Defending champion and currently chart topper, Hiroki Ono of Japan has relentlessly pursued his mission to rise as a championship for the second consecutive year TVS Asia One Make Championship. However, his genius manoeuvring moves were progressively hampered by the enhanced and robust performance of Sartak Chavan of India and Ramdan Rosli of Malaysia who have both delivered a competitive stride throughout the season.
The Japanese currently leads with a total of 151 points, followed by the Indian at 148 points and the Malaysian at 146 points. With not much of a difference in points, the rivalry which is evidently stronger this season has brought the trio to a close contention for the championship title. Unlike last season where Hiroki drew a huge point gap by Round 5, claiming an early champion title, this season has definitely been a test to his dexterity, consistency and competency. Can Hiroki accelerate further away from round 5 onwards?
Last season, Hiroki scored a 25-pointer in Race 1 at Sepang before crumbling to a defeat by Ramdan at the second spot after a steady streak of win throughout the season. This season, Hiroki made it to the podium once at the second spot in Race 1 at the very same circuit ground. Clearly, Hiroki’s confidence at Sepang may not be as appealing especially with Ramdan injecting intense pressure and now with an additional rival, Sartak inching closer. That raises the question as much as it exhilarates the race further, will Hiroki be able to maintain his position on the scoreboard?
Hiroki commented, “This season has been very tough for me. We have struggled with the machine from the very beginning of the season but that improved at Round 3 in Japan. I can only say that I was unlucky in the races before that and also in Race 2 at Mandalika. Emotionally, it has been frustrating but this is racing. This bounds to happen.; it is inevitable. But I am taking the high road to stay strong mentally so that I can focus on completing the rest of the rounds successfully. It is going to be challenging especially with the difference in performance compared to last season but I am determined to see through the full season with 100% effort.”
“The rivals are definitely very strong – Sartak and Ramdan. They for one, have very good understanding of the machine therefore they are able to optimise the machine performance. I believe that the remaining races would be quite interesting. There will surely be an edge in the competition, especially for Ramdan at Sepang. I am not very good on that circuit ground but I am not bad either. In Round 2, I was just unlucky so hopefully and being optimistic, this round would rub off some good luck for me. The championship battle will surely go on till the very last race. That is something different from last season where I was able to take the title earlier. Anyway, the goal is to bag consecutive championship title. So, let’s see.”