TVS Racing International Championship at Round 3 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2026 at Mobility Resort Motegi, Japan, saw Spain’s Vicente Perez Selfa deliver a commanding performance to claim victory in Race 2.
Vicente executed a calculated strategy, breaking away from the field and crossing the finish line with a comfortable margin after eight laps of intense competition.
The race began with Portugal’s Pedrinho Matos making a solid start to claim the holeshot, leading Colombia’s Jhon A. Lopez C and South Africa’s Oratilwe Phiri through the opening corners. Vicente settled into fourth place, with Race 1 winner Chiranth Vishwanath of India closely following in fifth.
Pedrinho controlled the early stages and set the pace on Lap 2 with a fastest lap of 2’12.764s, but on Lap 3, Vicente posted a new fastest lap of 2’06.366s before making a decisive move into the lead. Pedrinho remained close behind, while Oratilwe continued to hold third ahead of Jhon and Malaysia’s Md Naqib Rifqi, who had climbed into the top five.
Once at the front, Vicente began to stamp his authority on the race. He lowered the lap record again on Lap 4 with a 2’05.579s before going even faster on Lap 5 with a stunning 2’05.000s. Behind him, positions continued to change as Chiranth moved into second place and the chasing pack battled fiercely for the remaining podium positions.
On Lap 6, Vicente recorded another fastest lap of 2’04.997s. The Spaniard’s relentless pace allowed him to open a remarkable 3.513s advantage over the pursuing group, effectively ending any hopes of a late challenge.
In the closing stages, Vicente remained firmly in control at the front while the battle behind intensified. Pedrinho fought hard to secure second place, while Chiranth and Oratilwe engaged in a thrilling contest for the final podium position.
Vicente crossed the finish line in 16’53.063s to claim a well-deserved victory, finishing 2.652s clear of Pedrinho. Oratilwe completed the podium after edging Chiranth in the battle for third, clocking 16’56.116s.
Vicente commented: “I changed my strategy for this race. The plan was to push hard right from the start and try to build a strong pace in the opening laps, and fortunately everything worked exactly as we had hoped. The strategy was perfect and allowed me to stay in control throughout the race. I’m really happy with the result and grateful to the team for all their hard work. Of course, there is still room for improvement. We need to keep working on the bike and continue refining my riding style so that we can be even stronger. This result gives us a lot of confidence, and now our focus is on carrying this momentum into the next round and fighting for another good result.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2
1. VICENTE PEREZ SELFA – SPAIN (16’53.063s)
2. PEDRINHO MATOS – PORTUGAL (16’55.715s)
3. ORATILWE PHIRI – SOUTH AFRICA (16’56.116s)
4. CHIRANTH VISHWANATH – INDIA (16’56.296s)
5. LEEANDRO PARADES – PHILIPPINES (16’57.124s)