Suzuki Asian Challenge

Indonesian rider Jefri Tosema came up tops during the first day of practice for the Suzuki Asian Challenge riders at Round 3 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship held at the Suzuka Circuit. Despite his unfamiliarity with the legendary circuit, Jef was one of the fastest to come to grips with the tricky track layout – topping the timesheets in both Practice 1 and Practice 2 of the Suzuki Asian Challenge. The Indonesian lad rounded up the day as the fastest rider astride the Suzuki FU150 with a time of 2’54.054s. Meanwhile, championship leader Mohd Rozaliman Zakaria, was almost two seconds off Tosema’s pace as the second fastest rider with a time of 2’55.935s. Another Indonesian rider, Muhammad Sapril, rounded up the provisional front row with the third fastest time of 2’56.387s. Tentatively booking their spots for second row are April King Mascardo from the Philippines, India’s Jagan Kumar and Philipino rider Eane Jaye Sobretodo. Singaporean rider Arsyad Rusydi Shaharum, Maxi Hattori from Japan, Indonesia’s Rizal Feriyadi and Mario J. Borbon from the Philippines rounded up the top ten from Day 1.

A solid start placed Malaysian polesitter Mohd Rozaliman Zakaria in good standing to win Race 2 of the Suzuki Asian Challenge in the second leg of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship season in Thailand. Six riders battled for the win throughout the 7-lap race. As the board counted down to the final lap, it was Race 1 winner Muhammad Sapril who first showed his hand by leaping into the lead. Sapril was soon challenged by April King Mascardo from the Philippines and the lead-swapping continued right up to the final corner which had been the determining point of every single race at the Chang International Circuit. Rozaliman managed to get on to the inside line and succeeded in keeping his winning position at the finish line with a time of 15’58.964s. Muhammad Sapril was forced to settle for second place with 15’59.028s and Jefri Tosema third with 15’59.028s. The Malaysian rider’s second win of the season has earned him the lead in the riders standings with 76 points. Muhammad Sapril stands second overall with 67 points while Jef ranked third with 61 points.

After Jefri Tosema’s inspiring first performance in Pasir Gudang last April, it was compatriot Muhammad Sapril’s turn to impress as he scored his first victory in the Suzuki Asian Challenge at the Chang International Circuit, the host for Round 2. Sapril brushed aside competition from Jefri and Philippine’s Eane Jaye Sobretodo with a 0.124s margin, completing the 7-lap race with a time of 16’04.277s. Jef picked up his second podium finish of the season while Eane scored one for the Philippines in third place.

Mohd Rozaliman Zakaria has taken early control of the Suzuki Asian Challenge as Round 2 goes underway at the Chang International Circuit. The Malaysian rider posted 2’17.760s in the first practice session, a benchmark that no one had been able to break in the second practice. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Jefri Tosema, trying hard to make up for lost points caused by his mechanic’s faux pas in Round 1, was second fastest with 2’17.981s, only 0.221s off Rozaliman’s pace. Singapore’s Arsyad Rusydi Shaharum was a distant third with 2’18.400s as his best lap.

A simple human error in Race 2 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Johor Circuit had cost Indonesian rider Jefri Tosema his hard-won lead in the Suzuki Asian Challenge. The 20-year-old rider was on course to lead the title chase after he put in a wheel-perfect performance in Race 1 where he won with a time of 14’12.283s, half a second ahead of his competitors. However, in Race 2, Tosema’s mechanic mistook a black flag meant for Philippines rider Mario Borbon Junior as being directed at Tosema. The mechanic then instructed Tosema to pit in. The Indonesian rider who was leading the 7-lap race duly pitted at the last lap, much to the confusion of his closest rivals – only to find out that it had just been a miscommunication. Tosema’s confusion gifted the win to Malaysian rider Rozaliman Zakaria who was escorted onto the podium by April King Mascardo and Rizal Feriyadi. Rozaliman leads the Suzuki Asian Challenge with 45 points. April Mascardo and Rizal Feriyadi were also able to rank above Tosema in second and third places respectively. Tosema, with only 25 points won from Race 1, will go to Round 2 in fourth ranking. Rider Quotes: Jefri Tosema: “He (my mechanic) thought that the black flag was meant for me. I can’t express how disappointed I am because I fought so hard to lead the race. I simply cannot imagine how he could have mistaken the number 29 for my number 20!” Rozaliman Zakaria: “I am thankful that I have shown good results in my first year of the Suzuki Asian Challenge. It is a good feeling after a long hiatus from professional racing.” April King Mascardo: “This podium is for my country. I will continue to push hard and work on improving my riding.” Rizal Feriyadi: “To be honest, I almost followed Jefri into the pit because I was so confused about what he was doing. Luckily, good sense prevailed and I carried on with the race. Otherwise, I too would be suffering from disappointment.”

Indonesian rider Jefri Tosema clocked the fastest time in the Suzuki Asian Challenge for the second consecutive day and earned himself the right to park his bike on pole for the upcoming race. Checking home with a time of 1’50.352s, the freshman rider successfully wrested the pole position away from April King Mascardo who is in his second season of the Suzuki talent development programme. “I am proud to start the race on pole. This may be my first year in the Suzuki Asian Challenge, but I certainly don’t consider myself a rookie as I have won numerous races back home,” said Jefri. “However, I must admit that the level of competition is higher here, and certainly much more interesting as I get to race against riders from so many countries. I know it will be a tight race tomorrow and my strategy is to maintain my cool and stay focused,” he said. April King Mascardo, second fastest in the qualifying with 1’59.460s will also line up on the front row together with Rizal Feriyadi who clocked the third fastest time.

After a dominating performance by Indonesian Andreas Gunawan in the 2015 edition of the Suzuki Asian Challenge, another rider from the archipelago seems set to follow in his footsteps. Jefri Tosema blazed through the competition when he alone clocked 2’00.732s among the 15-rider line-up. Philippine’s April King Mascardo who is repeating a second season in the Suzuki Asian Challenge posted the second fastest time of 2’01.062s followed by countryman Eane Jaye Solacito Sobreto who was third fastest with 2’01.091s. Indonesia’s Rizal Feriyadi and Muhammad Sapril were also timed within the same second – the two riders checked in with 2’01.270s and 2’01.356s respectively. ​