The factory-backed Idemitsu Honda Racing India Team by T. Ten10 Racing made a fantastic start in Round 4 of the 2018 Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC). The current round of the ARRC is being held at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT), and the team managed to secure a podium finish in its home ground for the first time. Honda's solo entry in the premier SuperSport 600 (SS600) class, Taiga Hada finished third taking the team's first-ever podium finish. This is Idemitsu Honda team's first year in ARRC.
(Taiga Hada took 14 points with a podium finish in Race 1)
Speaking on his first podium with the team, Honda's Taiga Hada said, "Having scored double podiums in my previous outing at Madras Motor Race Track, I am very excited to register one of the third consecutive time. The support from the crowd was electrifying and that inspired me push harder in every corner. This is one of my most favourite tracks of the calendar and I am going to aim for a win tomorrow."
The 19-year-old started qualified sixth on the grid with the fastest lap time of 1m41.384s, and a strong start offered a competitive edge on the 3.7 km race track in Chennai. Hada was quick to pass his rivals, leading the ranks with Anthony West and managed to take the third place. The podium finish has given Hada a big jump in the championship and the rider now sits with 40 points and in top seven of the championship.
In the Asia Production 250 (AP250) class, the Honda India team had two riders - Rajiv Sethu and Anish Shetty participating, who qualified 19th and 20th respectively. Coming back from the Thai Talent Cup held earlier this year, this was the first race 20-year-old Rajiv Sethu after recovering from a wrist injury. Race 1 on Saturday was a mixed bag for the rookie rider Anish Shetty, who crashed in the seventh lap taking a DNF. For Rajiv, the rider climbed from P19 to P13 on the home ground and secured three points, his first for the season. Rajiv posted a best lap time of 1m50.945s.
Rajiv Sethu finished 13th, taking his first points of the season)
Speaking about picking up his first points, Rajiv Sethu said, "While I had a bad start today and I was confident of the setup of my bike. Too many riders crowding around me which kept pushing me outside of the racing line. But I kept my cool and kept gaining on everyone. Climbing 6 positions, I am ecstatic to score my first points for the season in front of the home crowd. My recent stint in the Thai Talent Cup has been a game changer, giving me more exposure to the highly competitive international racing. With this huge morale boost I will soak pressure better and push harder tomorrow."
Speaking on the team's performance in Round 4 of ARRC, HMSI - Vice President - Brand & Communication, Prabhu Nagaraj said, "We are extremely delighted with the performance in home soil. Making us proud, Taiga Hada's first podium and Rajiv Sethu's first points for the season is a major reason to cheer for us. Anish's crash was unfortunate but I am sure he will bounce back stronger tomorrow. The pace has been set today and I am confident that our riders will give us more reason to celebrate tomorrow."
Held since 1996, the FIM ARRC is in its 23rd edition and this year witnesses 65 riders from eight Asia and Oceania countries (Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and India) battling it in the six round championship. The championship is part of the production-based category of racing, similar to the Supersport World Championship. The fourth round of the ARRC will conclude today with the final race for the weekend. The championship will then head to Indonesia for Round 5 between October 12-14, 2018 for the penultimate round. The season finale will be held in Thailand between November 30 to December 2 later this year.
