Round 3 of the IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship took place today at Mobility Resort Motegi, Japan, where Muhammad Kiandra Ramadhipa of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM claimed his first win in Race 1 of the Asia Production 250cc category.
During the Qualifying session, Kiandra claimed the pole position as he clocked the fastest lap time of 2’07:707s, while his teammate, Herjun Atna Firdaus, took the second grid position at 2’07:928s, followed by Aiki Iyoshi of Motul Sniper Manual Tech in third grid at 2’08:344s.
As the race kicked off, Kiandra surged to the front and led the charge, followed by Herjun, Syarifuddin, Cao Viet Nam, and Arai Agaska Dibani Laksana of YAMAHA Racing Indonesia in P5.
Kiandra maintained his position in P1 throughout the race. Behind him, the riders’ positions changed frequently as they battled for the top three positions.
As the race entered the final lap, Kiandra maintained his lead, leaving the pack trailing by 5 seconds. In P2 was Arai, who overtook Herjun, but Herjun managed to retake P2 before the duo of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM riders crossed the finish line at 21’35:292s and 21’41:244s, followed by Arai at 21’41:244s to secure third place.
Kiandra said, “Thank you to my team, sponsor, and mechanics. My parents always support me, and the mechanics always make sure the bike is in perfect condition. In the race, I gave my best performance, taking it from the start to the finish. Alhamdulillah, in this race, I got my first victory in Motegi. Hopefully, Race 2, I can repeat this moment again.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
AP250
- Muhammad Kiandra Ramadhipa – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (21’35:292s)
- Herjun Atna Firdaus – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (21’41:244s)
- Arai Agaska Dibani Laksana – YAMAHA Racing Indonesia (21’41:244s)
- Warit Thongnoppakun – EEST NJT Racing Team (21’41:629s)
- Md Syarifuddin Azman – IDEMITSU Boon Siew Honda Racing Team (21’41:704s)