Sepang (Malaysia): The Honda Racing India team wrapped up the action-packed Round 2 of the 2023 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) with overall 2 points on Monday.
Honda Racing India team’s rider Kavin Samaar Quintal put together a consistent performance in Sunday’s AP250cc race 1 of Asia Production 250cc (AP250cc), which became even more challenging in the hot and sweltering weather conditions at the Sepang International Circuit.
After making a good start from the 16th position, the 17-year-old Quintal couldn’t surge ahead till the 5th lap. By lap 6 the Indian rider overtook 1 rider. Keeping calm and maintaining his pace, the young lad from Chennai finished in 14th position — just on the edge of the points as several riders ahead made mistakes. His best lap of 2:27.647 earned him and the team 2 valuable points in the championship.
Fresh from his 16th place qualifier and 14th place finish in Sunday’s outing, Quintal was keen to make a forward step in Monday’s race 2 but he could not finish the race after his bike developed a technical snag in lap 2 and he returned to the pits.
Quintal has notched up 2 points in Round 2 here at the Sepang International Circuit maintaining his presence in the top 15 in the championship overall.
On the other hand, his fellow teammate Mohsin Paramban from Mallapuram had put in a fighting ride to end Race 1 of AP250cc in 17th position 3 places higher than his qualifying position of 20th.
Despite a good start which pushed the 20-year-old rider 1 position ahead to 18th by the 2nd lap of today’s race 2, an overtake by another rider during the 3rd lap pulled him down to 19th. From thereon he continued to maintain his position until the last lap where he crashed out due to an attempt to chase another rider ahead of him. Unfortunately, the rookie rider couldn’t score any points in the Sepang round.
With the end of round 2, the Honda Racing India team has earned an additional two valuable points, bringing their total to 11 points thus far in the 2023 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC).
“It’s not the weekend the team was hoping for. The hot temperatures of the weekend made everything more critical. The round started on a positive note for both Kavin and Mohsin but race 2 brought various challenges for them,” said Tsutsumu Otani – President, CEO & Managing Director, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India.
“Each round presents new opportunities for growth & experience, and I am confident that our team will learn from these challenges and improve their performance in the upcoming rounds. We are still in the early stages. Our riders will continue to refine their skills and work towards earning more valuable po”nts for the team,” he said.
“This round didn’t happen as per my expectations. Although I made a good start with Race 1 and earned points for the team, the mechanical issues in Race 2 spoiled my plans. Taking the learnings from the last round, I was positive enough to finish this round with better performance and results,” said Kavin Quintal, Honda Racing India rider.
“However, I could not match my target. Taking this round in good spirits, I am excited for the next round in Japan. With more learning, we will enhance our strategies and techniques to stay committed t” our prime objective,” he added.
“It was a tough round for me. Though I was steady throughout both races 1 & 2 but the crash in today’s race was beyond my expectations. After Kavin’s dropout today, my focus was to remain consistent. I tried to maintain a consistent pace throughout the race,” said Mohsin Paramban, Honda Racing India rider.
“However, this round had some other plans. Still, this is not the end of the show. This race’s loss has brought more motivation amongst us. I shall be working more on my weak points and return stronger in the next round in Japan, which is a dream tr”ck for every Honda rider,” he said.
–IANS