Asia Production 250

Andy Muhammad Fadly was fastest in all three free practice sessions today. Despite running with a maximum rev ‘equaliser’ of 500rpm, the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki rider kept an advantage of more than half a second all day. His best time of 2’28.450 came in a red flag interrupted second session. After a steady start in FP1, Astra Honda’s Irfan Ardiansyah finished second on combined times with a best lap of 2’29.382, which was 0.098s better than Rey Ratukore on the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Yamaha. Fadly’s team mate, Aiki Iyoshi was fourth in front of AP Honda duo, Muklada Sarapuech and Piyawat Patoomyos. Rafid Topan Sucipto, Awhin Sanjaya, Faerozi Toreqotullah and Sethu Rajiv completed the top ten. Round three, race two winner, Tatchkorn Buasri, struggled to match pace of his team mates and crashed hard in the third session. The fastest wildcard was Otojirou Tanimoto with 2’32.501, which placed him 18th overall.

AP Honda Racing Thailand’s Muklada Sarapuech and Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing’s Andy Muhammad Fadly will be heading for a tie-breaker at Round 4 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Suzuka, Japan. The two riders tie at the top of the standings with 86 points apiece but Muklada has one more podium finish to her name as compared to Fadly. Here’s a recap of their performances so far: Rider R1/R1 R1/R2 R2/R1 R2/R2 R3/R1 R3/R2 Muklada Sarapuech DNF 1st 3rd 2nd 1st 5th Andy Fadly 2nd 2nd 1st DNF 6th DNF   However, Round 4 will be more than just a showdown between two ferocious competitors. Team play will be very much in evidence as Aiki Iyoshi, currently third in the AP250 standings, seeks to support his Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing team mate while claiming the best possible results for himself. Expect the same from AP Honda Racing Thailand’s Tatchakorn Buasri who proved his race-winning capabilities in the previous round in Buriram. The newly introduced equalizer rule has certainly done its job. Only 12 points separate the top four riders in the series, three of whom are racing with 500 rpm less to their maximum limit.   An AHRT Resurgence In The Making? The Astra Honda Racing Team, a force to be reckoned with over the past two seasons, have been remarkably low-key in 2019. Awhin Sanjaya, Irfan Ardiansyah and Lucky Hendriansya are fifth, sixth and seventh respectively on the championship ladder. While the AP Honda Racing Thailand Team and the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing Team struggle for dominance in the AP250 class, Indonesian-based Astra Honda Racing Team may be biding their time before making a definitive move. With only four rounds remaining to the end of the season, that move must come soon and the Suzuka Circuit where the team had experienced so much success, may be the perfect arena to launch their attack.   Wildcards Make 33 The AP250 class will see as many as seven wildcards in the Japanese leg, bringing the grid up to a total of 33 riders. The wildcards are:   RIDER TEAM #20 Yuta Kasai TEAM TEC 2 # Shunya Mori TEAM TEC 2 #31 Kazuki Tomita ATJ Racing with NMC #38 Keiji Goto YSS *ANDO Racing Mercury #73 Ryunosuke Nakamura ENDLESS TEAM SHANTI # Nobuteru Sasaki Team KYOEI GO&FUN # Otojirou Tanimoto DOGFITHR RPM YAMAHA

Rookie Tatchakorn Buasri capped off a successful weekend at the Chang International Circuit by picking up his first AP250 win in Race 2. As the lights went off for the 10-lap AP250 race, there was a great weight of responsibility on Tatchakorn’s shoulders. His senior team mate and pole sitter, Muklada Sarapuech, having achieved a 25-point lead ahead of the fifth ranked rider in Race 1, had 500 rpm less at her disposal. The young rider lived up to expectations when he proved himself capable of mixing it up with the main contenders of the AP250 class. When Muklada retired on Lap 3 following an unfortunate puncture, Tatchakorn held his own against Irfan Ardiansyah, Awhin Sanjaya, and aggressive Andy Muhammad Fadly and team mate Piyawat Patoomyos. Despite the best efforts from Astra Honda Racing Team trio Irfan, Awhin and Lucky, Tatchakorn was able to pip his rivals to the finish line by 0.310s. The young Thai rider brought home team AP Honda Racing Thailand’s second win of the weekend with 19’04.262s. Awhin Sanjaya finished second, his best performance this season, with 19’04.572s. Behind the two leaders, Yamaha Racing Indonesia’s Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah sprung an unexpected surprise at the last corner. Unknown to the leaders who were focused on getting past Turn 12 to the finish line, Faerozi had slipstreamed his way into the leading group and dodged past their defences to claim the first AP250 podium for Yamaha in 2019. Faerozi got himself onto the third step of the podium with 19’04.829s. Interestingly, Andy Muhammad Fadly, Muklada Sarapuech and Aiki Iyoshi, all three riders with the 500 rpm equalizer, are back at the top of the AP250 standings. Fadly tops the standings with 87 points after taking fifth place in Race 1 and Race 2. Despite sitting out for most of Race 2, Muklada Sarapuech is only a point behind with 86 points. Aiki Iyoshi ranked third with 78 points while Tatchakorn’s victory had boosted him up to fourth overall with 74 points.

Muklada Sarapuech bagged one for the Thai contingent with an uncontested AP250 Race 1 win as Round 3 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship got underway at the Chang International Circuit. Starting the race from pole position, the AP Honda Racing Thailand rider got herself into the front by the first lap, and easily maintained a consistent one-second lead ahead of her rivals to take the win with 19’01.091s. Behind Muklada, her team mate Tatchakorn Buasri made it an AP Honda Racing Thailand 1-2 when he crossed the finish line in second with 19’02.295s While Muklada and Tatchakorn’s race went perfectly to script, what went on behind them was madness. Andy Muhammad Fadly, racing with a 500rpm equalizer, found himself in the thick of battle against Irfan Ardiansyah, Piyawat Patoomyos and Faerozi Toreqottullah for P3. The close fighting among the four riders led to close contact at the last corner of the final lap when Irfan seemed to touch Andy’s bike and somehow, caused Andy’s front wheel to lift. Andy was able to stay on the bike but lost the final sprint to the chequered flag. Irfan Ardiansyah from the Astra Honda Racing Team claimed third place with 19’04.491s. Further down the grid, Cao Viet Nam’s perseverance over the past few seasons seemed to have paid off. The Vietnamese rider recorded his best results in the AP250 to date when he finished ninth ahead of Rafid Topan Sucipto, Suttipat Patchaeetron and Rey Ratukore. Muklada’s win has brought her to the top of the standings with 86 points. She is 34 points in front of fifth ranked rider Irfan Ardiansyah, and will be riding with a -500rpm equalizer in Race 2. Andy Muhammad Fadly finished fifth to climb up to second overall with 76 points. Aiki Iyoshi crashed out of the Race 1 melee and dropped to third with 68 points.

AP Honda Racing Thailand duo Muklada Sarapuech and Piyawat Patoomyos dominated the AP250 proceedings during the free practice sessions as Round 3 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship got underway at the Chang International Circuit. Muklada stopped the clock at 1’53.138s to top the timesheets followed by Piyawat second with 1’53.666s. Muklada’s time, however, is still about a second off the 2018 lap record set by Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi (1’52.339s). Despite riding with a 500 rpm cut, Andy Muhammad Fadly proved to be still competitive, coming in third on the combined timesheets with 1’53.724s. AP Honda Racing Thailand’s third rider Tatchakorn Buasri clocked the fourth quickest time followed by the fastest Yamaha on the grid, Faerozi Toreqottullah who posted fifth fastest with 1’53.850s. Championship leader Aiki Iyoshi, also riding with a 500 rpm cut, paced home at sixth fastest followed by the Astra Honda Racing Team trio Irfan Ardiansyah, Lucky Hendriansya and Awhin Sanjaya.

A new regulation was introduced in the Asia Production 250cc class in 2019. The Balancing Various Motorcycle Concepts rule was created to equality among the competing motorcycles and balance the performances by adjusting the RPM limit. The equaliser rule will apply to the top five riders in the overall championship standings. The first equaliser, a 500rpm reduction to the rev limit, will be applied once any of the top four riders acquire a 25-point lead over the other competitors in the top five. The adjusted RPM limit will stay throughout the season or further adjusted if they are affected by the second or third equaliser. The second equaliser will come into play once a 50-points lead is acquired by the 1st to 4th rider over the other competitors in the top-5. Should a 75-point lead be achieved, a third equaliser will be applied. After two rounds, team Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing’s Andy Muhammad Fadly and Aiki Iyoshi will be the first to achieve First Equaliser status. Fadly’s reduction was executed after Race 1 in Australia while Aiki’s will take effect from Round 3 onwards. The rev limit for each of the manufacturers/bike models are as follows:   Make/Model                           Max RPM Yamaha RS25                           14900 Kawasaki ZXR250                   14750 Honda CBR250RR                    14600

ARRC newcomer Aiki Iyoshi has gotten himself into the lead of the Asia Production 250cc with a convincing Race 2 win at The Bend Motorsport Park. All eyes were on the AP250 class, especially Andy Muhammad Fadly, who will be racing with a 500rpm cut after Race 1. However, the Indonesian rider highsided at the apex of Turn 1 on the opening lap and was unable to complete the second race. Unfazed by the absence of his team mate, Aiki successfully challenged early race leader Muklada Sarapuech and got himself into the lead on Lap 5. Aiki maintained his position to the end of the race with 19’19.635s. Muklada, who was having a tough time controlling a machine with heavy chattering problem in Race 2, gamely tried to narrow the gap against Aiki but was forced to settle for second place with 19’20.826s, 1.191s behind her Kawasaki rival. Muklada’s team mate, Tatchakorn Buasri, presented a double podium to the AP Honda Racing Thailand team in third with 19’21.930s. Aiki is the new AP250 leader with 68 points while Andy Muhammad Fadly dropped to second overall. Muklada is third with 61 points followed by Lucky Hendriansya fourth with 44 points and Awhin Sanjaya fifth with 38 points. The 30-point gap between Aiki and Awhin means that Aiki will be the next rider to carry the 500-rpm cut in the AP250 class. This will certainly change the game in the following round in Muklada’s home track, the Chang International Circuit.

A year after taking his first AP250 podium at The Bend Motorsport Park in Australia, Indonesian rider Andy Muhammad Fadly once again made sweet memories when he notched his first AP250 win at the 4.95km circuit. Race 1 of the Asia Production 250cc was a 1-2 tango from the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing duo Fadly and Aiki Iyoshi. The two riders led the 9-lap race from start to finish until Fadly put the hammer down on the final lap to score his first win with 19’15.688s, 0.147s ahead of Aiki. Muklada Sarapuech was a big part of the battle for P1 but a mistake by the AP Honda Racing Thailand rider dropped her down to third with 19’15.920s. Tatchakorn Buasri and Rey Ratukore claimed the final two spots within the top-five. Piyawat Patoomyos, Irfan Ardiansyah, Muzakkir Mohamed and Nazirul Izzat completed the race in sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth respectively. In tenth position, Indian rider Sethu Rajiv did well by completing the race with 19’40.936s. Fadly has extended his lead at the top of the 250 championship ladder. He now leads with a total points haul of 65 points. Aiki Iyoshi has jumped up to second with 43 points and Muklada Sarapuech third with 41 points. Fadly, who now leads fifth placed Awhin Sanjaya by 36 points, will be riding with a 500rpm handicap in Race 2.

The top two positions on the Asia Production 250cc grid had been locked down by Kawasaki team mates Andy Muhammad Fadly and Aiki Iyoshi ahead of Round 2 at The Bend Motorsport Park. Fadly, who had been strong on the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing bike all weekend, stopped the clock at 2’08.626s to earn the right to park his bike on the coveted pole position. Fadly’s Japanese team mate, Aiki Iyoshi, kept the team momentum up when he clocked second fastest with 2’08.929s. The two Kawasaki riders were the only ones posting with 2’08s during the AP250 qualifier. They will be joined on front row by Muklada Sarapuech from the A.P Honda Racing Thailand outfit. Muklada, winner from Race 2 in Round 1, was third quickest with 2’09.238s. The Astra Honda Racing Team’s Awhin Sanjaya will lead the second row which comprises of Rey Ratukore from ONEXOX TKKR SAG Racing Team and AP Honda Racing Thailand’s Rey Ratukore in sixth.

Championship leader Andy Muhammad Fadly has set the early pace for the Asia Production 250cc class as Round 2 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship commenced at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia.   The Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing rider topped the timesheets in both free practice sessions. Fadly’s time of 2’07.557s has placed the Indonesian as the fastest man on the AP250 grid. However, Fadly’s time is still 0.2 seconds shy of breaking the 2018 lap record set by Mario Suryo Aji.   “Breaking Mario’s 2018 record was my target for today. So while I’m happy to be at the top of the timesheets, I’m just slightly disappointed that I have not been able to create a new laprecord here. That will be the target for tomorrow during the third practice and the qualifying,” said Fadly.   Fadly’s position on the grid looks strong, with second fastest Muklada Sarapuech a second adrift with 2’08.522s. Muklada’s AP Honda Racing Thailand team mates Tatchakorn Buasri and Piyawat Patoomyos clocked third and fourth fastest with 2’09.860s and 2’09.957s respectively.   From the first day of free practice, the tussle for domination in the AP250 class looks to be that of a straight-up battle between Manual Tech and AP Honda. Fadly’s Manual Tech team mate, Aiki Iyoshi rounded up the top five with 2’10.069s.   Yamaha Racing Indonesia’s Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah paced in at sixth fastest with 2’10.554s. Irfan Ardiansyah from the Astra Honda Racing Team was seventh with 2’10.703s.   The fastest Malaysian from the first day was Mohd Muzakkir Mohamed. Racing in the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Racing Team livery, Muzakkir was eighth fastest in the combined timesheets with 2’11.130s.   AHRT duo Lucky Hendriansya and Awhin Sanjaya who had a strong start at the season opener in Sepang, wrapped up Day 1 in the top 10 with 2’11.201s and 2’11.211s each.