IDEMITSU Honda Riders Show Strong Pace in Suzuka Practice at ARRC Round 4
Riders from IDEMITSU Honda Racing India, Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar, delivered an impressive performance across three practice sessions in Round 4 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at Suzuka Circuit.
Coming off their recent Suzuka 4-hour endurance race experience, both riders showed significant improvement and growing confidence on the technical Japanese circuit.
Rajiv Sethu Breaks into Top 10
In his third year in ARRC, Rajiv Sethu continued his upward trajectory. He clocked a best lap time of 2:30.826, finishing among the top 10 riders across the three free practice sessions. In FP1, he was just about one second behind leader Andy Muhammad Fadly.
Rajiv’s steady progress is reflected in the championship standings, where he has climbed from 28th position in 2018 to 14th place in 2019, already securing 22 points after three rounds.
Positive Gains for Rookie Senthil Kumar
Eighteen-year-old rookie Senthil Kumar also showed encouraging progress, improving his lap time by over one second across sessions. He finished 24th overall with a best time of 2:34.302, demonstrating increasing comfort and competitiveness on the international circuit.
Challenging Track Conditions at Suzuka
Following rains a day earlier, Suzuka’s mixed conditions made the track particularly demanding. Indonesian riders dominated the timesheets, with Andy Muhammad Fadly leading at 2:28.450, followed by Irfan Ardiansyah and R. Chrisantho Ratukore.
Known for its combination of high-speed straights and technical chicanes, Suzuka remains one of the most challenging circuits in the championship. With the top 10 riders separated by just two seconds, the competition is expected to intensify further.
