Idemitsu Honda Racing India’s Rajiv Sethu finished fifth in Race 1 of the Japanese round of the 2022 Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC). This is the best result secured by an Indian rider in the championship so far.
Sethu couldn’t quite replicate the same result in Race 2, but nevertheless, Honda India walks away from Round 3 with their highest points haul all season.
- Sethu goes from P14 to P5 in Race 1
- Honda India scores 12 points in Round 3
Race 1
The opening lap of Race 1 saw plenty of drama with five riders, including Honda India’s Senthil Kumar, crashing out in wet conditions. Starting from 14th on the grid, Sethu made big gains on Lap 1 to move up to sixth place. He had a brief scare as the wet track caught him out, but he recovered from his fall to re-join the race.
He ended up finishing fifth in what was his very first outing on the Sportsland SUGO International Circuit. This handed Honda India 11 points – their highest ever in a single race and their first top five finish in the ARRC.
Race 2
Race 2 wasn’t as joyous for Sethu, who never really recovered after making a mistake early on. After struggling for grip, he could only manage finishing 17th.
Kumar, however, was able to finish in the points this time around. Benefitting from four riders crashing out on the last lap, Kumar finished 15th to bag one point.
The team currently stands 11th overall with a total of 31 points – just two points behind Endless Team Shanti (10th) and three points behind Honda Racing Vietnam (ninth).
