Sethu racks up first points at Asia Road Racing Championship

The Idemitsu Honda Racing India team member finished 13th in Race 1 in a grid of 24 riders. Rajiv, who missed the previous round due to a wrist injury, had a disappointing outing on the final day (Race 2) as he came 16th at the Madras Motor Race Track.  

Despite being only 20-years-old, Sethu is senior to Anish Damodara Shetty, who is making his first appearance in the continental event. Asked if he imparts a chunk of his knowledge to the debutant, he said, “We both practice together. I think, that in itself must give him confidence going forward.” 

Commenting on the challenge a rookie will face when he forays into the ARRC championship, he opined, “Each country has its own top riders. It’s a very good learning curve for lower-ranked riders who get to train with those who compete at the ARRC. So, when they graduate to the ARRC level, they will not find it very difficult.“

Talking about his recovery from the injury which forced him to give the Japan round a miss, he added, “I have recovered well. I knew I could come back (after my injury). I have been training here (MMRT) as well as at the go-karting tracks in Bengaluru.”  

The local lad refused to put the thinking cap on, to predict the title-winner of the Asia Production 250cc class. “All of them are very good out here and it is very difficult to guess who will come up trumps.” 

On how he got hooked to the sport, he remarked, “My brother took up racing and that is how I got to know about it. I joined the Honda Ten10 academy in 2014. By training under them, I made my debut in the one-make series. Since start to till date, Honda has been very supportive,” concluded Sethu, who is pursuing his B. Com degree through correspondence at the Madras University.