Asia Production 250

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.

As the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship marks its return to Zhuhai this weekend, Chinese rider Zhou Sheng Jun Jie will also be staging a comeback into the series. Zhou has confirmed his AP250 wildcard through the Wuyang-Honda Racing Team. Zhou Sheng Jun Jie is an alumni of the Asia Dream Cup (ADC) series initiated by the ARRC as part of its talent development platform from 2012 to 2016. The Chinese rider completed two full seasons in the ADC, finishing 10th overall in 2015 and 7th overall in 2016. Zhou’s best results in the ADC came in 2016 with a double podium at the super-challenging Sentul Circuit in Indonesia. On the AP250 grid, Zhou will find himself reunited with a few familiar faces. Muklada Sarapuech, currently in the chase for the 2019 crown, was the Asia Dream Cup champion in 2015 along with Idemitsu Honda Racing India’s Sethu Rajiv.

Astra Honda’s Awhin Sanjaya was a class apart in a wet race two, keeping his head while many of those around him were losing theirs, to win by a comfortable margin. It was a good day for the Indonesian team, as Irfan Ardiansyah took another second place and a good day for Andy Fadly, as he finished third and benefited from a DNF by championship rival, Muklada Sarapuech. Rafid Topan Sucipto made the most of his pole position to take the lead at the start from Muklada, Irfan, Piyawat Patoomyos, Rey Ratukore and Fadly. AP Honda’s Muklada crashed on lap two after grabbing the front brake too hard, which left Fadly just needing a reasonable to complete his weekend’s work. Ratukore began to fall back at half distance, as Awhin got past Irfan for second and Fadly got ahead of Piyawat for fourth, while Yamaha Thailand’s class rookie, Sawapol Lillabong, moved up to join the fight for second and third. Topan fell out of the lead on lap seven and Awhin pulled clear, leaving the fight behind him and stroked his CBR250RR home four seconds clear of Irfan who took second from Fadly, Piyawat and Suwapol. Aiki Iyoshi stormed through from last on the grid to finish sixth, well ahead of Izam Ikmal, Ratukore and wildcards, Tanimoto and Mori. Fadly’s 41 points from Suzuka bring his total to 127, which is 23 clear of Irfan and Awhin, who are level on 104. Muklada, who went to Suzuka level on points with Fadly, now finds herself fourth on 97 and 30 points from the top.

Andy Fadly continued the form he showed since arriving at Suzuka by leading from the first turn in race one and getting clear with a pace that the rest of the ARRC AP250 field couldn’t get anywhere near. However, the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki rider didn’t have it all his own way in qualifying, ending up second after a fierce three-way fight with Rafid Topan Sucipto and Irfan Ardiansyah. Sporting his new team’s livery and a change of race number to 911, Topan claimed pole position from Fadly by 31 hundredths of a second by taking his Bike Corner SYS KYT Honda around Suzuka’s 5.8 kilometres in 2’28.714 to edge Fadly out to second. Irfan, who had led much of the 30-minute session, qualified third on 2’29.685. Behind them, Faerozi Toreqotullah came through to lead the second row from Suzuka first-timer, Nazirul Izzat and championship leader, Muklada Sarapuech. Astra Honda’s Lucky Hendriansiya and Awhin Sanjaya qualified seventh and eighth in front of Reynaldo Ratukore. Rafid launched well from the start, but Fadly got the better of him into turn one broke away at the front. Behind him Muklada fought with a group of another five Indonesian riders, who did their best to keep her at bay. All three Astra Honda riders took turns at the front, though it was Irfan who looked the most convincing contender for second place. ONEXOX TKKR SAG’s Rey Ratukore, the sole Yamaha rider in the front group, looked increasingly threatening on the break at the final chicane. Clearly fighting handling problems, Muklada did her best to get to the front of the group, but, as the last lap unwound was unable to get herself into a podium position. As Fadly cruised over the line 2.6 seconds ahead, Irfan put enough distance between himself and the others to claim second without a serious challenge, while Ratukore got the better of Awhin, Muklada and Lucky to cross the line third. Rafid Topan came through in seventh from Piyawat Patoomyos, Faerozi and Sasaki, who completed the top ten.