Selangor [Malaysia], May 28 (ANI): Saturday turned out to be a day of gaining points for Honda Racing India team’s rider duo of Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar in the first race of Round 2 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) in Sepang.
Bagging 7 points for the solo Indian team at ARRC, both Rajiv and Senthil maintained steady performance till the last lap in today’s race.
Starting 16th on the grid, Rajiv overtook Indonesian rider Fitriansyah Kete in first lap itself. From 2nd lap onwards, Rajiv continued to ride at 14th till lap 4. Thereafter, he consecutively moved 1 position up in lap 5 and lap 6. Continuing to maintain his momentum, Rajiv crossed the finish line at 12th with time of 20:12.398, earning 4 points for the team.
Senthil Kumar too showcased his full power on the racetrack today. Clocking the best lap time of 2:29.301, Senthil has recorded his new fastest lap time at the Sepang International Circuit. Avoiding all mistakes and keeping a steady momentum till the end, Senthil finished lapped back home right after his teammate Rajiv. After 13th position finish, Senthil Kumar adds 3 points to his kitty.
Commenting on the race, Mr. Prabhu Nagaraj, Operating Officer – Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, said, “Coming back on this track after a long gap of two years, our riders are showing consistent improvement in every outing. Despite starting from the last row on grid in today’s race, our riders showed great zeal and gained 4 positions, thus earning valuable points for the team. I am sure that with today’s learning and experience, our riders will enhance their strategies to better their positions tomorrow.
“I am not happy with the qualifier session. My entire focus was to maintain a steady position in the race and earn points for the team. Despite the tough competition, I kept my cool and concentrated on my skills to make no mistakes on the track. With today’s learning, I shall push harder in tomorrow’s race to mark my position in the top 10, ” said Honda Racing India rider Rajiv Sethu.
“I was a bit nervous while starting from the last row in today’s race. However, I applied all my strategies and learned to build a strong pace. While competing with all the international riders, I gained much confidence and recorded my personal best lap time of 2:29.301 at the Sepang circuit. Closing today’s race at 13th position, I am confident to score better tomorrow, ” said Honda Racing India rider Senthil Kumar.
In ASB1000cc class, Malaysian rider Zaqhwan Zaidi of Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA team continues to maintain his lead in the championship despite a fourth-place finish in today’s race. While his teammate Gerry Salim finished the race 1 of ASB1000cc class at seventh. (ANI)
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