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AP Honda Racing Thailand’s junior rider Piyawat Patoomyos completed the first day of practice at the Sepang International Circuit on a high note when he emerged fastest in the Asia Production 250cc class. The young Thai rider had had no previous record at the 5.5km Sepang Circuit, having joined the ARRC in Round 2. A lack of familiarity with the circuit was obviously not an issue for Piyawat when he clocked the fastest time of the day, 2’25.808s. However, Piyawat’s best time was still a second off the lap record – 2’24.783s set by his team mate, Muklada Sarapuech in Round 1. Muklada herself posted second fastest in the first day of practice with 2’25.949s. Indonesian rider Irfan Ardiansyah from the Astra Honda Racing Team was the third quickest man on the AP250 grid. He paced home with 2’26.208s. Championship leader Andy Muhammad Fadly clocked fourth fastest, 2’26.316s while Rey Ratukore completed the top five with 2’26.378s. Rafid Topan Sucipto who had just recently picked up a double win from the Zhuhai round, was sixth fastest in Day 1. The Bike Corner SYS KYT Racing Team rider’s best time was clocked at 2’26.460s. Lucky Hendriansya, currently the benchmark for race strategies among the top five, was seventh with 2’26.897s. Awhin Sanjaya, Tatchakorn Buasri, and Aiki Iyoshi also posted within the top 10.

Andy Muhammad Fadly narrowly avoided the second equalizer rule (another 500rpm cut) at Round 5 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Zhuhai International Circuit. As Fadly prepares for the penultimate leg at the Sepang International Circuit this weekend, team Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki strategists will once again be faced with yet another tough call – to bite the bullet and take the second equalizer in the hopes of extending Fadly’s championship lead or take the gamble of losing Fadly’s hard-won title lead. Under the Asia Production 250cc rules, anytime a rider among the top five gains a 25-point lead, the first equalizer in the form of a 500rpm cut will be imposed. Similarly, if a 50-point gap opens up among any of the riders within the top five, a second equalizer (another 500rpm cut) will be applied. Astra Honda Racing Team’s Lucky Hendriansya, currently the only rider free of the equalizer rule among the top five, has inadvertently become the benchmark for team strategies in the Asia Production 250cc class. As the title chase stands, Andy Fadly leads the pack with 145 points, Irfan Ardiansyah is looking threatening in second overall with 140 points while Lucky is fifth overall with 97 points. Fadly leads Irfan by only 5 points while the 48-point gap between Fadly and Lucky’s positions has placed the Kawasaki rider between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

For long time fans of the Asian racing scene, Rafid Topan Sucipto’s double win in Zhuhai last month came as no surprise. Those who had watched him win the Asian Underbone 115cc title in 2011 would know the true capabilities of this Indonesian rider. Come Round 6 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Sepang Circuit on September 21 and 22, the onus is now on Rafid and the Bike Corner SYS KYT Racing Team to prove that he is really back in winning form. The 50 points he raked in from Zhuhai has boosted Rafid’s standings on the AP250 ladder. The Bike Corner SYS KYT Racing Team along with the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team are the only two privateer teams in an AP250 field dominated by the factory outfits. Currently 10th on the standings, Rafid trails championship leader Andy Muhammad Fadly by 67 points. There are four more races left in the 2019 calendar. Mathematically at least, Rafid still has a chance to join the title chase. Another double win in Sepang could possibly push the Bike Corner SYS KYT Racing Team rider into the top five. Free of the equalizer rule that had been applied on five of the top six riders, Rafid stands a fighting chance of more podium finishes in Round 6.