Asia Production 250

Waiting for the confirmation of the 2017 Asia Production 250cc Champion is like waiting for the other shoe to drop. There is a sense of inevitability as everyone waits for Astra Honda Racing Team’s Gerry Salim to end the suspense. The 20-year-old had virtually monopolised the Asian intermediate class this season. He had won seven out of ten races. Only an engine failure in Round 2 followed by a bizarre race weekend in Round 5 marred an otherwise perfect season. Gerry has 38 points over Anupab Sarmoon in second place. To put an end to the waiting business, all Gerry need to do in the final round is to finish within the top-10 in both Race 1 and Race 2. Alternatively, a top-4 finish in Race 1 would render Race 2 a mere formality. If (or when) he succeeds, Gerry will become the first Indonesian rider to win an Asian title outside of the Underbone scope. Gerry first came under the radar in 2013 when he clinched 2nd overall in the Asia Dream Cup (Hiroki Ono was the ADC Champion that year). His training continued apace and in 2015, he raced in the GP3 class of the MFJ All Japan Road Race. Gerry made his SuperSports 600cc debut in 2016 where he ended the year 9th overall.

ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM IS AP250 TEAM CHAMPION Round 5 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai, India would be the one round that Indonesian rider Gerry Salim would be eager to forget. Gerry flew to Chennai with the expectations of taking home the Asia Production 250cc title. But nobody would ever expect that Gerry would crash not just once, but twice, during the Race 1 formation lap. After that bitter experience, a cautious Gerry forewent another podium finish in Race 2. But every cloud has a silver lining. The rider’s championship will be prolonged to the final round in Buriram, Thailand. However, the title chase among the Asia Production 250cc teams is officially over. The Astra Honda Racing Team, through the strong performances of its stable of riders, has picked up seven wins, eight podium finishes and 216 points. This places the Astra Honda Racing Team 68 points in front of their closest competitor, the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team. With only one round and 50 championship points left on the table, the Astra Honda Racing Team is now confirmed as the Team Award winner in the Asia Production 250cc class. Since the Asia Production 250cc class introduction in 2015, the Asian trophy has gone full circle. The first title was won by Takhiro Yamamoto astride a Kawasaki. Yamaha Thailand Racing Team took the 2016 crown through Apiwat Wongthananon. This season, the Team Award trophy will be heading to Indonesia with the Astra Honda Racing Team.w

Race 2 of the Asia Production 250cc was a race of many firsts. A first win for Galang Hendra Pratama, a first win for team Yamaha Racing Indonesia, and a first win of the season for the Yamaha marquee in the 250cc class. A heavy drizzle at the start of Race 2 had the mechanics frantically changing to wet tyres on the starting grid. The original 12-lap race was further shortened to 10-laps. Galang Hendra Pratama jumped into the holeshot but the 25-rider grid spent two tentative opening laps trying to get a better feel of the track conditions. The race soon settled into a consistent formation. Galang held the lead followed by Tomoyoshi Koyama and Anupab Sarmoon. On Lap 4, Anupab showed signs of being in trouble. He lost third position to Takehiro Yamamoto and then went further down the field when he was overtaken by Mukhlada Sarapuech. At the midway point of the race, Galang, Koyama and Yamamoto were entrenched in first, second and third consecutively. The battle for P4, on the other hand, became more competitive with each passing lap. Thailand’s Mukhlada was engrossed in a four-way fight against Anupab Sarmoon, Andy Muhammad Fadly and Gerry Salim. The 250cc championship leader had opted to ride safe in Race 2. Race 1 on Saturday had been disastrous for Gerry who crashed twice during the formation lap. Gerry had a chance to overtake Kawasaki rider Fadly on Lap 8 but uncharacteristically for the usually aggressive Gerry, he refrained from jumping at the opportunity. The Astra Honda Racing Team rider waited until the last lap before he made his move. Within a few corners, Gerry had successfully gone past Fadly and Mukhlada. Up in front, Galang Hendra Pratama cruised to the finish line in first place with 19’47.359s. Tomoyoshi Koyama finished the race in second with 19’48.264s and Takehiro Yamamoto was similarly unchallenged in third place with 19’56.097s. Anupab Sarmoon managed to squeeze his way back into fourth position while Gerry Salim took fifth place. The unexpected turn of events had barely made a dent to Gerry’s comfortable margin at the top end of the championship standings. It had merely prolonged the title chase. Gerry’s haul, 186 points, puts him 38 points in front of Anupab Sarmoon. All he needs to seal the deal in the final round is to race for another 13 points. Meanwhile, Anupab himself is under threat from Tomoyoshi Koyama. Koyama is third overall with 147 points.

Gerry Salim may not be the only standout Indonesian talent in the Asia Production 250cc class for much longer. As Round 5 of the 2017 season opened at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai, India, the top four fastest times of the class were clocked by members of the Indonesian contingent. Galang Hendra Pratama topped the timesheets with 1’50.112s. The Yamaha Racing Indonesia rider showed every indication that he has pulled out all the stops to put a crimp into Gerry Salim’s plans of ending the 250cc title chase with one round to spare. However, the championship leader from the Astra Honda Racing Team was certainly not resting on his laurels. Gerry clocked 1’50.237s, trailing his Yamaha rival by only 0.125s.  Behind the leading duo, their team mates Rey Ratukore and Rheza Danica Ahrens duplicated the same Yamaha-Honda one-two tango. Rey of team Yamaha Racing Indonesia posted 1’50.267s while Rheza posted fourth fastest with 1’50.382s. The results from the first day of practice showed every indication of a frantic qualifying session and an equally intense Race 1 ahead. The top eight riders on the grid lapped within the same second as the fastest rider. These included Thai trio Anupab Sarmoon, Muklada Sarapuech and Vorapong Malahuan, as well as 2015 AP250 Champion Takehiro Yamamoto. Tomoyoshi Koyama and Peerapong Boonlert rounded out the top ten with 1’51.057s and 1’51.129s respectively. Local rider, Sethu Rajiv was 17th fastest with 1’53.076s.

Astra Honda’s latest racing sensation, Gerry Salim, is expected to seal the Asia Production 250cc title at Round 5 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Chennai, India. A near-perfect season had netted 175 points for Gerry, giving him a 60-point advantage over the chasing pack. One more win at the Madras Motor Race Track would put the 2017 title beyond the reach of Anupab Sarmoon and Takehiro Yamamoto. Indonesia had long been a powerhouse in Underbone racing. Over the course of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Indonesia had taken 13 Underbone titles through luminaries like M. Fadli Immammuddin, Doni Tata Pradita, Gilang Pranata Sukma, Wahyu Widodo, Owie Nurhuda, Hadi Wijaya, Rafid Topan Sucipto, Gupita Kresna Wardhana and Wahyu Aji Trilaksana. Years of determined and consistent development had resulted in a new breed of Indonesian riders who had successfully reached beyond the borders of the underbone. If, or when, he succeeds, Gerry Salim will be the first Indonesian rider to win an Asian title in a full-frame category. His victory will also complete the triumvirate in Asian motorcycle racing. When it was first introduced in 2015, the first title went to Kawasaki rider Takehiro Yamamoto from Japan. 2016 was the playground of Yamaha Thailand’s Apiwat Wongthananon. This season, Gerry’s ability to bring the coveted trophy home for Honda Indonesia seems to be almost certain.

Team Astra Honda Racing rider Gerry Salim must be in seventh heaven after picking up a seventh win during Race 2 of the Asia Production 250cc category. Performing before his home crowd at the Sentul International Circuit which was host to the fourth leg of the Idemitsu Asia Road Racing Championship, Gerry delighted the Indonesian fans with a hard-won victory against his own team mate. Unlike Race 1 where the Indonesian ace enjoyed an uncontested ride at the front, Race 2 brought more challenges from team mate Andi Farid Izdihar, Tomoyoshi Koyama and Anupab Sarmoon. Gerry was made to fight a 12-lap wheel-to-wheel battle before emerging triumphant with a time of 20:48.769s. Andi and Koyama finished in second and third places. Anupab Sarmoon and Rheza Danica crossed the finish line in fourth and fifth places. If not for an unfortunate engine failure in Round 2 at Buriram, Gerry would have been on course for a perfect season. The 20-year-old holds a 60-point lead at the front of the title chase, with 175 points to Anupab Sarmoon’s 115 points in second place.

Astra Honda Racing Team trio Gerry Salim, Rheza Danica Ahrens and Andi Farid Izdihar thrilled Indonesian fans when they produced a clean sweep of the Race 1 podium in the Asia Production 250cc class. The three riders delivered on their podium promises at Round 4 of the Idemitsu Asia Road Racing Championship held at the Sentul Circuit from August 11 to 13, 2017. Of the three, Gerry Salim had the easiest time throughout the 12-lap race. Quickest during the qualifying practice, Gerry produced a lights-to-flag performance from pole position and took his sixth win of the season with 20:51.073s. Rheza and replacement rider Andi Farid, on the other hand, had to fight for their finishing position. Penalized for cruising during the qualifying, both riders lost five grid positions and were forced to start the race from the middle of the grid. However, the gutsy duo only needed three laps to get to the front of the second group. Working together, the two riders were able to fend off persistent attempts from Tomoyoshi Koyama and Anupab Sarmoon, eventually finishing second and third respectively with times of 20:53.715s and 20:53.997s. Koyama finished fourth while Galang Hendra Pratama rounded up the top five. Further down the field, Anupab Sarmoon, Imanuel Putra Pratna, Peerapong Boonlert, Rey Ratukore and Mukhlada Sarapuech crossed the finish line within the top 10.

The Indonesian home contingent took no prisoners in the Asia Production 250cc category at Round 4 of the Idemitsu Asia Road Racing Championship held at the Sentul International Circuit on August 11 to 13.  Championship leader Gerry Salim led the all-Indonesian front row with a fastest time of 1’42.767s. Gerry’s team mate, Rheza Danica Ahrens, was half a second slower with 1’43.476s. Yamaha Racing Indonesia’s Rey Ratukore clocked third fastest with 1’43.671s. Andi Farid Izdihar logged fourth fastest with a time of 1’43.936s. He was trailed by Tomoyoshi Koyama who posted 1’44.137s. The Asia Production 250cc class featured a 33-rider grid in Indonesia. Among the notable wildcards included former Moto2 rider and ARRC Underbone champion,  Rafid Topan Sucipto. Racing for team Yamaha Indonesia B, Rafid’s best time after the first day of practice was 1’45.116s, more than two seconds off the leading pace.

Gerry Salim’s decision to stay focused on his title chase in the Asia Production 250cc class paid off in a big way at Round 3 in the Suzuka Circuit. After a convincing win in Round 1, Gerry followed up with a double victory to cap off a successful weekend. Race 2 of the Asia Production 250cc class sped off with Gerry in the holeshot. This time, Takehiro Yamamoto made an early bid for the lead. This time, there was no waiting around for the final lap. Gerry and Yamamoto went at it tongs and hammers fighting for the lead at every single corner. On Lap 4, Rheza Danica Ahrens, team mate of Gerry Salim, snuck into the fray and turned the fight into a three-way battle. Behind the group, Yamaha Thailand’s Anupab Sarmoon rode the wheels off his R25 trying to keep pace with the speedier Hondas. The battle went right down to the wire with five riders neck-to-neck at the final chicane. Rheza out-braked himself and crashed heavily at the last corner, inadvertently taking out Yamamoto with him. Gerry gunned the throttle to his second double victory with a time of 19’58.335s, 0.709s ahead of the rest of the field. With Yamamoto and Rheza out of the picture, Anupab Sarmoon celebrated his fifth podium finish of the season in second place with 19’59.044s. Team RAMA Honda’s Tomoyoshi Koyama finished third with 19’59.074s. After Round 3, Gerry has successfully extended his lead at the top of the standings, holding 125 points against Takehiro Yamamoto who is second overall with 105 points. Anupab Sarmoon, who has been consistent throughout the first half of the 2017 season, is third overall with 92 points. Gerry’s win also translated to continued domination for team Astra Honda Racing. The Indonesian factory race outfit leads the team title chase with 145 points. Team Sidrap Honda Ikazuchi is second with 105 points and Yamaha Thailand Racing third with 92 points.