MALAYSIA:
IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team’s riders Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar kickstarted their 3 free practices of Round 6 of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) in Sepang International circuit with positive momentum today.
Despite his 3rd year at ARRC, Rajiv is riding in Sepang for the second time only, his debut being in Round 1 this year. Ending FP 1 on 15th position, it was in FP2 that Rajiv recorded his best combined lap time of 2:27:781 putting him firmly in Top 11 riders of Asia Production class. With Top 11 riders fighting for positions in just a mere 1.973 seconds, Rajiv’s gains in morning qualifier will not only mean entry into the Top 10, but also an golden chance to push even higher. And with a potential second round of RPM cut coming into play after tomorrow’s race, a strong start can just be the wind beneath his wings.
In his debut ARRC race in Sepang, Senthil had showed his mettle climbing from 17th start to Top 14th finish. Today, the 18-year-old shaved off seconds to record his best lap time of 2:29:724 – a 3 second gap from lead rider Piwyawat placing him 22nd. In today’s 3 practice sessions he had shown improvement getting closer to Rajiv.
With 4 new wildcards including 2 riders fighting with home turf advantage, today’s free practices at the hot Sepang tarmac saw competition intensify even more between top 30 riders from 8 Asian countries. Finally, it was the Honda’s which proved to be the winning machines on track today as well. Setting the best combined practice benchmark today was A.P Honda Racing Thailand’s Piwawat Patoomyos with best lap time of 2:25:808. Following him too close for comfort was his team-mate Muklada Sarapuech, trailing only a mere 0.141 seconds behind him. Rounding off the top 3 was Indonesian rider from Astra Honda Racing Team –Irfan Ardiansyah (2:26:208).
The 5.543 km long Sepang circuit gives advantage with its smooth curves and long straights. But, with top 11 riding in a 1.973 seconds gap today, expect tomorrow’s battle to play out till the chequered line. No doubt, even one mistake will prove to be costly for our Indian rider duo.
Prabhu Nagaraj, Vice President – Brand and Communications, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd said “As a solo Indian team competing with Asia’s best, our rider skills and capability of machine are now competitive with the best. No doubt the competition is tough, but both our riders recorded their best finishes at this track here only. Rajiv is now consistently riding and fighting in top 10, which was our target this year. Today, Rajiv’s Top 11 timing shows his maturity as a rider and his timings now match top riders. In 2019, we initially targeted top 20 finish for Senthil who is youngest Indian rider at ARRC. But he’s already breached the top 15 mark at Sepang and we look forward to a repeat tomorrow. This weekend, IDEMITSU Honda Racing India aims for top 10 yet again.”
Honda Racing India rider Rajiv Sethu said “This was my second outing at Sepang after my earlier best 10th position finish. Today morning’s FP1 gave me greater track understanding. In FP 2 my plan was to ride with top riders. In FP 3 the strategy was to ride alone and get a good rhythm for tomorrow’s qualifier. The competition is tough here as most of the riders have good experience here. The top bunch itself has 11 of us riding in under 2 seconds gap. But tomorrow I plan to move up the bunch, finish in Top 10 and continue to win points for India.”
Honda Racing India rider Senthil Kumar said “Riding the second time at Sepang, I feel much more confident now. In today’s practice, my target was to fight in the group and correct my previous mistakes. In FP 1 itself, I broke my previous lap time record. In FP2, we experimented with the setup for better grip on cornering. In FP 3, I rode with a bunch of 4-5 riders. Tomorrow, I plan to warm up in the beginning 3 laps and then make my move to finish in top 15.”
Parallelly in ASB1000cc class, Malaysian rider Zaqhwan Zaidi of Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA team was in full form and finished 1st in combined practice.
