-
2017.4.2
Mario Borbon Jr. wins the first race of the SAC 2017 season
Day 2 of the season opener started in hot and humid weather, but rain hits the circuit right before Race 1 of the SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE (SAC).
Qualifying took place in the morning in hot weather. As the riders took their laps, each started to go faster, as they got used to the track condition. #16 April King Mascardo (Philippines) took the pole position with a super lap of 1’57.660, breaking the course record of last year by close to 2 seconds. #11 Ahmad Saugi Muchtar (Indonesia) ran a 1’57.723 to qualify 2nd, and #22 Eane Jaye S. Sobretodo (Philippines) filled the front row with a lap time of 1’58.053.
Rain started to fall right before start of Race 1, making it a wet race. The riders made a good start, but the rain gradually got stronger as the race progressed. #76 Chepy Armansyah (Indonesia) took the lead at start, and gradually started to made a gap with the others. However, a little mistake on the 2nd lap forced him out of the race.
The race carried on with Muchtar, #27 Nur Al Fath Sam Ahmad (Indonesia), and #46 Aaron Gunawardena (Sri Lanka) running away from the pack. With several lead changes by them, it seemed at one point that one of them would take the win. The surprise came when #29 Mario Borbon Jr. (Philippines) closed in on the leaders in the latter laps of the race. Once Borbon caught up with the group, he took no time to take the lead, and won SAC’s first race of the 2017 season.
Race 2 is scheduled to start on April 2nd at 11:30a.m.
Mario Borbon Jr. | ＃29“It was a wet race and I started from the 11th grid, so I concentrated trying to finish the race as high as I can. By the later stage of the race, I caught up with the leaders. I have never raced in such heavy rain before, and I was scared but I was able to concentrate and win the race. This is a great start of the season for me, and I hope to continue winning so that I can get the Championship title this season.
Yukio Kagayama | General Manager
“The riders were much faster than the race we did with the Satria F150 here last year. The young SAC riders ran well and showed us what the GSX-R150 can do.It was not good that the rain started pouring right before the race, but the riders showed stability in this slippery condition and showed us a great race. I think Mario’s experience with us, made it an advantage for him. I hope that the riders can race in dry condition tomorrow. I thank all the supporters and hope they will continue supporting our riders tomorrow in Race 2.”
Shunji Yatsushiro | Rider Coach
“Unfortunately, it became a difficult condition in Race 1 with wet track. We had two fallers during the race, but considering the condition that they were in, I should say that all of them did well. Mario showed us what an experienced rider can do in such condition. He paced up at the later half of the race, and swept away the win. However, 2 newcomers to SAC came in 2nd and 3rd, so the returnees should be more aware of their competition. Our youngest rider, Aaron came in 4th, and showed us that he wasn’t happy about his 4th, but this result will benefit him as a rider. I expect him to show us a good race again.”
