• 2015.12.7 Andreas Gunawan wins the inaugural SAC Championship Title!

  

  The SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE, started in 2015 as a rider development program for Suzuki, using a single-platform FU150. The program is produced and directed by Yukio Kagayama.

  The series is a part of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), and the final round of 2015 was held December 4th to 6th at Chang International Circuit located in Buriram, Thailand.

  The results from Race 1 showed new faces on the podium, proving that the level of each rider have improved. However, the top 3 ranked riders did not change, and the Championship title was decided in Race 2, with contenders Andreas Gunawan (#43 Indonesia), Patis Chooprathet (#98 Thailand), and Takeru Murase (#83 Japan).

  Race 2 started at 12:20 on Sunday. With only 7 laps in the race, the leaders raced in a pack from the beginning to finish.  10 riders took turns in taking the lead corner after corner, and the outcome of the race was not to be determined until the chequered flag. Come final corner of the final lap, Murase took a dive into the corner to take the lead, but oversped to fall. Gunawan who was right behind Murase, was going to finish the race with a win, when Nazirul Izzat Bin Muhammad Baharuddin (#88 Malaysia) took a clean run and finished on top. This was Nazirul’s first win in ARRC. Gunawan came second to win SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE’s inaugural title.  While Jagan Kumar (#33 India) took his second podium finish of the season.

  SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE Rd.5 Winner
  Nazirul Izzat Bin MUHAMMAD BAHARUDIN）| #88
  It was a tough race today. I tried hard not to fall and waited for the chance to pass, and the right moment came at the final corner of the final lap. I didn’t think I was going to win, but I did it! SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE opened up a lot of possibility for me as racer, and there were many precious things I learned from it.

  SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE 2015 Champion
  Andreas GUNAWAN  | #43　
  I was determined to take the Championship title today. Everyone was very fast this weekend so I knew it was going to be a tough one to win it, but I knew I would win the title if I finished 4th, so I tried to be smart. I followed the pack, and tried to find the right moment. My year with SAC made my riding improved significantly. I made a lot of friends from other countries, and I learned a lot about motorcycles. This has been my best year of my racing career. Tomorrow I will be riding Team KAGAYAMA SUZUKI Asia’s GSX-R600. I have ridden the street version so I am looking forward to it, and I am confident I can ride it.

  Yukio Kagayama | General Manager
  I have started the SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE with Suzuki this year, to develop young Asian riders with dream of one day becoming a MotoGP™ rider. I received tremendous support from everyone involved, sponsors, the riders, and the fans, and I would like to thank each and everyone of them.

  To be honest, I was worried about how they would progress when I first saw them ride at Sepang, but they showed improvement at every round. They not only improved in their riding skills, but in racing fairly, and in mental preparation.  I am confident that they are now steps closer to becoming a world-class rider. Everything they learned will be a plus to them in their future racing career, and I sincerely hope that they will one day become a MotoGP rider.  Learning together with fellow riders from different nationalities and cultures, should make them grow up, not only as a rider, but also as a human being, and I hope they use what they learn in whatever they do in the future.

   

  

>>> 一覧を見る