Asia Production 250

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.