Asia Production 250

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.

The frustrations of sitting out Race 2 at Buriram behind him, Indonesian rider Gerry Salim came back in a big way with an uncontested win at Race 1 of Round 3 in Suzuka. The Astra Honda Racing rider was the star of a dramatic qualifying when he clinched the pole position at the very last minutes of the session. Starting from pole position, Gerry easily captured the holeshot and went on to lead the 8-lap race. The first five laps were particularly intense as Gerry fought off persistent attacks from Takehiro Yamamoto and Tomoyoshi Koyama. The young Indonesian tried to pull away on Lap 5 but was soon reeled back in again. The battle continued neck-to-neck up to the chequered flag. Gerry bagged his fourth win of the season with 20’01.909s and was escorted up the podium by Yamamoto in second place with 20’01.978s and Tomoyoshi Koyama third with 20’02.415s. Gerry’s team mate, Rheza Danica Ahrens again lived up to his top billings by finishing fourth. Racing astride the new model CBR250RR, AP Honda Racing Thailand’s Muklada Sarapuech completed the Suzuka race in fifth place. Andy Muhammad Fadly astride the sole factory Kawasaki on the 250cc grid finished sixth ahead of Vorapong Malahuan, Soichiro Minamimoto, Rey Ratukore and Ashin Sanjaya who completed the top ten. Gerry now holds 100 points at the top of the standings. Yamamoto was second with 94 points and Rheza Danica Ahrens third overall with 73 points.

Homeboy Takehiro Yamamoto found his rhythm at the top of the timesheets when he posted the day’s fastest lap time of 2’29.488s. Indonesian rider and current championship leader Gerry Salim was second fastest with 2’29.651s while Tomoyoshi Koyama ended the day in third with 2’30.218s. However, the previous season’s lap record, also logged by Yamamoto, remains unbroken as yet. Thailand’s Anupab Sarmoon continued to exert his presence among the top five when he stopped the clock at 2’30.616s, making him the fourth fastest rider of the day. Gerry’s team mate Rheza Danica Ahrens was fifth fastest with 2’31.220s. Unlike the power wildcards in the SuperSports 600cc category, the wildcards in the 250cc class had yet to make an impact among the front runners for the podium. Meanwhile, all eyes would be on the AP Honda Racing duo Vorapong Malahuan and Muklada Sarapuech who had just made the transition to the new Honda CBR250RR.

The Honda CBR250RR: Guaranteed competitiveness The members of the Astra Honda Racing Team in the Asia Production 250cc class talk through the bike with which they already have 3 wins and 5 podiums in 4 races. Astra Honda Racing Team | 05/30/2017 The Astra Honda Racing Team have had a brilliant start to the season in the Asia Road Racing Championship, with their performances in their first campaign in the Asia Production 250cc class of particular note. In the first 4 races of the year they have achieved 3 victories and 5 podiums, with Gerry Salim leading the standings with 75 points and becoming the first Indonesian to win in the class. Newcomers Rheza Danica and Awhin Sanjaya, in 4th and 5th position overall, are also looking strong so far this year. These numbers reflect the great competitiveness of the Honda CBR250RR, helping the trio to three of the top five places in the AP250. In this infographic feature, some of the technical details about the machine are explained.    Anggono Iriawan SENIOR MANAGER SAFETY RIDING & MOTOR SPORTS PT. ASTRA HONDA MOTOR (AHM) “For us, this season was the right time to make the step up to the to Asia Production 250cc series, with the Honda CBR250RR -which is a fantastic bike. In addition, we also wanted to open a new development path for our young riders to reach World Championships. The philosophy of ‘Total Control’ is reflected in this bike; The design, the technology, its performance and its precision are united in a harmonic balance. One of its good points is that it has been competitive right from the start, since its base was very good. That makes it easy for the team to optimise any aspect of the bike that we need to be able to win races and, in addition, enables us to adapt faster to new circuits and offer the riders a good setup.”   Gerry Salim – AHRT ASIA PRODUCTION 250CC RIDER “When I found out that this year I would be riding a Honda CBR250RR, I was very excited. This bike, made in Indonesia, is a source of national pride, and one of my goals is for people to see me in the same way. From the first moment I tried it out, I could see that it was incredible, especially the engine; I can feel it responding very well and it has power when I open the throttle. From the outset I believed I could make history for Indonesia with this bike. The base level of this Honda is already very high, and allows us to be very competitive. The riders can focus on riding without worrying about the bike, which is something that has already helped us to finish on the podium in Johor and Buriram. It also played a big part in us getting the first victory for an Indonesian rider in the AP250.”     Rheza Danica – AHRT ASIA PRODUCTION 250CC RIDER “The Honda CBR250RR maintains the philosophy of ‘Total Control’ and, of all the bikes I have tried, it is the one that offers the most in this class. In addition, it is a great advantage for the riders, since it is very easy to master and I feel safe when overtaking. Its performance is perfect, I have adapted very fast to the bike and I am able to make the most of its advantages all the time. I’m really enjoying this experience with the new Honda.”     Awhin Sanjaya – AHRT ASIA PRODUCTION 250CC RIDER “When I look at the Honda CBR250RR, I can see that it really has a racing spirit. When I first tried it, I felt like I was riding a real racing bike. I also fell in love with the design; it’s great! It has everything a great bike needs. With the latest technology, such as the front suspension, swingarm and throttle by wire, we just have to make small adjustments in the setup to make it more competitive on track.”   All photo by AHRT