Asia Dream Cup

2016 Asia Dream Cup champion Hiroki Nakamura bid farewell to the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship with one last victory in the final race of the season at the Chang International Circuit. With the championship title in the bag, Nakamura was still hungry for more race wins. A clean start from the competitors led to an uneventful 8-lap race. Running close to script, the Asia Dream Cup riders were bunched up together throughout the race. The Japanese ace stayed within touch of the leading group. India’s Hari Krishnan, Indonesia’s Yassiin Gabriel Somma, and Tokio Shibuta were the consistent pack leaders right up to the final lap. Reaching the last corner into the chequered flag, Nakamura finally showed his mettle as he expertly threaded his way past the nine riders in the front group and picked up his seventh win of the season with 16’55.007s. Malaysian Hafiz Nor Azman was second with 16’55.189s and Yassiin finished third with 16’55.257s. “This is a very difficult track for races like the Asia Dream Cup. With all the bikes equal on power, the long straights allow for a very big group to catch up. I am just happy that I can end my year with a win,” said Nakamura. The Japanese rider’s final points tally came up to 228 points. Hafiz Nor Azman finished second overall with 144 points. Mohd Febriansyah of Indonesia was third with 143 points.

With the Asia Dream Cup title settled in favour of Hiroki Nakamura, the race for second overall position in the Honda developmental platform was disrupted when Indonesian rider Yassiin Gabriel Somma popped up onto the radar to score his first ADC win. The podium newcomer survived an 8-lap battle against nine other competitors to cross the finish line with a time of 16’56.097s, 0.089 seconds ahead of reigning champion Hiroki Nakamura. The drama of the race started as soon as the lights went off when Koko Tadachi from the Philippines was penalized with a ride-through penalty for jumpstart. A couple of rows ahead of Tadachi, pole sitter Broc Pearson got off to a slow start and was quickly engulfed by the swarm as he dove into Turn 1. A lap later, the Australian rider’s hopes to boost his position on the rider’s standings was dashed when he crashed out of Turn 2. The pack shed a few more riders in the first half of the race. Bui Duy Thong and Tokio Shibuta crashed out on Lap 2 and 4 respectively. As the race gained momentum, Indonesian riders Muhd Febriansyah and Yassiin displayed the most consistent performances within the front group. China’s Zhou Sheng Jun Jie was also prominent for the most part of the race but displayed some weakness in defending his race lines at the critical last corner. In the end, smart positioning and race strategy brought Yassiin his first win of the season. Nakamura managed to slipstream his way into P2 while Muhd Febriansyah muscled his way up the riders’ championship ladder when he finished third with 16’56.186s. “All that to-ing and fro-ing in the first seven laps eventually ended as a last corner battle. All the ADC riders know that very well but this time, I was able to get it exactly spot-on,” said Yassiin whose win has now placed him seventh overall in the Asia Dream Cup standings. Hiroki Nakamura solidified his position at the top of the pile with 203 points followed by Febriansyah in second overall with 130 points. Malaysia’s Hafiz Nor Azman was one of the casualties in the Lap 1 crash but managed to pick up his bike and limped to the finish line in 14th place. The two points he picked up kept him in third overall position with 124 points while Broc Pearson dropped down to fourth overall with 114 points.

Taking his first Asian Dream Cup win in India two months ago has given Broc Pearson the boost of confidence he needed to continue with his winning ways. The lanky Australian rider topped the Asia Dream Cup timesheets in both free practice sessions as the final leg of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship got underway at the Chang International Circuit. Broc set the pace early in the session when he posted 02’04.169s in the first practice. His fastest time held for the second free practice session. The only rider to come close was Malaysian Mohd Hafiz Nor Azman who posted 02’04.236s as the second fastest rider. Indonesian Yassiin Gabriel Somma also showed good progress when he finished third fastest with 02’04.279s. For once, newly minted Asia Dream Cup Champion Hiroki Nakamura took a back seat and logged fourth quickest with 02’04.430s. Nakamura leads the second row comprising of Thai rider Sittipon Srimoontree and China’s Zhou Sheng Jun Jie who were fifth and sixth fastest respectively.

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.

Hiroki Nakamura has officially etched his name on the Asia Dream Cup trophy as the fifth champion for the Honda talent development platform. Nakamura arrived at the Buddh International Circuit for Round 5 needing only 12 championship points to seal the deal. Starting the race from second on the grid, Nakamura stormed to the finish line 3.584s in front of the competition. Pole sitter Broc Pearson enjoyed a good run in the opening laps of the race, but was soon swallowed up by the horde of the riders fighting for track space. By Lap 2, Nakamura had begun to edge away from the mayhem. Even as he ran away to the finish line, behind him, nine riders were jostling for P2. “It wasn’t an easy win. The weather was hot and very humid so we were racing under tough conditions,” said Nakamura who has amassed 183 points to win the crown. Meanwhile, Indonesian rider Yaassiin Gabriel Sonma would have missed out on the podium due to a fallen transponder. However, Yaassiin was awarded his rightful position on the podium when further investigations by timekeeping determined that he had finished second with 17’05.258s. Muhd Febriansyah completed the podium trio in third place.

Australian riders are ruling the roost in the opening practice sessions at Round 5 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Buddh International Circuit. Just as Ant West chalked up the provisional pole position in the SuperSports 600cc class, young Broc Pearson also climbed to the top of the timesheets in the Asia Dream Cup category. As this is the first time that the ARRC is racing at the Buddh International Circuit, all the riders are competing on an even playing field. None had had any experience at this 5.15km circuit. Broc stopped the clock at 2’24.623s to lead the Asia Dream Cup, half a second faster than championship leader Hiroki Nakamura who posted 2’25.001s. Malaysian rider Mohd Harith Farhan was third fastest with 2’25.735s.

17-year-old Japanese rider Hiroki Nakamura is beginning to catch a glimpse of the potential rewards that may come his way as the fifth Asia Dream Cup Champion. Prior to Round 5 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in India, Nakamura was given the opportunity to race in the J-GP3 class of the All Japan with Honda Team Asia. Additionally, he had also been confirmed for a wildcard ride in the Spanish National Championship (CEV) in Valencia at the end of the year. Depending on the outcome of his wildcard entries, this could potentially be Nakamura’s big break with Honda Team Asia that had successfully brought about the rise of Asian riders in the international arena. Nakamura would be hoping to follow in the footsteps of former champions Hiroki Ono and Khairul Idham Pawi.

Japanese rider Hiroki Nakamura looks set to becoming the third Japanese Asia Dream Cup champion behind Hikari Okubo and Hiroki Ono. Nakamura’s consistent performance in the first four rounds of the 2016 season has allowed him to overcome the minor hiccups that occur along the way. In Race 1 at Round 4 in Sentul, Nakamura managed to finish fourth while still trying to overcome the pain of an injured shoulder and leg when he crashed out during the morning warm-up. Victory went to Indonesian Muhd Febriansyah with 19’00.791s. China’s Zhou Sheng Jun Jie was only 0.021 seconds behind Febriansyah in second place, stopping the clock at 19’00.812s followed by Malaysian Hafiz Nor Azman who is still nursing a recovering wrist. By Race 2, Nakamura had succeeded in putting his physical discomforts aside and was able to pull a win out of the bag with a time of 19’21.083s. Zhou finished second again in Race 2 while Koko Tadachi celebrated his first podium finish in third place. Nakamura is now leading the Asia Dream Cup with 158 points. Hafiz Nor Azman is a distant second with 95 points. The 63-point margin means that if Nakamura continues to perform at this pace, the Asia Dream Cup title could be sealed by Round 5 in India.

Indonesian Muhd Febriansyah has set the benchmark time in the Asia Dream Cup category as the first day of practice got underway at Round 4 which is held in the Sentul Circuit. Febriansyah posted a time of 1’52.035s as the quickest ADC rider. Laptimes were comparatively slower than previous years as the class of 2016 opted to spend more time on getting familiar with the tricky track conditions than clocking fast times. Championship leader Hiroki Nakamura was second fastest with 1’52.299s. Meanwhile, Indonesian rookie Yaasiin Gabriel Somma rode into prominence for the first time this season as he used his knowledge of the Sentul track to clinch the third fastest time of the day, 1’52.681s. Malaysia’s Hafiz Nor Azman and China’s Zhou Sheng Jun Jie rounded up the top five spots.

The second edition of the Asia Dream Endurance Race saw an unprecedented six-nation podium for the Asia Dream Cup class. A special event, the Asia Dream Cup sprint race becomes part of the 2-hour endurance race every time the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship rides into the Suzuka Circuit. The Asia Dream Endurance Race was essentially two distinct classes racing on the same grid – the main CBR class as well as the Asia Dream Cup class. Each class carried its own podiums and points. The 2016 edition started off in the rain with Thai duo Woraphod Niamsakhonsakul and Sittipon Srimoontree on pole position. But it was ‘guest rider’ Hiroki Nakamura who stole the spotlight. Nakamura started the race from pitlane after he wrote an appeal letter to the Race Direction in order to be allowed to participate in the event. Nakamura clocked the fastest lap during qualifying but was forced to pull out because his partner Hafiz Nor Azman was unable to race due to injuries. The permission to race was given, on the condition that Nakamura would receive no points. In spite of the handicap, Nakamura showed tremendous spirit by leading the race for the better part of 80 minutes before finally retiring to the pit. When Nakamura pitted, the spotlight fell on bike number 117 whose consistency brought them to the front of the group. Singapore’s Azhar Mohd Noor and Vietnam’s Bui Duy Thong became the first riders from their respective countries to win a race at the Asian level when they completed the 2-hour race in 41 laps. Australian rider Broc Pearson and his Indonesian partner Mohd Febriansyah finished second with 40 laps clocked at 2:01’27.266 and India’s Hari Krishnan and Zhou Sheng Jun Jie of China took third place with 40 laps clocked at 2:01’27.830s.