Asia Production 250

Official Statement FIM Asia Road Racing Championship On Sunday May 8, 2016 during Race 2 of the Asia Production 250cc, the Race Direction received an official protest from Yamaha Finson Racing team manager that Rider #24 Apiwat Wongthananon produced unsporting behavior towards Rider #127 Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin. A Race Direction hearing was convened with the rider #24 and the team manager in attendance. The Race Direction, after deliberation, sanctioned Rider number #24 of the Asia Production 250cc with the deduction of 5 Championship points and the race position will remain. Within 30 minutes rider #24 and his team manager made an official appeal to the Jury panel. The Jury panel consisting of Mr. Onny Padmo (Jury President), Mr. Amit Arora (Jury member) and Mr. Barry Russell (FMNR Jury member) then held a hearing with the attendance of rider #24 and team manager. After the hearing, the Jury panel’s decision was to cancel Race Direction’s decision and reinstate the 5 championship points to rider #24 as a race incident with no intention. The Race Direction has 5 days from 8th of May to appeal to FIM Asia Disciplinary Board on the decision of the Jury Panel.

Apiwat Wongthananon’s winning streak in the Asia Production 250cc class finally came to an end. Unfortunately, the defeat came at the worst possible moment – in front of his home crowd at Round 2 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Buriram, Thailand. Buoyed by three straight wins, Apiwat and his team mate enjoyed a dream start to Race 2 of the Asia Production 250cc. However, it was hardly a nightmare for the rest of the grid. While the Yamaha Thailand Racing trio tried to put up an impenetrable wall at the front of the group, their defences were slowly but surely chipped away by Kawasaki duo Takehiro Yamamoto and Ayumu Tanaka as well as Indonesia’s Galang Hendra Pratama. While the Yamaha riders were clearly more prominent in the race, there was no denying that they were under a lot of pressure with a lead group comprising of 11 riders, all racing within one second of each other. The Kawasaki riders’ bid for 1-2 position was almost destroyed on Lap 8 when Ayumu Tanaka crashed out heavily. Left alone on a hostile grid, Yamamoto relied heavily on Galang’s presence to force the Thai riders’ attention away from him. The Japanese defending champion managed to tuck into a slipstream at the last corner and slingshot into his first victory of the season with a time of 19’30.632s. Galang Hendra Pratama netted Indonesia’s first AP250 podium in second place with 19’31.018s followed by Peerapong Loiboonpeng in third with 19’31.319s “Ayumu and I constantly discussed how to break through the Yamaha riders’ defenses. While I am sorry he crashed out, I am pleased to find that the strategy had worked. Galang’s presence also helped tremendously,” said the TRICKSTAR Racing winner.

The Asia Production 250cc Race 1 for Round 2 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship was a battle between two countries as the Japanese and Thai riders set aside their brand identities to fight for honours at the Chang International Circuit. After topping the timesheets throughout the first day of free practice, Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Apiwat Wongthananon lost the pole position to team mate Peerapong Loiboonpeng. At the same time, Trickstar Racing’s Ayumu Tanaka managed to snare a spot on the front row and effectively set the stage for the 10-lap showdown that was to come. As the lights went off for the start of the race, Apiwat leapt into the front but was unable to break free of the chasing group. A nine-bike front group leant plenty of racing excitement as compatriots Tanaka, Takehiro Yamamoto and Yusuke Nakamura banded together to challenge the might of the Yamaha Thailand trio. The Kawasaki bikes had the better top speed, but the Yamahas were superior at the corners. The lead swapping continued right up to the last lap with neither group willing to back down. Yamamoto managed to sneak into the lead at the final lap but crashed out with Anupab Sarmoon right at the critical moment. The crash resulted in the expected all-Thai podium. Apiwat and Peerapong secured a 1-2 finish for team Yamaha Thailand Racing with 19’33.867s and 19’34.484s respectively. AP Honda Racing Thailand’s Somkiat Chantra broke up the Yamaha domination and climbed onto the third step of the podium with 19’34.732s. Apiwat’s hattrick secured his position at the top of the rider standings with the maximum 75 points. Peerapong Loiboonpeng, who also netted three consecutive second-place finishes, holds 60 points in second overall.

The anticipated all-Thai lockout at the front grid of the Asia Production 250cc category is shaping up with Apiwat Wongthananon leading the charge. The trio from Yamaha Thailand Racing dominated the first day of practice with the top three best times in the class. Apiwat was clearly in a league of his own as the only rider to lap below the 1’56s mark. The Thai rider set the bar high for the rest of the field when he logged a blistering 1’55.089s. Anupab Sarmoon and Peerapong Loiboonpeng were second and third fastest with times of 1’56.381s and 1’56.734s. Another set of team mates rounded up the top five – TRICKSTAR Racing’s Ayumu Tanaka and defending champion Takehiro Yamamoto posted 1’56.805s and 1’56.950s to stand fourth and fifth fastest in the day’s efforts.

Picking up zero championship points is an unusual occurrence for 2-time Underbone 130cc champion Gupita Kresna Wardhana. A podium regular during his Underbone racing days, the 27-year-old Indonesian ace is feeling the pressure in his Asia Production 250cc debut season of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. “The Asia Production 250cc is a huge challenge. It is a tough competition with a large number of entrants. Even getting into the points was really difficult at Round 1,” said Gupita who finished 18th in Race 1 and 16th in Race 2 at Pasir Gudang. Gupita’s problems are compounded by the fact that he has not been able to ride on the 250cc bike since the opening round. “I have only been able to do physical training in between Round 1 and Round 2. I have not ridden the bike since.” Achieving better results will be Gupita’s goal for Round 2 in Thailand on May 7 and 8. “I have spent many years dominating the Underbone categories and I felt ready for bigger challenges. As this is my debut season, I will have to patiently sort out the problems that come my way. Podium finishes are not going to happen overnight, that’s for sure.” However, the Indonesian ace is optimistic that he will make it to the top ranks of the class. “The Hondas and Yamahas are really fast in this class. But our team has plans to improve on our bike. This gives me confidence that I will at least be able to follow the leading groups better in Round 2.”

The Asia Production 250cc Thai riders continued to demonstrate that they had their tag-team strategy down pat. In Race 2 at the first leg in the Johor Circuit, Yamaha Thailand Racing Team trio Apiwat Wongthananon, Peerapong Loiboonpeng and Anupab Sarmoon, put up a strong defense wall at the front of the 28-rider grid. Starting the race from the front of the grid, the three team mates produced a near-perfect display of team work as they alternately towed and slipstreamed each other throughout the 12-lap race. The Thai riders dominated the top five spots on the timesheets – Apiwat in first place with 21’25.861s, Peerapong in second with 21’27.112s and Anupab third with 21’27.269s. Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama punched his way through a huge second pack to finish fourth with 21’27.621s. Suhathai Chaemsap, returning to the ARRC on a 250cc wildcard ticket, also gave a good performance in fifth place with 21’28.014s. Like Azlan Shah in the SuperSports 600cc, Apiwat’s double win has given him a big advantage in the championship standings. He leads by a 10-point margin against Peerapong Loiboonpeng. Meanwhile, Johor-born Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin initially enjoyed a good run among the leading pack, but was soon engulfed by a swarm of riders in the second half of the race. Kasma eventually finished eighth behind Yusuke Nakamura and Takehiro Yamamoto. Rider Quotes: Apiwat Wongthananon: “We approached Race 2 like how we did Race 1. The objective was to win and win big. I wanted to drag all my team mates onto the podium with me. What felt different was that I was more confident and relaxed. All the competitors in the Asia Production 250cc class were good riders but I wasn’t worried because I believe that I had a strong team backing me.” Peerapoing Loibonpeng: “Without a great team and strong sense of team work, this incredible feat that we had just accomplished would have been impossible. Now I’m feeling even more excited for Round 2 which will be a home race for us.”

The first race for the Asia Production 250cc class began with chaos and commotion when 21 riders out of the 28-bike grid were penalized for dangerous riding behaviour during the qualifying session. The 21 riders, including provisional leader Apiwat Wongthananon, flouted explicit rules that forbade slow riding during the qualifying session. All the riders were penalized with 15 seconds added to their fastest time. This resulted in a topsy-turvy Race 1 grid with the top runners pushed to the middle of the grid. Malaysian rider Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin found himself the unexpected pole man in Race 1. However, Kasma’s advantage was short-lived as Apiwat and his team mates quickly made up for lost ground in the early part of the race. By lap four, Apiwat, Anupab Sarmoon and Yusuke Nakamura successfully challenged Kasma for the lead. The remaining eight laps of the 12-lap race saw a constant change of leaders at the front of the pack. The Thai riders’ excellence in team strategy emerged at the end of the race. In a move that was reminiscent of the exact same tactic used in 2015, Apiwat led his Yamaha Thailand Racing team mates past Nakamura to score a perfect podium for the team’s full-season entry in the Asia Production 250cc class. Apiwat won the race with 21’30.906s. Peerapong Loiboonpeng and Anupab Sarmoon were second and third with 21’31.386s and 21’31.895s. Yusuke Nakamura and defending champion Takehiro Yamamoto rounded up the top five. Kasma who started from pole, was only able to secure a seventh place finishing for himself. “The 15-second penalty did not affect my performance at all. This is a great start with a great team. So far, in just a few short months, they have shown tremendous dedication and commitment towards our common goal – which is to win the title in the team’s first season in this class,” said Apiwat.

The official pre-season test of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship held only a week before the season opener has brought benefits for many of the riders. In the Asia Production 250cc class, most of the riders were able to spend the first day of free practices focused on their riding instead of machine set-up. Thai rider Apiwat Wongthananon continued to exert his dominance in the Asia Production 250cc class. The 22-year-old rider was consistently the fastest man on the grid, and topped the first day’s timesheets with 1’45.142s. Indonesia’s Rey Ratukore upped his game and posted the second fastest time of 1’45.513s. Defending champion Takehiro Yamamoto was third fastest with 1’45.582s. Similar to the SuperSports 600cc class, the lap record charted during the pre-season test held intact after the first day of practice. “We didn’t make much changes to the bike set-up for today, the team and I were satisfied with the results from last week’s pre-season test. But thanks to the extra practice, I now feel more comfortable on this bike. Today, I spent the three free practice sessions focused on my riding and I am confident that I will be in contention for pole position during qualifying,” said Apiwat. Apiwat’s team mate, Anupab Sarmoon and Johor-born Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin rounded up the top five.