Racer Sarath Kumar set for Malaysia tourney

After a near month-long season break, India's Sarath Kumar will get back into action in the fourth round of the Asia Road Racing Championship here this weekend, astride a Honda CBR600WR motor bike for Team T. Pro Yuzy Honda NTS Racing.

Having missed the season-opener in Malaysia due to a knee injury that he suffered during pre-season training, Sarath Kumar entered for the second round in Buriram, Thailand, but could not take a start as the knee acted up. The third round in Suzuka, Japan, saw Sarath finally make his debut run in the championship, but skipped the second race of the double-header on medical advice due to severe pain in the injured knee.

The break between the rounds has helped Sarath to work on his fitness and also undergo physiotherapy sessions to prepare for the Sentul round where he will be facing strong competition.

"It's been a long break away from racing, although we have been busy with Indian National Championship. I have been working hard to get back into shape for the ARRC Super Sport 600 races in Sentul. The recovery process of my knee is even more painful than expected. However, with the help of my team and physiotherapy sessions with Quantum Leap's Ramji Srinivasan, the knee has shown great improvement," Sarath said.

"Although I was not able to ride frequently as advised, I feel much better compared to Thailand and Japan rounds and I am going into this weekend with great confidence. I hope to improve my performance this round. The main target for me is to participate and complete both the races which I couldn't do in Suzuka because of the wet conditions and my knee problem," he added.

"The SS600 is a tough grid in ARRC. The learning process come from every race and I am doing it with an open mind and with the help of my team. Finally, I cannot thank enough my sponsors WOW Digit, Honda Racing and Ten10 Racing for their unconditional support through my tough times of recovery."

--IANS

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