The inaugural race of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) 2022 turned out to be a fortunate one for IDEMITSU Honda Racing India Team. Their two riders – Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar managed to score a total of 11 points in a single round, the highest in AP250 class of championship.
Rajiv Sethu at Buriram International Circuit earned 5 additional points by finishing in 11th place. Senthil Kumar recorded his best-ever finish in AP250 class of ARRC at 13th spot. He had started in P16 and gained 3 positions over the course of the 10-lap race. The 20-year-old Indian rider grabbed 3 points in the championship. Meanwhile, teen rider Sarthak Chavan became the first Indian rookie to win 9 points with a P7 finish in second race of his debut season at Thailand Talent Cup (TTC) 2022. The 15-year old Indian rider began the race in P9 and fought his way to P7.
Sharing an overview on performance by Indian riders today, Prabhu Nagaraj, Vice President – Brand and Communications, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “I am happy with the performance of our riders today who made India proud on international soil. Both Rajiv and Senthil well utilized their strategies and machines to achieve highest single round points for the team. On the other hand, Sarthak Chavan the face of new, confident and aggressive young Indian riders finished in top 7 today in TTC and grabbed total 13 points in round 1 itself. I am confident that our riders will bring back the same motivation and strength to perform best to their abilities in the upcoming rounds.”
Rajiv Sethu of IDEMITSU Honda Racing India said, “Today my entire focus was to maintain steady performance and grab more points for the team. I made a great start and overtook two riders. This round has helped us to test our strategies and make further improvements on the track. I am confident that in the next rounds, I will be able to push harder and secure positions in top bunch.”
Talking about his performance in ARRC 2022, Senthil Kumar said, “I am happy with my performance today as for the first time I clocked 13th position and earned 3 points for the team. After yesterday’s crash, I chose to keep a steady momentum till the end and this helped me bettering my results. I look forward to racing in Sepang now and aim to climb up to Top bunch.”
