• 2015.8.30 Andreas Gunawan wins an action-filled Race 1 at Buriram

  
  SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE (SAC) is SUZUKI’s rider development program for Asian riders, produced and operated by Yukio Kagayama SAC is held as a category in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.

  Qualifying and Race 1 took place on Day 2, where Round 4 of the Championship is being held at Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand. 17 riders from 9 countries took part on a sunny Thai day, making final set-ups to their SUZUKI FU150s.

  #99 Adhi Chandra (Indonesia) took pole position with a lap time of 2’18.967. Local favorite, #98 Patis Chooprathet (Thailand) qualified 2nd, while point leader #43 Andreas Gunawan (Indonesia) qualifed 3rd, making these 3 riders fill the front row.

  Race 1 started at 4:35 p.m. The front row starters would go into the 1st corner in the order of the grid position, but this did not last. Lead changes took place in almost all corners from start to finish, making this race the most exciting race this season. The top group consisted of nearly 12 riders, and this group would battle for position until the finish line. Not only did we see lead changes by the same riders, but saw a number of riders take the lead at some point of the race. And, not only was it exciting and action-packed, but was also the most clean race, where the riders battled fair and square. Not a single crash occured in Race 1, proving that riders have improved in their riding skills.

  Gunawan took the lead away from #83 Takeru Murase (Japan) at the final corner of the race, and made his 3rd win of the season. Murase finished 2nd, while Chooprathet finished 3rd.

  Race 2 will take place Sunday, August 30th.

  Andreas Gunawan | #43
  I started from the 3rd grid, so all I did was to concentrate to go up front. After Suzuka, I trained 3 times a week at the pool, and practiced riding with the FU150 in a parking lot, and came well prepared for this round at Thailand. I believe that I need to make my body in order to win, sleeping and time on the bike is important as well. I will concentrate again and try to win Race 2 tomorrow.

  Yukio Kagayama | General Manager
  Once again we saw some exciting racing, and I believe that this is proof that the riders have skilled up. I want to thank our sponsors and our supporters for making this happen. We were able to witness clean racing without any major incidents. The top group bundled up, and I was excited just watching the race. I wish to the see the same in Race 2 tomorrow.

  Hideyuki Ogata | Rider Coach
  Today we saw a race where we could not forecast who is going to win until the finish. The riders that were not able to race up front in the first half of the season, took the lead on several occasions, and maybe confidence did the job for them. The usual top finishers finished on the top again, but the race proved that everyone has a chance to win. I hope they learn how to build up the race, and finish higher in their next race.

  

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