Asia Production 250

Andy Muhammad Fadly (Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing) has once again proven that the Indonesian riders are still in a league of their own in the Asia Production 250cc class. After a phenomenal win on Saturday, Fadly had to finish ahead of rivals Irfan Ardiansyah and Awhin Sanjaya (Astra Honda Racing Team) in the final race of the season at the Chang International Circuit to end Kawasaki’s 3-year title drought in the AP250 class.   The 10-lap race started with Fadly tucked into the leading group behind a charging Muklada Sarapuech (AP Honda Racing Team). Muklada, freed from the pressures of a title hunt, was intent on winning the race in front of her home crowd. Three successive quick laps from Muklada saw her pull ahead by 2.6 seconds. But Muklada’s rampage came to a premature end on Lap 4 when mechanical failure forced her out of the race.   Muklada’s departure left the three title contenders, Irfan, Awhin and Andy in charge of the top 15-rider group. It wasn’t long before Tatchakorn Buasri (AP Honda Racing Thailand) and Rafid Topan Sucipto (Bike Corner SYS KYT Racing Team) decided to try for the leading position.   While the battle raged on to the final lap, Andy was working hard to stay out of trouble. The Kawasaki rider tried to lead into Turn 3 but ran wide and dropped to P5 from P3. Rapidly running out of time, Andy used the superior grunt of his Kawasaki to get back into the lead at Turn 5. The Kawasaki rider led the group up to Turn 11 but was out-braked by Irfan at the entry into Turn 12. While Andy was trying to get his momentum back for a final sprint to the finish line, Rafid Topan ran wide at the apex and bulldozed into Irfan.   As the two riders skidded out onto the sidelines, Mohd Muzakkir Mohamed (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) was quick to sprint to the finish line in first place with Piyawat Patoomyos (AP Honda Racing Team) and wildcard Vorapong Malahuan (Yamaha Hispeed Racing Team) in tow. Andy was initially sixth across the line.   However, the Malaysian rider was later penalized for exceeding the track limit at Turn 12. Piyawat Patoomyos was eventually declared the winner of the 10-lap Race 2 with 19’11.373s. Vorapong Malahuan went up to second place and Awhin Sanjaya was third.   Lucky Hendriansya was also penalized for exceeding the track limit. Andy moved up from P6 to P4 on the official timesheets to add 13 more points to this year’s points haul. With 214 points, Andy became the third successive Indonesian to bring home the Asia Production 250cc title.   Irfan and Awhin had to concede the title win to Andy, but Astra Honda Racing Team is still the team to beat in the AP250 class. The Honda team has picked up 274 points out of 14 races and emerged at the top of the team standings, beating Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing by 35 points.

A mere 1000rpm cut handicap in the AP250 class was not going to stop Andy Muhammad Fadly and Irfan Ardiansyah from putting up a fantastic performance in Race 1.   As the final round opened at the Chang International Circuit, all signs were pointing towards an all-Thai domination at the front of the AP250 race while the battle for the title between the two main protagonists would likely happen off the podium.   The expectations were initially borne out at the close of the AP250 qualifying when Muklada Sarapuech unequivocally earned the right to park her bike on pole position followed by Rafid Topan Sucipto and Piyawat Patoomyos on the front row. Andy and Irfan qualified for the second row, on P4 and P6 respectively.   As the 10-lap race flagged off, a brilliant start by Muklada gave her full control of the first lap. As the group swept around the hairpin at Turn 3, Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah crashed out, very nearly taking Irfan along with him. The Astra Honda Racing Team rider lost a full five seconds as he narrowly avoided a catastrophic outcome in Race 1, dropping down to P20 at the end of the first lap.   Back in front, Andy Muhammad Fadly was careful to stay within the top group even as Muklada and team mate Piyawat Patoomyos tried to pull ahead on Lap 3. However, the two Thai riders were unable to hold the rest of the riders at bay for long. As of Lap 6, Fadly, Piyawat, Muklada, Rafid Topan, Tatchakorn Buasri, Awhin Sanjaya and Rey Ratukore were still all tangled up in the 7-bike lead group.   By this point, Irfan had managed to get himself back into the points, but was still trailing the front runners by a hefty 5 seconds. Just when it looked like Irfan’s title hopes are fizzling out, the Astra Honda Racing Team rider began a series of quick laps that halved the gap to 2.3 seconds within the space of two laps.   Irfan caught up to the tail end of the leading group on the final lap which was being led by his team mate Awhin Sanjaya and compatriots Rafid Topan Sucipto and Andy Muhammad Fadly. The three frontrunners, however, soon lost the lead to an audacious move by Muklada Sarapuech. The AP Honda Racing Team rider led the group into the last corner but ran wide, almost crashing into Awhin Sanjaya.   Andy Muhammad Fadly took full advantage of the situation and darted into the inside line and successful held the lead to the finish line. Andy scored his third win of the season with 19’03.763s Awhin Sanjaya recovered from the incident in time to take second place while Muklada claimed third place.   Fadly has taken a 14-point lead at the top of the championship standings. Irfan Ardiansyah finished fifth to keep his title hopes alive. Awhin Sanjaya, trailing Fadly by 19 points, also has a strong mathematical chance to lift the crown. However, the second equalizer will also be applied to Awhin for Race 2, leading to a scenario where all three title hunters will be racing on a level playing field.

Team play was very much in evidence during the 30 minute AP250 qualifying for the season finale of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Chang International Circuit.   AP Honda Racing Team’s Muklada Sarapuech led the team’s charge in an all-out bid to lock out the front row. Trailing the championship leaders by 49 points, Muklada needed the coveted pole position to boost her chances of creating an upset at the top of the championship ladder.   10 minutes in, Muklada logged 1’52.552s, cutting her best Friday time by half a second to gain control of the pole position. Soon after, Rafid Topan Sucipto (Bike Corner SYS KYT Racing Team) bettered his personal best by lapping 1’53.019s.   The main title contenders, Andy Muhammad Fadly and Irfan Ardiansyah, who are both riding under the second equalizer rules, managed to put in consistent laps within the top six.   10 minutes to the end of the qualifying, with the exception of Rafid Topan who was still pushing hard for the pole position, most of the front runners were back in their respective pits. The Astra Honda Racing Team trio were the first to break the lull. By working together, the three riders managed to bring Irfan’s qualifying time up to P6 with 1’53.279s.   Right on cue, Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki duo Aiki Iyoshi and Andy Muhammad Fadly responded by heading back out on track followed shortly by the AP Honda Racing Thailand riders intent on reclaiming the front row. But the high number of traffic on the track in the closing minutes throttled any chance of improving their qualifying times.   At four minutes to go, title contender Awhin Sanjaya suffered a big highside at the infamous Buriram last corner. Thankfully, the Astra Honda Racing Team rider walked away from the crash relatively unscathed.   As the chequered flag came down, Muklada Sarapuech will lead the 30-rider grid on pole position with 1’52.552s. Rafid Topan lodged himself on P2 between pole sitter Muklada and her team mate Piyawat Patoomyos in P3.   The title contenders will start the two final races from the second row – Andy Muhammad Fadly in P4 alongside Tatchakorn Buasri and Irfan Ardiansyah.

The AP250 title fight will be heading into a tie-breaker at the final round of the ARRC in Thailand with Indonesian riders Andy Muhammad Fadly and Irfan Ardiansyah tied on points at the top of the championship ladder. The start of the 2019 season brought the implementation of the equalizer rule in the AP250 class which made it increasingly difficult for one individual rider to dominate the championship. Even so, Andy Muhammad Fadly and team Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing have expertly navigated the shifting sands at the top of the championship ladder. Fadly was the first to receive the equalizer but even so, the Kawasaki rider had been able to stay nominally in charge up to Round 5. In trying to avoid a second equalizer, Fadly deliberately stayed off the podium in Round 5. This may have been a strategic error. When Astra Honda Racing Team’s Irfan Ardiansyah won Race 1 in Round 6 and subsequently finished P5 in Race 2, the two compatriots tied on points at 176 points apiece. Five of the top eight riders are riding under the equalizer rule. Awhin Sanjaya, Muklada Sarapuech and Aiki Iyoshi have all had 500 rpm cut from their rpm limit. Ironically, a second equalizer, representing a 1000 rpm cut will be applied to the top runners Irfan and Andy in the season finale. In this instance, the battle for thetitle may happen off the podium. Given AP Honda Racing Team’s homeground advantage at the Chang International Circuit, Muklada Sarapuech is expected to be a strong podium contender. However, Muklada’s chances of winning the 2019 title is slim. She will need to win both races and hope that neither Andy nor Irfan pick up any points from the entire weekend. Irfan’s team mate, Awhin Sanjaya will stand a better chance. Should Awhin manage to win both Race 1 and Race 2, the two current championship leaders must finish second to be crowned the 2019 AP250 FIM Asian Champion.

After six podium finishes in the first five legs of the 2019 season, Irfan Ardiansyah has finally claimed his first AP250 win of the season. The Astra Honda Racing Team rider started Race 1 from second row, behind pole sitter Muklada Sarapuech, and front row qualifiers Lucky Hendriansya and Rafid Topan Sucipto. A bad start put him ninth in the group at the opening lap but Irfan quickly recovered and had gone up to fifth in the second lap. He continued to power his way up the field and was leading the group by Lap 3. However, Irfan found it impossible to break away and faced significant challenge from his own team mates Lucky Hendriansya, Awhin Sanjaya as well as Muklada Sarapuech. Irfan dropped to fourth on Lap 5 but caught up with Muklada again in the penultimate lap. The long straights at the Sepang International Circuit worked to Irfan’s favour. He was able to slipstream Muklada on the final straight before making a final dash to victory with a time of 19’45.110s. 0.241 seconds behind, Muklada came home in second with 19’45.351s. Rafid Topan Sucipto started the race from third and finished in the same position with 19’45.371s. Irfan became the new AP250 championship leader with 165 points when Andy Muhammad Fadly finished fifth. But this win would prove to be a double edged sword. Irfan is now leading his fifth placed team mate Lucky Hendriansya by 58 points. This means that the second equalizer, a further 500rpm cut, will be imposed on Irfan’s bike. In effect, Irfan became the first AP250 rider to pick up a second equalizer. Andy Muhammad Fadly, who has shown himself to be a supreme mathematician, again narrowly escaped the second equalizer. At 156 points, Fadly leads Lucky by 49 points. At this late stage of the game, Fadly would do better to bite the bullet in Race 2 and win to gain maximum points to take the lead into the final round in Thailand. Further down the grid, Vietnamese rider Cao Viet Nam finished within the top 10 for the second time this season. Idemitsu Boon Siew Honda Racing wildcards Muhammad Syarifuddin Azman and Mohd Idlan Haqimi Raduan ended their AP250 debut in 12thand 21st places respectively.

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.