Suzuki Asian Challenge

Indonesian rider Jefri Tosema became the second rider to win the Suzuki Asian Challenge when he survived his most difficult race of the season at the final leg of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Going into Race 2, Jefri was almost a shoo-in as the second SAC winner. He held a 22-point lead ahead of compatriot Muhammad Sapril who had already declared that he was still recovering from a broken leg. It would have been Jefri’s title to lose and the Indonesian came close to realizing that nightmare when he crashed out at Turn 2 on Lap 4. “I was riding safe, hunkered into the group and I wasn’t sticking my nose out or taking any unnecessary risk. Unfortunately, they took a tumble in front and swept me along with them into the gravel,” said Jefri. The gutsy Indonesian rider managed to get back on track while Eane Jaye Sobretodo of the Philippines grabbed the reins firmly in his hands to shoot into the lead. Jefri was left struggling to nurse a broken bike to the finish line. More mayhem ensued at the last corner. Race leaders Eane Jaye, Aaron Alexander (Sri Lanka) and Akito Haga went in too deep at the last corner and slid out of the race. The race win went to Mario Borbon Jr with 16’02.876s, towing along Rizal Feriyadi in second place with 16’02.948s and Shinnosuke Sato in third with 16’03.685s. Jefri limped across the finish line in ninth place, picking up seven valuable points to secure his title win with 159 points. Muhammad Sapril maintained his second overall position with 143 points while Malaysian Rozaliman Zakaria dropped to third in the rankings with 138 points.

In the race to become the 2016 Suzuki Asian Challenge Champion, Jefri Tosema seemed to have bettered his odds with an unbeatable combination of skill, determination and a dash of good luck. Although he lost the pole position to arch-rival Rozaliman Zakaria during the qualifying session, Jefri quickly established himself as pack leader at the start of the seven lap race. While the Indonesian ace proved that he could certainly hold his own against his peers, Jefri was gifted with a windfall when mechanical gremlins forced Rozaliman into retiring at the end of Lap 1. Jefri was quick to pounce on the opportunity and claimed his third win of the season with 16’05.471s. India’s Jagan Kumar finished second with 16’05.542s followed by Indonesia’s Rizal Feriyadi third with 16’05.699s. “It was a difficult race. Every rider was side-by-side and nobody was going to make it easy for me to increase my points collection. With Rozaliman out of the race, I knew that I had to win this race in order to win the championship title,” said Jefri. The title chase in the Suzuki Asian Challenge is now all but confirmed. Jefri leads with 152 points, 22 points ahead of fellow Indonesian Muhammad Sapril. With Sapril admitting that he is still recovering from a pre-race injury, the outcome of the 2016 Suzuki Asian Challenge title chase seems to be a foregone conclusion.

Indonesian rider Jefri Tosema finally showed his true colours as the final leg of the 2016 Suzuki Asian Challenge flagged off at the Chang International Circuit. Needing to break a tie with Malaysian Mohd Rozaliman Zakaria at the top of the riders’ rankings, Jefri pulled out all the stops to log a blazingly fast time of 02’13.902s in the second free practice session. The spotlight was naturally on Jefri and Rozaliman as they raced against each other to gain an advantage during free practice. But even Rozaliman conceded the day to Jefri when he showed that he was a hefty 0.603 seconds faster than the rest of the grid. Rozaliman’s best time was 02’14.505s. Jagan Kumar rode the third fastest lap of the class with 02’15.368s. Singapore’s Arsyad Rusydi clocked fourth fastest with 02’15.569s. Behind him, title contenders April King Mascardo and Eane Jaye Solacito would need to improve by leaps and bounds if they hope to stop Jefri or Rozaliman from winning the title.

Indonesian rider Jefri Tosema was the biggest Suzuki Asian Challenge winner at Round 4 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Sentul, Indonesia. The local rider’s campaign got off to a prominent start when he beat India’s Jagan Kumar and fellow countryman Rizal Feriyadi to win Race 1 with a time of 16’06.625s. In Race 2, Jefri followed up on his win with a podium finish in second place behind Malaysia’s wily Muhd Rozaliman Zakaria. Jefri’s hard work places him on par with Rozaliman at the top of the Suzuki Asian Challenge standings. Both riders are now fighting for the win with 127 points each. Muhammad Sapril from Indonesia who finished seventh in Race 1 and fourth in Race 2 is also threatening in third overall with 124 points. April King Mascardo from the Philippines also enjoyed a good outing in Indonesia as he scored a fifth placement in Race 1 and a third place podium in Race 2.

Muhd Rozaliman Zakaria from Malaysia checked in with the fastest time in the Suzuki Asian Challenge during the first day of practice at Round 4. The rider who is currently second overall in the title chase clocked 2’00.516s at the top of the timesheets. However, Rozaliman will have his work cut out for him in the encounters to come, especially with Indonesian Jefri Tosema a mere 0.082 seconds off Rozaliman’s pace. Jefri was second fastest of the day with 2’00.598s followed by the Philippine’s April King Mascardo in third with 2’01.307s. The 2015 Race 1 winner at Sentul, Jagan Kumar from India, was also strong during the first practice session. He posted fourth fastest with 2’01.453s, beating out Indonesian duo Rizal Feriyadi and Muhammad Sapril.

Indonesian riders Muhammad Sapril and Rizal Feriyadi climbed onto the top steps of the podium when they out-sprinted nine other contenders in Race 2 of the Suzuki Asian Challenge at the Suzuka Circuit. Polesitter April King Mascardo gave a strong performance at the start of the race but crashed out after only two laps. The Suzuki Asian Challenge Race 2 took place on a drying circuit as the rain clouds over Suzuka gave way to bright sunshine. The race pace began to increase on Lap 3 as the riders gained better grip and a clearer understanding of the best braking points in the uncertain track conditions. With nine riders fighting for the same spot on the track, there was plenty of minor contacts when the level of competition intensified at the last lap. The tiny chicane before the last corner was clogged up with all nine trying to navigate the chicane at the same time. Sapril and Rizal managed to sneak ahead into the lead and won the 1-2 position with times of 14’40.065s and 14’40.319s respectively. Japan’s Shinnosuke Sato finished third with 14’40.383s. A clear championship leader has finally emerged in the Suzuki Asian Challenge – Muhammad Sapril with 102 points. Mohd Rozaliman Zakaria is second overall with 89 points and Jefri Tosema third with 82 points.

Eane Jaye Sobreto added his name into the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship history books as the first rider from the Philippines to win a race in the Asian series. Newly arrived in the ARRC, the Philippine contingent has been getting progressively stronger over the past season and a half with credible performances, especially in the Suzuki Asian Challenge. April King Mascardo gave the first hint of an enhanced Filipino presence in Suzuka when he grabbed pole position during the qualifying session with a time of 2’52.455s. The 5-lap race got off to its usual start with all riders competing for track position. A final lap encounter between Mohd Rozaliman Zakaria and Riyal Feriyadi gave Eane the perfect opportunity to jump into the lead and score a convincing victory with a time of 14’36.533s. Mario U Borbon Jr doubled the joy when he finished second with 14’39.155s followed by Japan’s Maxi Hattori in third place with 14’39.159s. This latest victory sees Eane tied in third place with Indonesia’s Jefri Tosema. Both riders have earned 72 points to date. Indonesia’s Muhammad Sapril leads after completing Race 1 in sixth position. Rozaliman’s crash dropped him down the rankings to second overall with 77 points.