Asia Production 250

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.

If there was one weakness that has marred the promising career of Indonesian rider Rafid Topan Sucipto, it would be his lack of consistency. Brilliant one day, india the next, it has always been hard to predict what Rafid would do in any given race. However, Rafid displayed none of that at the Zhuhai International Circuit when he picked up a double AP250 win from the 4.3km circuit. All eyes were on the Bike Corner SYS KYT Racing Team rider when he lined up on pole position – would he repeat his Race 1 feat? Rafid struggled at the start of the race, dropping quickly from pole to fourth on Lap 1 as Andy Muhammad Fadly, Awhin Sanjaya, and Tatchakorn Buasri took charge of the 10-lap race. The newly applied equalizer rule on Awhin and Irfan had done little to slow the pace of the two Astra Honda Racing Team riders. The duo had been able to quickly adjust to the reduction in power and were dominant in the first half of the race. By Lap 8, with two laps remaining, Rafid was still hunkered down in P6, deep within the leading group. The Indonesian rider finally made his move on the penultimate lap, moving up three spots to get into position for the final push to the finish line. When Muklada Sarapuech powered her way past Awhin and Irfan into the lead, Rafid tucked himself into her slipstream. With only half a lap remaining, the Indonesian rider successfully got past Muklada and stormed to his second win of the weekend with 19’10.448s Irfan Ardiansyah claimed the second spot with 19’10.541s followed by a jubilant Piyawat Patoomyos in third. This would be Piyawat’s first podium of the season. The AP250 Race 2 was a strategically important race for championship leader Andy Muhammad Fadly. After Race 1, Fadly was 47 points ahead of his team mate Aiki Iyoshi. Under the equalizer rules in the AP250 class, a second equalizer would be imposed should Fadly’s lead margin extend beyond 50 points against that of the fifth placed rider. In this case, to avoid the second equalizer, Fadly had to rein in his performance in Race 2. In other words, he had to lose the battle in order to win the war. Fadly finished the race in P9 to add seven more points to his points haul while his team mate Aiki Iyoshi picked up none after crashing out on Lap 2. Luckily for Andy, Aiki has dropped down to sixth overall while Lucky Hendriansya is now fifth with 97 points. Andy’s 145 points at the top of the table is 48 points clear of Lucky’s position. Therefore, the second equalizer will not take effect just yet.

Indonesian Rafid Topan Sucipto pulled off a stunner of a Race 1 at the Zhuhai International Circuit when he brought his privately funded Honda to the top of the AP250 podium. The former Moto2 rider had been struggling for the most part of the season, ofttimes finding it hard to break into the top 10. At the Zhuhai International Circuit, Rafid finally hit his stride. The Bike Corner SYS KYT Racing Team rider snared the limelight when he qualified P1 to take pole position. A bumpy start as the lights went off saw Rafid dropping down to fifth in the first half of the race. The highly experienced Indonesian rider was able to make up for lost ground and he emerged in the lead on Lap 8. Although constantly harassed by Astra Honda Racing Team duo Awhin Sanjaya and Irfan Ardiansyah, Rafid was able to hold his advantage until the end of the 10-lap race. He picked up his first win of the season with 19’10.656s. It was clearly a Honda party at the sharp end of the grid. Astra Honda Racing Team trio – Awhin, Irfan and Lucky Hendriansya – escorted Rafid to the podium in second, third and fourth respectively. Andy Muhammad Fadly who have had a tough time in China, finished fifth, enough to extend his lead at the top of the AP250 standings. The key to the title chase, however, happened off the podium. Aiki Iyoshi finished 13th, and there is now a 33-point gap between Awhin Sanjaya and Aiki on the overall standings. Similarly, Irfan leads Aiki by 29 points. By the rules of the AP250 class, the first equalizer rule (500rpm cut) will also be applied to Awhin and Irfan in Race 2.

Signs of an Astra Honda Racing Team comeback in the AP250 class is in the offing, when Lucky Hendriansya and Irfan Ardiansyah locked out the top two positions after a first day of practices at the Zhuhai International Circuit. Unlike the past two years, the Indonesian based Astra Honda Racing Team has been uncharacteristically low-key in the first half of the 2019 season. The change of location from South Korea to China as the host of Round 5 seems to have brought a new lease of life to their title campaign. Lucky was the only rider to check in below 1’54, setting a high benchmark for the AP250 class with 1’53.758s. Irfan Ardiansyah was second on the combined timesheets at 1’54 flat. The Hondas look to have an edge that is ideal to the stop-and-go style of racing demanded by the 4.3km Zhuhai International Circuit. Of the top five riders, four are Hondas. Rafid Topan Sucipto logged third fastest with 1’54.016s followed by Awhin Sanjaya in fourth with 1’54.274s. Anggi Setiawan from Yamaha Racing Indonesia was the quickest Yamaha on the grid, fifth fastest with 1’54.465s. Championship leader Andy Muhammad Fadly’s Kawasaki will be finding the stop-and-go nature of the Zhuhai track to be a challenge. The Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing rider ended the day eighth fastest with 1’54.598s. India’s best results came from Sethu Rajiv who was about 3 seconds off the fastest rider. Former ADC rider, Zhou Sheng Jun Jie will have a lot of ground to make up as he clocked 21st fastest with 1’57.062s.

The return of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship to the Zhuhai international Circuit may present a twist in the tale in the AP250 title chase. With the possible exception of wildcard Zhou Sheng Jun Jie, most of the existing riders in the class have yet to learn the intricacies of the 4.3km race track located in the southern tip of China. As it stands, Andy Muhammad Fadly is defying the odds of the equalizer rule. The Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing rider has been able to maintain a strong presence at the top of the championship table. With 23 points margin under his belt, Fadly will be relying heavily on personal coach Katsuaki Fujiwara’s expertise to eke out a headstart in Round 5. Fujiwara, the rider-turned-team director, was one of the last ARRC riders to have won races at the Zhuhai International Circuit. Fadly will be wary of the potential challenge posed by his Indonesian compatriots – Irfan Ardiansyah and Awhin Sanjaya. In the previous round at the Suzuka Circuit, the two Astra Honda Racing Team riders have managed to overcome a slow start to their title campaign. Solid podium finishes from Suzuka has the two team mates tied in second overall with 104 points each. After a disappointing outing at the Suzuka 4 Hours two weeks ago, the Astra Honda Racing Team riders can be expected to go all out for the top step of the podium. Of the five riders in the top-five, only Irfan and Awhin are not yet hampered by the 500rpm cut. Fadly’s first line of defence, ironically, could come in the form of Thailand’s Muklada Sarapuech. Fired up from her recent record-breaking stint when she became the first female rider to win the Suzuka 4 Hours, Muklada will be looking to get past the two Astra Honda Racing Team riders to get her title chase back on track.