Today was another difficult day for me. At the beginning, I gained 1 position but went down to 17th in lap 3. After that, I pushed the throttle hard and eventually over took 4 riders in lap 5. Thereafter,I was fighting hard till the last but a hit by rider in the last corner of lap 8 resulted in a 16th position finish for me.”
Despite second place finish in race 2 of ASB1000cc class by Zaqhwan Zaidi of Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA team, the Malaysian rider continues to maintain his lead inthe championship. Whereas, his teammate Gerry Salim of Indonesia finished today’srace of ASB1000cc class at eighth.
About 2022 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship:
The 25th edition of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is Asia’s most competitive motorcycle road racing championship, held since 1996. After completing the first two rounds of the championship in Buriram (Thailand) and Sepang (Malaysia),the third round of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship has been confirmed and will be held at the Sports land Sugo International Circuit in Japan. However, the 2022 season has been reduced from a total of six rounds to five rounds.