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.