Honda riders Anish, Rajiv finish in Top 25 in race 2 of ARCC

Indian rider duo of Rajiv Sethu and Anish Shetty maintained their rhythm and remained in the top 25 for race 2 of the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARCC) here on Sunday.

Still learning the ropes of international racing as part of the debutant Honda Racing India team, rookie Anish Shetty and Rajiv Sethu consistently picked up pace and completed the 8 lap race in the top 25 of 33 riders.

Despite recovering from a wrist injury and having less lap practice due to a crash in practice 1, Rajiv Sethu gained 7 positions to finish at 24th. Anish despite experiencing the Suzuka track for the first time ever worked his way up to 25th, gaining 5 positions.

Among others, Honda 2Wheeler India team's third rider, 19-year old Japanese rider Taiga Hada competed in the marquee SuperSport 600cc with 22 other riders.

After a red flag, the race restarted yet again and Hada finished 11th which is one improvement over his 12th finish on Saturday. Overall, Hada gained 9 points in the Suzuka round, taking his total points tally to 29 in three rounds.

In the Race 2 of Asia Production 250cc class, Indonesia's Honda rider Rheza Danica Ahrens starting from the pole position continued to build on his lead.

Commenting on the occasion, the Vice President, Brand & Communication, of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. Prabhu Nagaraj said: "After the warm up today morning, our boys had entered the race with a positive frame of mind. Despite riding a completely new machine for him (CBR 250RR) and first time riding in the tough Suzuka track, Anish has consistently improved his time daily.

"We have high hopes for Rajiv and look forward to better performance as he recovers fully. Our Indian riders maintained rhythm and finished in top 25 in Japan round.

With the national championship starting next weekend, our boys will have more practice before the next Chennai round of ARRC. We want to ride on the home advantage," he added.

--IANS

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