Round 5 of the IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship delivered a breathtaking Race 2 of the TVS ASIA One Make Championship at the Sepang International Circuit, as Japan’s Hiroki Ono stormed to yet another victory following an intense four-rider battle.
At the race start, India’s Sarthak Chavan launched well but was immediately shadowed by Spain’s Luis Miguel, Japan’s Hiroki Ono, and Malaysia’s Md Ramdan Rosli. By Lap 3, the four riders locked horns in a thrilling contest for the lead, pulling a five-second gap from the second group, led by Malaysia’s Md Haziq Md Fairues in fifth place.
On Lap 4, Hiroki muscled his way to the front, though Ramdan pushed aggressively in a bid to overtake, with Luis and Sarthak also shuffling positions at every turn. The battle only grew more intense as the quartet extended their advantage to seven seconds over the chasing pack.
The decisive moment came on the final lap when Hiroki unleashed a blistering pace, holding off relentless pressure from his rivals. The Japanese rider crossed the finish line in 14’23.119s, just 0.060s clear of Luis Miguel in second place at 14’23.179s, while Sarthak Chavan secured third at 14’23.224s. Malaysian hopes rested with Ramdan, who finished fourth at 14’23.762s, followed closely by compatriot Haziq in fifth at 14’31.994s.
Hiroki expressed, “After the warm-up today, the rain came, but fortunately the race was dry, which made me really happy. The conditions were different compared to yesterday, where yesterday I was only fighting with Ramdan, but today I was battling with four riders right until the last turn. For me, this was a good advantage because I gained a lot of experience. This weekend I achieved pole position and two victories, which is very important for me. Now, I will stay focused on the final race in Thailand. Thank you very much to all the Japanese fans, Arigatou!”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2
- HIROKI ONO – JAPAN (14’23.119s)
- LUIS MIGUEL – SPAIN (14’23.179s)
- SARTHAK CHAVAN – INDIA (14’23.224s)
- MD RAMDAN ROSLI – MALAYSIA (14’23.762s)
- MD HAZIQ MD FAIRUES – MALAYSIA (14’31.994s)