Indian riders finish in Top- 25
Indian riders Rajiv Sethu and Anish Shetty managed reasonable finishes in Race 2 of the Asia Road Racing Championship at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan on Sunday.
Still learning the ropes of international racing as part of the debutant Honda Racing India team, Shetty and Sethu completed the eight- lap race in the top 25 of 33 riders.
Despite recovering from a wrist injury and with less track time due to a crash in practice Sethu gained seven places from the grid finish 24th while Shetty worked his way up to 25th, gaining five places from the start.
Among others, Honda 2Wheeler India team’s third member, 19- year old Japanese rider Taiga Hada competed in the marquee SuperSport 600cc with 22 other riders.
After a red flag, Hada finished 11th, one better his 12th place finish on Saturday. Overall, Hada gained nine points in the Suzuka round, taking his total points tally to 29 in three rounds.
In Race 2 of Asia Production 250cc class, Indonesia’s Honda rider Rheza Danica Ahrens starting from the pole position continued to build on his lead.
Said Shetty, “Japan was a tough one. I started on a good note but couldn’t keep up the pace in second half. I’m now better adapted to the new bike ( CBR 250RR) and this is where I feel that the next round will be critical. With more laps under the belt, I look forward to the home advantage in Chennai. For me, the countdown starts today.”
Talking on his performance in the Round 3 and his expectations from the next round, Sethu said, “Its less than a month since my wrist surgery and getting momentum on track back is top priority. I entered the race on a very positive note after the morning warm up.
“However I lost my rhythm ater a touch on lap thr5ee and I couldn’t recover fast enough. Moving ahead, I want to score in the Chennai round. From now to August, it will be intensive training. My first target is to win a podium at the national championship.”