Asia Production 250

Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing rider Andy Muhammad Fadly scored a personal victory at the final Asia Production 250cc race of the 2018 season when he picked up his first win in the intermediary class.   Starting the race from fourth on the grid, Fadly got himself mixed into the front group, fending off attacks from all fronts.  The young Indonesian rider found it difficult to overcome the 1-2-3 formation thrown up by the Astra Honda Racing Team trio. By Lap 8, the front five had pulled away by 1.2 seconds.   On Lap 9, pole sitter Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi snuck into the front group with Peerapong Boonlert in tow. The entire 10-lap race boiled down to the last corner of the final lap when Anupab dove into Turn 12 but went in too deep and ran wide. Awhin Sanjaya got the perfect line while Fadly managed to stay out of trouble to follow Awhin to the finish line.   Astra Honda Racing Team’s Awhin Sanjaya was first across the line, but later was penalized with five race positions for having exceeded the track limit. This gave the victory to Fadly who stopped the clock at 19’01.944s. Confirmed AP250 Champion Rheza Danica Ahrens was second with 19’02.483s and Anupab Sarmoon third with 19’02.049s.   Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi, Peerapong Boonlert, and Mario Suryo Aji were similarly penalized.   2018 Asia Production 250cc Champion Rheza Danica Ahrens (Astra Honda Racing Team) brought his points-haul up to 226 points. Anupab Sarmoon managed to stay in second with 158 points and Rafid Topan Sucipto third with 151 points.   The Astra Honda Racing Team also confirmed themselves as the Asia Production 250cc Team Award recipient for the second consecutive year.

Former Indonesian GP rider Rafid Topan Sucipto defeated an expected Thai domination in the Asia Production 250cc Race 1 with a superb performance that took many of his competitors by surprise.   While Thai riders Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi and Anupab Sarmoon hogged the proceedings in the Qualifying session, Rafid was constantly clocking within the top 10 but rarely got to the top of the timesheets.   AP Honda Racing Thailand rookie Kritchaporn snatched his first pole position of the season but his lack of experience showed as soon as the 10-lap race got underway. The youngster led into Turn 1 but was soon eclipsed as the more experienced riders got into race rhythm.   Almost like an Underbone race, by midway through the race, there were still 12 riders fighting for the lead. The Thai riders were trying hard to extend a lead, with Anupab Sarmoon and Muklada Sarapuech especially, popping in and out of the lead.   Andy Muhammad Fadly suffered from an engine blow-out on Lap 8 and was forced to retire. By Lap 9, Kritchaporn had gotten himself back into podium position, but lost ground in the final lap.   As Kritchaporn dropped out of sight, Rafid Topan Sucipto bulldozed his way through the pack, going from P5 in Lap 8 to P3 on Lap 9 to arrive at P1 on Lap 10. This would be Rafid’s second AP250 win of the season. He stopped the clock at 19’03.592s   Awhin Sanjaya also managed to streamline his way to second in the race. He stormed to the finish line with 19’03.815s, 0.223s behind his countryman, Rafid Topan.   Muklada Sarapuech survived a last-corner contact against Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi, Mario Suryo Aji and Awhin Sanjaya to finish third across the line with 19’04.217s. Her results was later stricken off (Not Classified) due to the same incident at Turn 12. Muklada will also face a 1-race suspension and will not be allowed to participate in Race 2.   Even though the Asia Production 250cc title is now out of reach, Rafid’s win has placed him in good position to at least finish the season in second overall. The Yamaha Yamalube KYT TJM WR Super Battery team rider is now ranked third with 138 points, only four points behind Anupab Sarmoon.

AP Honda Racing Thailand rider Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi picked up where he left off from the free practice sessions to clinch his first Asia Production 250cc pole position.   Banking on homeground advantage and a wealth of data from the Chang International Circuit, Kritchaporn dominated the first day of free practice and proceeded to do the same with a new lap record 1’52.339s to take pole position in the Qualifying.   Anupab Sarmoon, fighting to stay in second overall position in the Asia Production 250cc, managed a last-gasp flying lap to join his compatriot on the front row with the second fastest time of 1’52.735s. Only three riders lapped below the 1’53s mark. Andy Muhammad Fadly from the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing team was the fastest Indonesian on the grid. He qualified third fastest with 1’52.787s.

The Thai riders on the Asia Production 250cc grid made full use of their homeground advantage to come up tops in the first day of free practices at the final round of the 2018 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.   Racing at the 4.5km Chang International Circuit, AP Honda Racing Thailand’s Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi topped the timesheets for the first time as the quickest man of the day with 1’52.997s. The Honda rider broke the previous 1’53.064s lap record set by Anupab Sarmoon in Round 1.   Even though the Asia Production 250cc title is now safely in the hands of Rheza Danica Ahrens, the level of competition in the class had not abated. The top-10 riders of the day all managed to lap within a second of each other. Anupab Sarmoon from the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team was second quickest with 1’53.089s followed by Kawasaki’s Andy Muhammad Fadly in third with 1’53.339s.   Mario Suryo Aji, eager to redeem himself after a double crash weekend in the previous round in Indonesia, posted fourth fastest with 1’53.598s. Mario will need to repeat his double podium performance here at the Chang International Circuit to stand a chance of finishing the season in second overall.   Peerapong Boonlert clocked in fifth fastest with 1’53.643s while Round 1 winner Muklada Sarapuech was sixth.   Uncharacteristically, Rheza Danica Ahrens only logged the tenth fastest time of the day with 1’53.859s.

Now that Rheza Danica Ahrens and the Astra Honda Racing Team have got the Asia Production 250cc rider and team trophies in the bag, what’s left for the sophomore class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship as it heads to its final round in Buriram this coming December 1 and 2?   As it turns out, plenty! Only four points separate Anupab Sarmoon and Mario Suryo Aji in the fight for second overall position. Awhin Sanjaya, Rafid Topan Sucipto, and Andy Muhammad Fadly are also in the running to finish as the first runner up. Currently standing seventh overall in the rankings, Muklada Sarapuech, also has a shot at leapfrogging up the ladder.   Of the two main contenders Anupab and Mario, the Indonesian rookie has had the more consistent podium record (six podiums so far) while Anupab will be banking on the home ground advantage.

The Korea Motorcycle Federation (KMF) is forging ahead with preparations for the introduction of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam. Chief among them are the efforts to prepare South Korean riders to take their place among the best riders in Asia. As such, the KMF has entered a South Korean rider to wildcard in the Asia Production 250cc class at the season finale in Thailand this coming December 1 and 2, 2018. 33-year-old Kim Woo Jung is the reigning national champion in South Korea. The KMF has negotiated for a wildcard rider for Kim with the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing. This means that Kim will temporarily become team mates with Andi Muhammad Fadly.

The Astra Hondas were again untouchable in Race 2 at Sentul, as Rheza Danica Ahrens and Awhin Sanjaya steamed away from the rest of the field, initially with team-mate Mario Suryo Aji, who then fell out of the reckoning for the third race in succession. Awhin made another perfect start to lead off the line, followed by Andy Fadly, Mario, Anuparb Sarmoon and Rheza, who messed up his launch once again. By lap two it was an Astra Honda 1-2-3, with Fadly and Rafid Topan Sucipto making determined efforts to spoil the party. Anuparb fell back into the clutches of a chasing group of seven bikes led by Muklada Sarapuech. Just as it looked like an Astra Honda podium lockout, Mario crashed heavily at Turn 9 on lap eight of 12, leaving Fadly and Rafid to dispute third. On the last lap, assumptions of team orders that would see Awhin make way for Rheza to win were dismissed, as the team-mates swapped positions and snapped at each other. Awhin got the better of his team-mate on this occasion to take his first AP250 win. Rheza looked displeased on the slowing down lap, though a smile made it to his face as the fact he had won the title began to sink in. Fadly got the better of Rafid to join the podium, while Muklada again shrugged off her left wrist injury to win a hard fight for fifth from wildcard, Sigit Purno Harjono, Anuparb, Anggi Setiawan, Rey Ratukore, Yossie Legisadewo, M. Faerozi and Nico Julian, and Peerapong Boonlert who were all split by just 1.5 seconds on the line. With Rheza already declared champion with 193 points and Mario’s misfortunes, Anuparb moves into second place on 126 points, four ahead of Mario, while Awhin has 117, and Rafid 113.

A convincing display by Astra Honda’s Rheza Danica Ahrens and Awhin Sanjaya left the rest of the AP250 field fighting over the remaining places in Race 1. Rheza’s 15-year-old team-mate and only realistic title rival, Mario Suryo Aji, fell on lap 2, thereby handing over another 25 points advantage. Mario had earlier led a front row lockout after a perfect qualifying session for the Honda home team. With the rest of the field unable to match the pace of the flying Honda’s at the front, a group of five riders behind them fought a pitched battle for third. Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki’s Andy Fadly initially looked strongest, before Muklada Sarapuech, riding with the left clip-on of her Honda adapted to accommodate her injured wrist, pushed her way through, hassled all the way by Rafid Topan Sucipto. M. Faerozi  threatened them just behind, while Anuparb Sarmoon fought to stay in contact. Rafid forced his way past Muklada on the final lap and held his advantage to grab the final place on the podium, while she, in turn, got to the finish line 14 hundredths ahead of Fadly. Faerozi and Anuparb finished sixth and seventh ahead of the best wildcard of the day, Sigit Purno Harjorno, who was 1.5 seconds clear of Anggi Setiawan, Richard Taroreh, Peerapong Boonlert and United M-Mate’s wildcard, Yossie Legisadewo.

Indonesian riders led all free practice sessions in Asia Production 250cc by margins that left the rest wondering how to respond. Astra Honda’s Mario Suryo Aji set the fastest time of the day just 8 laps into the first session, recording 1:42.310, which is half a second better than Gerry Salim managed on his way to pole position in 2017 and 0.8s better than championship leader, Rheza Danica Ahrens, managed in the early run-out. Home advantage aside, there was more evidence of the depth of the new generation of fast Indonesians, as Yamaha riders, M. Faerozi and Rafid Topan Sucipto also dipped under 1:43 to top the second and third sessions, while Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki’s Andy Fadly managed a best time of 1:43.074. The best of the visitors was Yamaha Thailand’s Anuparb Sarmoon, who lies third in the championship. He clocked his best time of 1:43.549 on his fourth flying lap of the day, but spent the rest of the day in the 1:44s. AP Honda’s Muklada Sarapuech, who makes a return after the nasty hand injury she sustained at Suzuka, was a few hundredths adrift of her compatriot and two tenths clear of team-mate, Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi, who improved through the day to record 1:44.702 in the final session.