Yuki tops opening practice in Round 3 of FIM ARRC

PETALING JAYA: Yuki Takahashi is not just racing for his friends and family. He is also doing it for the team and his hospitalised Malaysian team-mate Zamri Baba.

The Musashi Boon Siew Honda Racing rider couldn’t have hoped for a better start at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan as he topped the opening practice with a scorching 2:13.866 in Round 3 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC).

Yuki was quickest on the combined SuperSports 600cc timesheet based on his dominant performance in the second free practice.

He is the team’s sole rider after team manager Zulhelmi Ahmad announced their decision not to bring in a replacement for the 31-year-old Zamri, who is still recovering at the Siloam Karawaci Hospital in Jakarta following an accident in the second round of the championship at the Sentul International Circuit in Indonesia on June 7.

Makoto Inagaki (YellowCorn Akeno Speed Racing) topped the first free practice session, that was held under damp conditions, in 2:16.216, with Yuki only managing fifth.

Yuki Ito (Petronas Hong Leong Yamaha) bounced back from an uneventful morning practice to be second fastest on the combined timesheet in 2:14.104 after overtaking Thai rider Ratthapong Wilairot (AP Honda Racing Thailand) in the dying minutes.

Tomoyoshi Koyama (T. Pro Yuzy Honda NTS) was fourth fastest in 2:15.037 while Yudhistira (Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki) rounded up the top five in 2:15.237.

“This is my home race, and naturally I want to get really good results here not just for my fans and family, but for the team and my partner Zamri Baba as well. I’ll have to work really hard for that,” said Takahashi.

“We had a very positive run today (yesterday) and came very close to breaking the circuit record. If we can maintain or increase the pace, I’m quite sure we can set a new benchmark tomorrow (today) either in the third free practice or the qualifying.”