Rajiv notches up 2 more points for India in ARRC

With as many as nine riders losing traction and crashing out on Suzuka's slippery tarmac in Asia Production 250 class (AP250) Race 2, Sunday was about maintaining lines and avoiding mistakes.

Starting 13th on the grid, IDEMITSU Honda Racing India rider Rajiv Sethu made a good start and climbed to 7th spot before the last corner of lap 1. But then, his helmet visor started fogging up, leading to near zero visibility.

From there on, Rajiv gradually dropped to 16th position and pushed on to return to top 15 in lap 5, got pushed back in lap 6 but recovered by the penultimate 7th lap to return to 15th. In the last lap, Rajiv spotted an opening and overtook the rider before him to finish 14th and add 2 more points to IDEMITSU Honda Racing India's kitty.

Shrugging off his 28th finish in Race 1 on Saturday, Senthil Kumar achieved his target of a top 20 finish on Sunday. Starting 24th on grid, Senthil increased his confidence on the slippery Suzuka tarmac and jumped four positions in last 2 laps to finally finish 20th.

At the front, it was once again an Indonesian hat-trick on the podium. After Muklada Sarapuech crashed out in lap 1, Rafid Topan Sucipto, who started Race 2 from pole position, too lost his front and crashed in lap 6.

Astra Honda's Awhin Sanjaya won by a 4 second gap, the battle for second place raged on till the chequered flag finally settled with Astra Honda rider Irfan Ardyah finishing second and Kawasaki Racing rider Andy Fadly third.

With the curtains down at Suzuka, IDEMITSU Honda Racing India is now ranked 9th out of 20 teams with 25 points. Snapping 3 more points, Rajiv is among the top 15 riders while rookie rider Senthil is placed 25th with 2 points.

( With inputs from IANS )