Suzuki Asian Challenge

Confirmed as the latest Suzuki Asian Challenge Champion, Punchana Kulrojchalalai signed off a successful 2017 season with his fourth win of the season when he snatched the victory in Race 2 at the final round.   With the title already in hand, Punchana could have taken things easy at the last race of the season. Instead, he was seen constantly fighting within the group as the lead changed hands at every corner.   Punchana was the first to exit Turn 12 and took his advantage home to win in 15’52.039s. Tetsuya Fujita finished second with 15’52.069s while Indonesia’s Nur Al Fath was third with 15’52.181s.   Punchana won the Suzuki Asian Challenge title with 180 points. Philippine’s April King Mascardo ranked second with 139 points and young Fujita was third overall with 136 points.

Thai rider Punchana Kulrojchalalai has successfully sealed the 2017 Suzuki Asian Challenge title despite finishing third in Race 1. Racing on home ground at Round 6 of the 2017 Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Punchana was able to use his knowledge of the circuit to pick up his seventh podium of the year.   The final round of the season brought an extended grid for the Suzuki talent development programme with alumni Patis Chooprathet and Jagan Kumar returning for a wildcard stint.   Patis retained much of his vim and vinegar, easily dominating the proceedings to cap off with a race win with a time of 15’57.901s. Philippines rider April King Mascardo finished second with 15’58.166s. Punchana stopped the clock at 15’58.211s.   Japanese rider Tetsuya Fujita, who was also one of the title contenders, finished fourth. Fujita’s lack of experience put him at a disadvantage when he was seen leading for the majority of the 7-lap race. With the weight of the group dragging him down, Fujita was unable to respond when the group broke out of the slipstream and dashed past him to the finish line.   Punchana brought his points haul to 155 points. April King is now second overall with 126 points while Fujita is third with 116 points.

Suzuki Asian Challenge championship leader Punchana Kulrojchalalai enjoyed a good start to his final title bid as the Suzuki developmental class got underway at the Chang International Circuit.   The Thai rider used his intimate knowledge of the circuit to good advantage and was quickest in both FP1 and FP2. Punchana posted the fastest time in his class – 2’14.035s to earn provisional pole ahead of the qualifying session on Saturday.   Although Punchana is used to being the only Thai rider on the Suzuki Asian Challenge grid, he would be glad of the presence of Patis Chooprathet who returned as a wildcard for the final round. Patis would be a good partner on the track for Punchana, especially after logging the second fastest time in the class.   Of the three title contenders, Tetsuya Fujita managed to put in a creditable performance, lapping home within the top five. April King Mascardo, on the other hand, looked to be struggling when he was only ninth and 11th fastest.

Punchana Kulrojchalalai may become the first Thai rider to win the Suzuki Asian Challenge title. Punchana will be heading to his home track, the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, as the championship leader in the Suzuki talent development programme. 50 championship points are up for grabs at the last weekend. Punchana needs 17. This means either a podium finish in Race 1, or top-8 finishes in both Race 1 and Race 2. April King Mascardo of the Philippines look threatening in second overall position with 106 points. 2017 is April’s third attempt at the title and he demonstrated his race-winning capabilities early this year at Round 2. Also in the fray, is young Japanese newcomer Tetsuya Fujita with 103 points. Finally, Ahmad Saugi Muchtar, fourth overall with 102 points, also has a shot at the title. The Indonesian rider will be under pressure to retain the title, especially since the 2015 and 2016 crowns were lifted by compatriots Andreas Gunawan and Jefri Tosema respectively.

Qualification and Race 1 took place on day 2 of the 2017 SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE (SAC) Round 4, being held at Sentul International Circuit in Bogor, Indonesia. With 5 rounds in the season, this round will be an important round for the title contenders. SAC has seen four winners this season: #29 Mario Borbon Jr. (Philippines), #16 April King Mascardo (Philippines), #17 Tetsuya Fujita (Japan), and #78 Punchana Kulrojchalalai (Thailand). Punchana leads in the point standings, leading into this round at Sentul. Qualification was held in the morning, Punchana took back-to-back pole position with a lap of 1’59.711, while local favorite #11 Ahmad Saugi Muchtar (Indonesia) came 2nd within just 0.009 seconds off Punchana. Mascardo came in 3rd filling up the front row of the grid. 2016 SAC Champion, #1 Jefri Tosema (Indonesia) came in 4th. Green flag for Race 1 was waved at 16:10, with pole sitter Punchana taking the whole shot. As any other races we have seen in SAC this season, the whole field raced in a pack for the first couple of laps. The leader changed at almost every corner of the race, with the riders going 4-wide and 5-wide on the straights. The race continued on like that until the final lap, when #27 Nur Alfath Sam Ahmad (Indonesia) and Tosema crashing out. Punchana crossed the finish line on top, making it his third consecutive win from Suzuka.

Round 4 of the 2017 Idemitsu Asia Road Racing Championship, held at the Sentul International Circuit in Indonesia, looks set to be the favourite hunting ground for the home-grown heroes.  The Indonesian riders topped the timesheets in the Asia Production 250cc and Underbone 150cc. Similarly, Ahmad Saugi Muchtar grabbed provisional pole in the Suzuki Asian Challenge with a fast lap of 1’59.672s. Ahmad Saugi was the only contender to lap below the 2-minute mark. Tetsuya Fujita seemed to be threatening. The Japanese rider emerged as second fastest among the 15-rider line-up with 2’00.252s. Championship leader Punchana Kulrojchalalai clocked in third fastest with 2’00.284s. Returning as a wildcard this season, 2016 Suzuki Asian Challenge Champion Jefri Tosema, proved that he still had the chops to coax the best out of the Suzuki GSX-R150. Jefri was fourth fastest with 2’00.458s. Another Indonesian rider, Chepy Armansyah, made it into the top five with 2’01.024s. Early championship leaders April King Mascardo dropped to sixth on the timesheets. Nur Al Fath, Eane Jaye Sobretodo, Mario Borbon Jr and Edward Faulkhead also lapped within the top 10.

SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE (SAC) finished its 2nd round of the 2017 season, which was held at Chang International Circuit locaited in Buriram, Thailand. Race 2 progressed in similar fashion as Race 1 which was held the previous day. Almost all riders raced in a tight pack until the end of the race. Local favorites, #18 Patis Chooprathet and #78 Punchana Kulrojchalalai took the lead at first, but with almost all riders in one pack, the lead changed at almost every turn. The excitement continued until the final corner of the final lap. 11 riders jumped into the final corner to take the win, but with one faller taking out an another rider with him, 6 more riders fell. #17 Tetsuya Fujita (Japan) made a manueuver that made him clear of the multiple crash, and won the Race. #46 Aaron Alexander Gunawardena (Sri Lanka) came in 2nd, making Gunawardena the first Sri Lankan rider to be on the ARRC podium. Finishing in 3rd was #11 Ahmad Saugi Muchtar of Indonesia. Round 3 of the SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE will be held in conjunction the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, at Suzuka Circuit in Mie, Japan on 2nd – 4th June, 2017. 2017 SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE Round 2 Race 2 Results 1. #17 Tetsuya Fujita (Japan) 2. #46 Aaron Alexander Gunawardena (Sri Lanka) 3. #11 Ahmad Saugi Muchtar (Indonesia) 4. #76 Chepy Armansyah (Indonesia) 5. #16 April King H. Mascardo (Philippines) 6. #18 Patis Chooprathet (Thailand) 7. #27 Nur Al Fath Sam Ahmad (Indonesia) 8. #96 Bikram Thapa (Nepal) 9. #78 Punchana Kulrojchalalai (Thailand) 10. #32 Prahbu Arunagiri (India) 11. #33 K.Y. Ahamed (India) 12. #29 Mario Borbon U. Jr. (Philippines) ————————————————————————- DNF #22 Eane Jaye S. Sobretodo (Philippines) DNF #43 Edward Faulkhead (Australia)was #11 Ahmad Saugi Muchtar (Indonesia).     QUOTES “I concentrated on being in the top group throughout the race. The race went as I planned, but I didn’t expect myself to be on the tail of the group on the final lap. However, the riders in front of me fell on the final corner, and I saw an opening, so I took it and was able to win the race. The next race at Suzuka would be a race in my home country, so I hope I can show the local race fans a good race.” #17 Tetsuya Fujita | Race 2 Winner     “It was an exciting race again today. Aaron became the first Sri Lankan rider to be on the ARRC podium, so I am happy about that. Tetsu has been improving each session. He had a 2nd place finish in Round 1, and now have won a race in Round 2, so he’s on a roll, and look forward to see what he can do at Suzuka. I want to thank Patis for accepting my invitation to ride with the SAC boys. It didn’t quite go as planned for him at the race, but he was really fast in every session, and I am sure that his presence made the SAC riders improve in many ways. The next round is at Suzuka, which is a very technical track. It is also located in my home country, and wish all of you for your continuous support.” Yukio Kagayama | General Manager     “The riders showed us an exciting battle to the very end. The characteristics of the track made it easy for us to predict this kind of race, but I am sorry to see the multiple crash on final lap, caused by some unreasonable riders. I am just relieved that no one was seriously injured. The youngest 13 year olds finished in 1-2, so I think it describes well what are development program is about.” Shunji Yatsushiro | Rider Coach

Race 2 at the Chang International Circuit brought new winners into the spotlight in the Suzuki Asian Challenge category. Chopping and changing at every turn, the 7-lap race in the Suzuki developmental series had always been heading for a last-lap last-corner shoot out. With the top-10 riders bunched up together at a very crowded Turn 12, mayhem ensued when Indian rider KY Ahamed lost control and bowled into the leading group. The crash took out Punchana Kulrojchalalai, Prabhu Arunagiri, and Mario Borbon Junior although everyone managed to pick up their bikes to still cross the finish line. While confusion reigned at the last corner, Japanese rider Tetsuya Fujita darted neatly across the finish line in first place. Behind him, Aaron Gunawardena chalked up the first podium for Sri Lanka in the Asia Road Racing Championship series. Ahmad Saugi Muchtar from Indonesia finished third.

Having gotten a taste of winning in Round 1 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, April King Mascardo gave an encore performance during the Race 1 of the Suzuki Asian Challenge. April King pipped the 6-rider lead group to the finish line with a margin of 0.387s, chalking up a second win for Team Philippines with a time of 16’03.480s. Behind the Filipino rider, Nur Al Fath Sam Ahmad from Indonesia and local rider Punchana Kulrojchalalai took second and third place with times of 16’03.387s and 16’03.934s respectively. Indian rider KY Ahamed did himself proud when he finished fourth with 16’04.020s, even leading the pack several times during the race. Returning wildcard rider Patis Chooprathet powered his way into the top five.

The Filipino contingent brought their A-game to the season opening races of the 2017 Suzuki Asian Challenge. After Mario Borbon Junior’s win in Race 1, trio April King Mascardo, Mario Borbon and Eane Jaye Sobretodo went to Race 2 fired up for a clean sweep of the podium. The Filipino riders put on an immediate assault at the start of the race as April King charged into the lead. Unfortunately, in their zeal to carve out a margin at the front of the pack, Eane Jaye tangled up against two other riders on Lap 2. The crash slowed down the group, allowing April King easy access to the lead. April King easily held on to his position, crossing the finish line with a comfortable six-second lead in front of the rest of the field. Tetsuya Fujita emerged as the second placed rider with 14’05.794s and Punchana Kulrojchalalai was third with 14’05.922s. Race 1 winner Mario Borbon Junior got caught up with the main pack and was only able to finish eighth. Nevertheless, Mario leads the 2017 rankings with 33 points while April King is second overall with 32 points. Indonesia’s Nur Al Fath Sam Ahmad is ranked third after taking third place in Race 1 and fourth in Race 2.