The season finale of the Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship will heat up the circuit grounds of Chang International Circuit. On the lookout for this weekend is the heated battle between Md Ramdan Rosli of Malaysia and Sartak Chavan of India who will string the chords for the 1st runner up position in the TVS Asia One Make Championship.
After seven wins and being defeated twice, Hiroki Ono bagged the championship title in Round 5 at Sepang International Circuit with a staggering total of 201 points leaving Ramdan and Sartak for the final dance at the chance of filling up the next spot in the overall chart. Between the Asian duo, its quite obvious that Ramdan holds the golden key at 144 points however Sartak who is 46 points behind definitely has a chance too. Who would pull the strings better is likely the question.
During the season opener, Sartak added another string to his bow when he made it to the podium twice as compared to Ramdan who made it only once. The Indian rider definitely crafted an impression of his capacities on the circuit ground as opposed to Ramdan who unveiled his struggling moments for two consecutive years. Would he be able to charm through for a victorious lap this time around? It’s hard to predict but with the mileage he has earned throughout the season, Ramdan may just unleash a different side of him in the coming round.
Commenting on the race, Ramdan said, “Buriram has always been the tough one for me compared to the other racing circuits because the track has its own set of difficulties. So, I am a little overwhelmed but of course, I will give my best there like I have in each round. I aim to win and be on the podium. I have always been focused but I know I have to improve further as well. I will try my best to avoid mistakes, that is key especially to keep up to a consistent lap time. I believe it would be a tough race at Buriram but I continue doing what I know best and tackle the challenges as and when it comes. As for next season, I will still be racing but nothing is confirmed.”
Sartak on the other hand said, “The first round in Thailand was really good and I was able to get two podium finishes. I also became the youngest and first Indian in the championship to finish podium. It was indeed a proud moment however, while finishing the subsequent rounds on the podium has been good, I am not very happy with it especially when I finish third. My goal for the coming round is to make a win out of it. There are two riders who will be fighting for this position but I am sure I can put on a good fight and secure the 2nd runner up position in the championship. Ramdan has been really fast in this season. He definitely has the right experience, having raced in various different championships as opposed to me. So, he definitely has the upper-hand in this. Despite that, I will still go all out and do my best. This year, I would like to finish on the podium overall but next season, I will go for the champion title.”
Inching closer in their bid to tackle the 2nd runner up position are Vorapong Malahuan of Thailand and Rocco Sessler of Germany shy of 5 and 8 points respectively. Despite their slow start to the season, both the riders have showcased exceptional quality in their riding techniques especially in the Malaysian round where Vorapong bagged his first podium-finish. Rocco on the other hand made two podium-finish including a win. Could they topple their contender and take home the 2nd runner up spot?