Team Suzuki Press Office – July 7.
Team KAGAYAMA SUZUKI Asia continued its positive points haul in the second race at the weekend’s third round of the Asia Road Race Championship at Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
Following his podium in Saturday’s wet opening race, Nori Haga raced his GSX-R600 to fifth place in Sunday’s dry event with team-mate Rafid Topan Sucipto fighting to 14th, despite still suffering with hand injuries incurred in a practice crash.
In the morning warm-up session, Haga showed consistency by finishing third fastest as Topan spent the session working on new settings on his GSX-R600.
Haga started the race from the second row on the number 4 grid and once again took the holeshot into the first corner. Still in pain, Topan concentrated on finishing the race to score valuable points and also add new data for the team to take to the next round in August.
Haga added 27 points from the event and with a total of 43 points in the Championship, has moved up to ninth in the Championship. Topan added two points, and with 24 points in total, he is currently 15th in the Championship.
The series now moves to Buriram in Thailand for Round 4 on August 28th-30th.
Noriyuki Haga - #41:
“I am happy to say that the Suzuki GSX-R600 has improved significantly since we first tested at Suzuka in March. The feeling of the bike is good, even on a wet track. It was the first time I’ve used the wet-weather tyre in Race 1, we need to tweak the wet settings slightly, but I pushed hard enough to finish on the podium.
“I tried different settings for Race 2, and although I am not satisfied with my result, I'm happy that I confirmed we are heading in the right direction. Overall, I think it was a good weekend for the team and myself. I plan to use the time we have until the next race in Thailand to do what is needed, and hope to achieve better results. I thank all of our fans for their support at Suzuka,”
Rafid Topan Sucipto - #25:
"I regret that my injury did not allow me to push harder in Race 2 and I apologise to the team and the supporters. I plan to heal my injury until the next round in Thailand, improve physically and mentally, and come back to the Championship stronger. It will be my first time racing at Buriram, but I plan to learn the track quickly and find a solid setting so that I can achieve good results like Haga. I hope all of you will support me in Thailand also.”
Yukio Kagayama - General Manager:
“Haga showed what he is capable of in both races. Wet conditions helped him a bit in Race 1, but taking the holeshot in the dry Race 2, was nothing but his talent. I regret that I couldn't provide him with a machine that would allow him to keep leading the race, but the team is in high spirits, so I plan to improve the Suzuki GSX-R600 by the next round at Buriram.
“Despite his injury, I thank Topan for continuing to race and earning valuable points for us. I am sure these points will be precious at the end of the season.
“Suzuka was our home race, and despite the weather, I thank all our supporters who came to cheer for us. Team KAGAYAMA SUZUKI Asia is still in its early stages and we will work hard until we reach the top. The support we get is very important to us to achieve that goal and hope everyone will continue to support us.”
