Honda aims at getting balanced side for next ARRC season

Rajiv Sethu's feat of gaining his first point outside Indian soil has not only brought smiles on the faces of the Honda India Racing contingent at the Chang International Circuit here, but has also raised a ray of hope as the team aims to build itself for the next season.

Rajiv and Anish have been instrumental in Honda's success in the ongoing season and with the trials for the upcoming Asian Road Racing Championship taking place on December 4 and 5 here, all eyes will be on the likes of teenagers Senthil Kumar and Kritik Habib.

The 17-year-old Senthil has gained first hand experience by taking part in the Honda Thai Talent Cup on Sunday, while 18-year-old Habib will be itching to get his wheels rolling and get his endurance and ability tested.

Prabhu Nagaraj, the Vice President, Brand and Communications, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) rightly pointed out that the test will be purely on performance and help decide the ARRC team for the next season.

"Habib is a product of the Honda Talent Hunt, and has been consistently among the top three in all the four legs of the season, three at the MMRT in Chennai and one at the BIC in Greater Noida," Nagaraj told IANS here.

"It will be a good exposure for the young kid, but the focus will purely be on his performance in the test race. He has improved in each round, and hopefully give his best in the tests here."

With Rajiv and Anish already playing the mentor's role to these kids, the next season will expectedly be a mixture of youth and experience, carrying the hopes of a billion Indians in the continental competition.

(Tridib Baparnash can be contacted at tridib.b@ians.in)

--IANS

tri/ajb/sed