Tough day for Indian racers in Sepang

Saturday’s morning qualifier saw Rajiv clock a strong 2:27:617 lap time. That put him in the top-15 riders who were competing in the two-second gap. Starting the afternoon’s race 1 from the 5th row, Rajiv started off aggressively. That was when misfortune struck as he suffered a fall at Turn 11 soon after, cutting short his dream of a top-10 finish.

For the 18-year-old Senthil, Saturday was another day of progress. Working hard in the morning qualifier, Senthil clocked his personal best lap time of 2:29:612. He showed his mettle in the afternoon race, climbing five positions from 22nd on the starting grid to 

finish 17th. 

With a strong home turf advantage for Malaysian rider Shahrol Yuzy and Thai rider Sawapol Nilapong in close pursuit, Senthil decided to defend his position. Despite the to and fro between them in the last two laps, Senthil successfully maintained his position to finish 17th – 0.162 seconds ahead of Sawapong. 

Race 1 saw battle start from the word go and ended at the chequered flag. While the afternoon race saw three crashes, it was once again the Honda riders who notched up all 3 podium positions. 

Completing the podium were Indonesian rider Irfan Ardiansyah from Astra Honda (1st), Muklada Sarapuech (2nd) and Rafid Topan Sucipto (3rd), all crossing the chequered flag in a mere 0.261 gap. 

Honda Racing India rider Rajiv, said, “The competition was really tough here. All top-15 riders were competing in two seconds. In the morning qualifier, I couldn’t start with a fast group and could have done better than the 15th finish. In the afternoon race, I made a good start and maintained my spot in top-15 even when 20 of us were fighting in front bunch. However, I made a cornering mistake while pushing hard in Turn 11 of lap 2. This resulted in a high side and crash thereon. That was a set-back for sure. But the only saving grace is that I got away with just a minor sprain and can ride on Sunday. Overall, I am confident of my machine setting and my target still remains top-10.”

His compatriot Senthil, said, “A bad start cost me two positions. But I overtook three riders in Turn 1 of lap 1 itself. But with Rajiv crashing just before me in lap 2, I had to slow down to avoid crash. In the process, the gap between the bunch increased and I was riding alone after that. It was finally in the penultimate lap that Sawapol overtook me, but I reversed it mid-lap itself. The chase continued in last lap too, with Sawapol cutting me in turn 2 and me returning the favour in turn 4 to finally finish 0.162 seconds before him. I have to ensure a good start on Sunday and stick with the bunch and fight harder.”