Asia Production 250

Race 2 of the Asia Production 250cc class was a showcase performance between the two main actors of the 2016 season – incoming champion Apiwat Wongthananon and 2015 winner Takehiro Yamamoto. The two top riders quickly established themselves as the pace setters for the 10-lap Asia Production 250cc race. The two rivals worked together effectively and pulled away from the chasing group. Behind them, Malaysian rookie Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin, who started the race from the back of the grid due to a race-start infringement penalty, stole the limelight when he made up 26 spots within a lap to reach P3 at the end of Lap 1. As the race progressed, the Apiwat-Yamamoto collaboration had created a 3.7s gap at the front by Lap 4. Kasma was left fighting for third position against two other Yamaha Thailand Racing riders, Anupab Sarmoon and Peerapong Loiboonpeng. The jousting sticks came out for real at the final lap. Apiwat burst out of Yamamoto’s slipstream and dug deep for an extra burst of speed to the finish line. The Thai rider came near to scoring a perfect season as he took his ninth victory of 2016 with a time of 19’25.546s. Takehiro Yamamoto confirmed his position in second overall when he took second place with 19’26.248s. Behind the leading duo, Indonesian rider Imanuel Putra Pratna had a surprise in store when he out-sprinted Anupab and Kasma to finish third with a time of 19’26.062s. The outcome from the final race of the season saw Apiwat toting up 246 points this season. Yamamoto notched up 171 points while Anupab Sarmoon finished third overall with 166 points. Similarly, team Yamaha Thailand Racing took home the team award trophy with 279 points. Trickstar Racing was second overall with 177 points and AP Honda Thailand ended the season in third overall with 137 points.

In the Asia Production 250cc category, Yamaha Thailand Racing’s Anupab Sarmoon continued in the on-going trend of first-time winners during Race 1 for the final leg of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Often overshadowed by his more flamboyant team mate Apiwat Wongthananon, Anupab Sarmoon finally came into his own when he deftly sidestepped a big collision among the front runners to emerge winner of Race 1 with 19’38.679s. Anupab paced consistently within the front group in the Asia Production 250cc Race 1, even as Takehiro Yamamoto, Apiwat Wongthananon, and Malaysia’s Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin stole the limelight with their lead-swapping from one corner to another. The aggressive riding in the front group eventually saw a big crash two corners to the chequered flag involving Kasma, Yamamoto and Apiwat. Anupab brought the rest of the group to the finish line, trailed by team mate Peerapong Loiboonpeng and Yusuke Nakamura who finished second and third with race times of 19’38.897s and 19’39.440s respectively. “I think that I was really lucky to avoid the crash. I was at the right place, at the right time, to take full advantage of the situation,” said Anupab. The Thai rider’s first win of the season has propelled him to second overall in the riders’ standings with 153 points. 2015 champion Yamamoto dropped to third overall with 151 points.

There were no surprises in store for the Asia Production 250cc riders. Apiwat Wongthananon, clearly in a league of his own, qualified uncontested at the top of the timing sheets. The Yamaha Thailand Racing star rider went progressively faster throughout the qualifying session, ending the 30-minute session with 01’55.203s as the pole sitter for the final races of the 2016 season. A last-minute dash to the chequered flag saw Takehiro Yamamoto pip Indonesia’s Galang Hendra Pratama to the finish line. Yamamoto will start the race from second on the grid with 01’55.427s, relegating Galang to third spot with 01’55.809s. “The grid was too crowded, that is why I couldn’t beat the time I set during the free practice. I had barely enough room to enter the corners. Everyone was crowding me,” said Apiwat. The Thai rider further explained that he is still working so hard because he wants to dedicate the double victory to Thailand’s new King On second row, Vorapong Malahuan will be facing competition from two strong Japanese riders. Ayumu Tanaka who was fifth fastest of the day would be eager to help his team mate retain his second overall position. Akeno Speed’s Soichiro Minamimoto, clocked sixth fastest with 01’56.008s.

2016 Asia Production 250cc Champion notwithstanding, Yamaha Thailand Racing’s Apiwat Wongthananon has entered the final leg of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship with guns blazing. Not one for resting on his laurels, Apiwat looks set to extend his winning margin when he posted the fastest lap time during the first day of free practice. At 01’53.920s, Apiwat’s best lap has placed him a hefty 1.674 seconds faster than the rest of the grid. Indonesia’s Galang Hendra Pratama, who finished the day as the second fastest rider of the intermediate class, posted only 01’55.594s. 2015 champion Takehiro Yamamoto crossed the finish line as the third fastest rider with 01’55.968s. However, the 22-year-old Apiwat has admitted that he is still in search of more speed. “We decided to use a new engine for the second practice. Getting the set up right was a bit of a challenge but it looks like we may have found the right combination for the track condition at this time of the year. I am very satisfied with our progress today and I’m looking forward to squeezing out an even faster time during the qualifying session,” said Apiwat. Behind the top three riders, AP Honda’s Sitthisak Onchawiang posted fourth fastest with 01’55.976s while Yamamoto’s team mate, Ayumu Tanaka, rounded up the top five with 01’56.059s.

The Buddh debut of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship attracted a positive response from Indian motorsports fans who were delighted when Apiwat Wongthananon was crowned Asia Production 250cc champion before their eyes. In Race 2 of Round 5 at the Buddh International Circuit, the Asia Production 250cc riders thrilled the crowd with a 9-lap battle that saw as many as 11 riders fighting for the win. The lead at the sharp end of the grid changed hands with every successive lap. Apart from Indonesia’s Galang Hendra Pratama, none of the riders were able to defend the sharp end of the pack for more than one lap. Galang held the reins on Lap 7 and Lap 8 but was quickly engulfed by the horde during the final mad sprint to the finish. Apiwat Wongthananon, needing only six points to secure the championship, broke clear of the group at the at the exit of the final corner. An overjoyed Apiwat added his eighth victory of the season to his name, effectively ending the Asia Production 250cc title hunt when he brought his points haul to a grand total of 221 points. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a very long time. Today is so important for me and my team because we achieved what we set out to do at the start of the season. This is a great achievement for us,” said Apiwat. Defending champion Takehiro Yamamoto was disappointed when mechanical gremlins forced him back into the pit on Lap 5. The 2015 Asia Production 250cc champion is now second overall with 151 points. Unfortunately for Yamamoto, his battles are not over yet. At the coming round in Buriram, Yamamoto will have to defend his second overall position especially from Thai riders Anupab Sarmoon and Peerapong Loiboonpeng who will naturally have a huge advantage on home ground.

Yamaha Thailand Racing’s Apiwat Wongthananon is only six points shy of taking the Asia Production 250cc title. At the Buddh International Circuit for Round 5 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Apiwat was very much in a league of his own. Race 1 started with Apiwat diving into Turn 1 but was unable to make a quick getaway as the rest of the group quickly caught up. Four laps into the 9-lap race, there were still 10 riders fighting for elbow space in the front group. While the lead changed hands numerous times, Apiwat stayed hunkered down in the middle of the pack. The action was hot and furious for the remainder of the race as first Takehiro Yamamoto, Anupab Sarmoon, and Ayumu Tanaka all made a bid for the win. But it was Apiwat who took a last minute win when he broke out of Tanaka’s slipstream at the last corner and dashed to his seventh victory out of nine races with a time of 20’35.958s. Apiwat’s team mate Anupab Sarmoon finished second with 20’36.163s and Takehiro Yamamoto third with 20’37.473s. Apiwat now holds 196 points while defending champion Yamamoto is second with 151 points. A top ten finish in Race 2 will see the title falling into Apiwat’s hands.

Fresh from a week-long training stint at the Yamaha-VR46 MasterCamp in Italy, Thai rider Apiwat Wongthananon continues his winning ways. The Thai Yamaha rider posted the fastest time of the day with 2’15.251s in the third free practice session of the Asia Production 250cc class, making a quick comeback after trailing Somkiat Chantra and Ayumu Tanaka in the first two sessions. Apiwat, who is leading the AP250 class by 36 points, stands a mathematical chance of securing the title with a round to spare. However, the 22-year-old Thai rider is still wary of the competition. “The track is in great condition but the long straight here means plenty of opportunities to slipstream. I expect the race to be tricky with a big group fighting for position,” said Apiwat. Behind Apiwat, AP Honda’s Somkiat Chantra posted second fastest with 2’15.555s. Apiwat’s team mate provisionally joins him on the front row with the third fastest time of the day, 2’16.485s. Defending champion Takehiro Yamamoto astride the Trickstar Kawasaki was only fourth fastest with 2’16.653s while Imanuel Putra Pratna was the best performing Indonesian with 2’16.673s.