2018 Round5

Plucky Thai rider Muklada Sarapuech will be coming back into the thick of action following a three-month hiatus brought about by a crash in Round 3 at Suzuka. Muklada collided with team mate Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi in Race 2 at the Suzuka Circuit, and sustained an injured hand as a result of the incident. The injury broke Muklada’smomentum in the Asia Production 250cc class. Not only did she have to sit out of Round 4 in India, but at the same time, Muklada lost the opportunity to debut in the prestigious Suzuka4 Hours Endurance. With only two rounds remaining on the 2018 calendar, Muklada will have to beat out Indonesian riders Awhin Sanjaya and Andy Muhammad Fadly to make it back into the top five.

There is no sweeter moment for any rider than to seal a major title in front of his or her home crowd. Gerry Salim experienced that magic in 2017 when he lifted the Asia Production 250cc title at the Sentul Circuit. That ‘moment’, unfortunately, will not happen for this year’s championship leader, Rheza Danica Ahrens. At 148 points after four rounds, Rheza leads by 26 points ahead of his own team mate Mario Suryo Aji. Even if Mario’s presence were to be discounted on account of team orders from the Astra Honda Racing Team, Anupab Sarmoon is still a mathematical threat, standing in third with 108 points. Therefore, the Asia Production 250cc title chase will not end in Indonesia. On the other hand, there is a small probability that the Astra Honda Racing Team will pick up the AP250 Team Award for the second consecutive year in the coming round. The Indonesian-based team has pulled ahead by 51 points to the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team in the team rankings. A double win from either Rheza, Mario or Awhin will clinch the deal for the Astra Honda Racing Team. If a double win is not on the cards, then the team will need one win and one second place to seal the title by a single point.