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2015.6.9
Team KAGAYAMA SUZUKI Asia ends Round 2 with team’s best results
Round 2 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC)took place at Sentul International Circuit (4.12km/12 Turns) in Bogor, Indonesia on June 5th-7th, 2015. Team KAGAYAMA SUZUKI Asia, spearheaded by Yukio Kagayama, participated in the Supersports 600cc category with local star, #25 Rafid Topan Sucipto and #41 Noriyuki Haga.
Despite a rain forecast on race day, sunny skies and hot weather made race day a great day to race. Topan qualified 11th with a lap time of 1’30.824 and Haga qualified 16th with a lap time of 1’31.456 on Day 2 of the race weekend.
Race 1 started with a red flag on the 3rd lap. The race became a short sprint race with just 6 laps. Both Topan and Haga made great starts, positioning themselves in 5th and 6th respectively immediately after the restart. Topan finished 5th, which was the team’s best, and Haga finished 9th, making points for the team.
Race 2 started at 15:30, with clouds covering the circuit, making it a little cooler climate than Race 1. Haga once again made a great start, and positioned himself in the top group, with Topan right in front of him. However, Topan oversped in Lap 6 and crashed, forcing a retire from the race. Haga kept his postion and finished 7th in the race.
At this time, the team would also like to express our concern for the riders that was seriously injured in Race 1 and Race 2. We pray for #52 Zamri Baba and #43 M.Fadli Imammudin that they will return to our paddock soon to race with us.
Round 3 of ARRC is scheduled for July 3-5 at Suzuka Circuit, Japan.
Yukio Kagayama | General Manager
“Team KAGAYAMA SUZUKI Asia has been formed this year to compete in the ARRC, and I am happy that both Topan and Nori made single-digit finishes. 5th and 7th are the team’s best results. Both rider’s abilities are capable of finishing at better results, and I feel responsible for not being able to give them the SUZUKI GSX-R600 that matches their capabilities. We will try our best to make a better machine at Suzuka, and hope that we can show the Japanese fans a better race”Rafid Topan Sucipto | #25
“In Race 1, I was able to run in 4th, but it was difficult to catch the front on straights and it became a tough race form me. I made a mistake in Race 2, where I ran of the racing line in a very bumpy corner, and crashed. I wanted to finish on the podium for my local fans, and pushed too hard. I really wanted to win in my home country, and I regret that I couldn’t. Next race is in Japan, which will be a home race for the team, and I wish to be on the podium for our General Manager, Kagayama.”Noriyuki Haga | #41
“The machine was better at the start of Race 1, but I changed the setting during the red-flag, and that lost my good feeling, and had to drop back during the race. We modified the setting for Race 2, and it became the best setting for this week. Although I finished in results where I not satisfied with, we managed to get points. We were able to finish both races, and we gathered important data. I believe that this would enable us to find where we are weak, and we should be able to do better if we can fix the problems we have. We will be at Suzuka next, which will be our home race, so we will try our best to do much better there.”
