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2015.7.6
Team KAGAYAMA SUZUKI Asia finishes the Suzuka round with solid points
FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Round 3 at Suzuka. Winning their first podium finish in Race 1 the day before, the team was prepared to do the same for Race 2 that was held on July 5th, 2015.
In the morning warm-up session, #41 Noriyuki Haga showed consistency by finishing 3rd fastest in the session. #25 Rafid Topan Sucipto drastically changed his setting, and this session was spent on confirming his riding with the new setting.
Although there were clouds over Suzuka at the start of Race 2, it became a full dry race. Haga who started from the second row on the number 4 grid, once again showed his talent and took the whole shot. However, he had to fall back during the race, and finished 5th in the race.
With injuries from the practice session on Saturday, Topan concentrated on finishing the race. He did just that, by finishing the race in the 14th position. Both Haga and Topan earned precious points and data for the team.
Haga added 27 points this weekend, and with a total of 43 points in the Championship, he has moved up to 9th in the Championship. Topan added 2 points, and with a total of 24 points, he is currently 15th in the Championship.
The Championship moves to Buri Ram, Thailand for Round 4, scheduled to be held from August 28th to 30th, 2015.
Noriyuki Haga | #41
“I am happy to say that the SUZUKI GSX-R600 has improved significantly since we first tested at Suzuka in March. The feeling of the bike is good, even on a wet track.It was the first time for me to use the rain tire in Race 1. We need to tweak the wet setting, but I pushed hard enough to finish on the podium.
I tried a different setting for Race 2, and although I am not satisfied with my result, I’m happy I confirmed that we are heading to the right direction. Overall, I think it was a good weekend for the team and myself. I plan to use the time we have until the next race at Thailand to do what is needed, and hope to achieve better results. I thank all of you for the support at Suzuka”
Rafid Topan Sucipto | #25
“I regret that my injury did not allow me to push harder in Race 2, and I apologize to the team and the supporters. I plan to heal my injury until the next round in Thailand, improve physically and mentally, and come back to the Championship. It will be my first time to race at Buri Ram, but I plan to get used to the track quickly, and find a solid setting so that I can achieve good results like Haga. I hope all of you will support me at Thailand too.”Yukio Kagayama | General Manager
“Haga showed what he is capable to do in both races. Wet conditions helped him a bit in Race 1, but taking the whole shot in the dry Race 2, was nothing but his talent. I regret that I couldn’t provide him with a machine that would allow to keep leading the race. The team is in high spirit, so I plan to improve the SUZUKI GSX-R600 by the next round at Buri Ram.Despite his injury, I thank Topan for continuing to race, and earned points for us. I am sure these points will be precious at the end of the season.
Suzuka was our home race, and despite the weather, I thank all our supporters that came to cheer for us. Team KAGAYAMA SUZUKI Asia is still in our growing up stage, and we will work hard until we reach the top. The support we get are important for us to achieve that goal, and hope you all will continue to support us.”
