Honda Racing’s Rajiv Setu has made India proud with a new win in the Asia Road Racing Championship. India’s solo team is said to have scored a top 5 finish in the championship for the first time in what is otherwise the toughest road race championship.
Saturday’s AP50 race had 5 riders who crashed out in the first lap, starting a rather wet 12 lap race 1 from 14th on the grid, Rajiv quickly moved to 6th place after lap 1. From thereon, he continued to maintain his position until lap 5 where he had an unfortunate fall due to wet conditions of the race track. However determined to finish the race, Rajiv threw upon himself a challenge and immediately re-joined the race to finally cross the chequered line at 5th place.
Rajiv Sethu threw in a masterful race performance in his very first outing at the sportsland SUGO international circuit. This move resulted in the team realizing its next step up by securing a top 5 position in the Race 1 of AP250 class and earned 11 points.
Proud of today’s performance, Mr. Prabhu Nagaraj, Operating Officer - Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, said, “Today, it’s a happy day for Honda Racing India! We have reached the first step of our target top 5 finish. In nail-biting race where many riders crashed out due to wet weather conditions, our rider Rajiv Sethu showed his mettle and made India proud with his fifth-place finish. With his splendid performance, the team earned 11 points. His performance not only created a record but has also boosted the morale of entire team. Meanwhile, Senthil Kumar couldn’t complete the race due to a crash. This was disappointing but he’s learning fast and I’m confident that he will come back stronger and wiser. I am confident that tomorrow’s race will see more excitement from both the riders.”
Meanwhile, it was a tough day for teammate Senthil Kumar who crashed out in first lap due to wet racetrack.
Quote of Honda Racing India rider Rajiv Sethu:
“Today’s race was a true test for all riders as weather conditions were not in favor. I am happy that I didn’t rush on the wet track and maintained a steady position in race. Despite meeting a crash, I continued with the same performance as my focus was to earn points for the team. The training from our trainers and experience in past races helped me in countering all race hurdles and set a record for the team in ARRC. Having this performance as one of the biggest motivations, I am looking forward to another best results in tomorrow’s race.”
Quote of Honda Racing India rider Senthil Kumar:
“Riding in the circuit of Japan is a dream for every Honda rider and I am happy that today on the same track our team created history. But I am not satisfied with my performance as the bad weather became a roadblock for me. Learning from today’s mistakes, I am preparing well for tomorrow and confident to earn points for the team in the final race of this round.”