SENTUL (INDONESIA): Honda Racing’s Indian duo of Rajiv Sethu and Anish Shetty made the best improvement in timing in Asia Production 250CC category in the penultimate round of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at Sentul International Circuit on Friday. Rajiv, who recently won Round 4 of Indian National Championship, got a 1.6s boost from his first practice lap to climb to 21st among 30. However, the Chennai lad had a nasty fall and could not participate in the third practice lap, as his bike was damaged.
Meanwhile, debutant Anish improved by 2.9s between practice lap 1 and 2, but couldn’t maintain his momentum in the third session, finishing 25th. But the team’s best display came in SuperSports 600CC class, as 20-year-old Japanese Taiga Hada jumped from 10th in the first practice lap to 5th by the third.
Sentul International Circuit has 11 turns. It is the toughest round, according to Rajiv. “I’ve a slight pain because of the fall. My bike is damaged. But Sentul is a tough track and I have entered this round with a positive momentum. Today was about finding proper grip and racing line. My timing has improved. Tomorrow’s qualifying will be critical, and I want to gain points to try and finish in the top 15.”
Anish is slowly adapting to the conditions and is hoping to improve on Saturday. “We have identified the areas that I need to improve. We will work on them tomorrow for a better lap time.”
vimalsankar@newindianexpress.com