INDONESIANS MARKED VICTORY
The Asia Production 250cc has interestingly seen an increase in its fanbase with extremely agile riders expanding their capacities through experiences and bold moves. As the season came to a close, Rheza Danica of ASTRA HONDA Racing Team put on one last show before racing down the straight line to claim victory.
The race began on the wet grounds with Adenanta taking lead, closely trailed by Anggi Setiawan, Rheza Danica and Piyawat. Aldi who was close behind began picking up speed and broke ahead of the troop in the first lap. Meanwhile, Adenanta took a slip and fell.
By the end of the third lap, Aldi made it to P1 while being closely shadowed by Rheza Danica, Anggi Setiawan and Piyawat. The battle between the four fiery riders grew stronger as they made their laps. Meanwhile, Rafid Topan began inching closer towards the front troop and by the end of the fourth lap, he closed the gaps and made his move into P3. By the end of the fifth lap however, Anggi Setiawan had a fall and was out of the equation.
Rheza went on at the lead position. However, behind him, Rafid Topan and Aldi Satya were entangled in a battle to retain their position at P2. Blame it on the wet circuit, Aldi Satya unfortunately slipped and fell consequently opening up the opportunity for Piyawat to strike. With two more laps to go, Piyawat went on at P2, trying his best to close the gaps with his rival ahead of him however with a gap of approximately 9.3s, it seemed impossible for Piyawat to move any closer.
By the last lap, Rheza was confident, far ahead of the troop. After the last turn, he strode swiftly to the finish line, clocking in at 20’36:566s with a gap of 16.196s away from Piyawat.
Commenting on the race, Rheza said, “From the start, the circuit has been wet and I just enjoyed the ride. I stayed focused on the race and finally, I am back at the top spot on the podium. Thank you to ASTRA HONDA team and my family for the unwavering support given to me.”
Piyawat Patoomyos of HONDA Racing Thailand logged in second at 20’52:762s.
Aiki Iyoshi of Motul Sniper Manual Tech Racing Team made it third with his best at 21’01:105s.
With the conclusion of Race 2, Muhammad Andy Fadly of Motul Sniper Manual Tech Racing Team celebrated his win as the Asian Champion of the AP250 race category for year 2022.
Commenting on the title, Andy said, “I feel extremely happy. This season has pushed me towards working even harder. Even more so when my RPM was cut down since Round 3 in Japan. I struggled a lot but I am thankful to God for the blessings. Also, thanks to my family members and the team who believed in me and have supported me in every way.”
VORAPONG DID IT, AGAIN!
Since its debut in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, TVS Asia One Make Championship has witnessed its rider making phenomenal advancement in their riding skills. Vorapong Malahuan from Thailand made one last push towards the finish line, bagging the top spot on the podium in Race 2 of the season finale at Chang International Circuit.
It was a good start once again for Vorapong who fled ahead of the troop as soon as the race begun. Watcharin stayed close behind and by the end of the second lap, Fugo Tanaka made his move to P1. By then, it seemed like Vorapong has decided to take a more relaxed approach as he slowly backed away to P7. He had nothing to lose considering his big win yesterday as the overall champion.
The battle became more evident between Fugo Tanaka and Watcharin who were taking turns at P1. Meanwhile, James Frederick began making his moves as he tailed behind the duo. Into the sixth lap, James managed to slide ahead of Watcharin and for a moment took lead before Fugo struck back for his lead position. By the end of the sixth lap, Vorapong flaunted his skills as he made his way back up to P2.
In the seventh lap, Vorapong succeeded at P1. Fugo Tanaka, defeated went on a wild chase. With one more lap to go, the former began picking up speed and at the last turn, he dashed towards victory once again, marking his win at 15’12:815s with a total of 176 points.
Commenting on the race, Vorapong said, “I was a little bit relaxed today. I made a new record this morning during the warm up session. During the race though, I faced a problem at turn three and I panicked. So, I slowed down and played safe. I had a lot of fun with today’s race. Nevertheless, I wanted to achieve yet another victory today as I am not sure if I would be back next year and I gave my best shot.”
At the second spot was Fugo Tanaka of Japan, clocking in at 15’14:050s.
Watcharing Tubtimon of Thailand took the third spot on the podium, logging in at 15’14:527s.
