Australian riders were obviously in winning mode at Round 5 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at India’s Buddh International Circuit. After Anthony West effortlessly scored a double win in the SuperSports 600cc class, the Australian national anthem rang out again when 15-year-old Broc Pearson stepped up onto the top of the Asia Dream Cup podium.
Overcoming his height and weight disadvantage, Broc looked extraordinarily determined as he powered his bike into Turn 1 for the hole shot.
As Hiroki Nakamura, Sittipon Srimoontree, Hafiz Nor Azman and Mohd Febriansyah rode up to challenge his position, Broc and Nakamura touched on Lap 2 and dropped to fourth and fifth respectively. However, both riders were able to make up for lost time and Broc muscled his way up to the front on Lap 5.
In anticipation of the final lap battle, the competition hot up on Lap 6 causing Broc to fumble but was able to recover without losing ground. Gaining confidence from the experience, the determined youngster out-sprinted Sittipon and Hafiz Nor Azman to the finish line with a time of 17’06.185s.
“I want to thank my Mom and Dad. I don’t have many sponsors and they are paying for my ride here. It’s all coming out of their wallet. I’m so very happy with this win because it proves that I can still win despite being significantly taller than the rest of the other riders,” said Broc who teared up on the podium.
With this win, Broc placed himself in contention for the second overall position in the Asia Dream Cup. Now with 114 points to his name, Broc is tied in third place with Mohd Febriansyah. Hafiz Nor Azman holds an 8-point advantage over the two riders with 122 points in second overall.