- Rajiv Sethu bags 2 points for the team in Race 2 of Round 4 at Suzuka circuit
- Senthil Kumar gains four positions, finishes in 20th position
- Wet race resulted in nine riders losing traction and crashing out
After a disappointing qualifying session followed by an equally challenging Race 1, the Race 2 of Round 4 of the 2019 Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) turned out to be a wet race dialling up the drama at the Suzuka circuit in Japan. The downpour resulted in nine riders losing traction and crashing out during the course of the race. However, despite the difficulties, solo Indian team Idemitsu Honda Racing India team managed to secure two points by the end of the race.
Idemitsu Honda Racing India team’s Rajiv Sethu had a good start and moved up seven positions from 13th position on the grid. He managed to make this climb before the last corner of lap 1. However, due to the weather conditions, the fogging of the visor inside the helmet and near zero visibility due to the spray thrown up by other riders in front, Rajiv dropped down to 16th position, losing 10 positions in the bargain. And that wasn’t the end, despite pushing on to gain a position in lap 5, Rajiv got pushed back in the following lap, but recovered again in lap 7 back to 15th position. In the last lap, taking advantage of an opening, Rajiv made his move and completed the race in 14th position. The win resulted in two points added to the team’s kitty.
The team’s second rider Senthil Kumar, had a positive day as he achieved his day’s goal of securing a top 20 finish. After starting the race in 24th position, Senthil, despite the challenging wet race conditions, managed to gain 4 positions in the last two laps on the race and finished in 20th position.
With Round 4 over, the team now ranks 9th overall amongst the 20 teams participating in the championship. The next round of the ARRC will be held from 9-11 August at the Korea International Circuit in South Korea.
