Competition Activity
The 2020 season marks the third consecutive year that HVN has sponsored and organized the Vietnam Motorcycle Racing Championship (VMRC) in the form of a season-long championship, scoring based on the athletes’ performance after each stage, and crowning the champion at the end of the season. The four categories Blade 110cc, MSX 125cc, Winner 150cc, and UB 130cc were organized and competed in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Starting in 2020, with the goal of creating opportunities for development and nurturing young talents, VMRC will expand its championship scale by introducing the Vietnam Talent Cup for the first time. This category aims to discover and develop young racers with potential to compete in international competitions. Racers aged 15 to 18 will compete using the NSF100 model. Here, racers not only compete but also receive training and coaching from Honda Racing Vietnam racers competing in international championships as well as from foreign experts at each VMRC 2020 stage. In addition, the 2020 season will continue to organize competitions in the familiar categories of Blade 110cc, MSX 125cc, Winner 150cc, and UB 130cc.
Currently, VMRC is considered the first and only professional racing event in Vietnam. The professionalism in organization, increasing competitiveness, and thrilling competition at each stage have made VMRC increasingly appealing to the audience. Moving into the 2020 season, HVN will continue to sponsor the Vietnam Motorcycle Racing Championship with 6 stages scheduled. The expected schedule for the Vietnam Motorcycle Racing Championship 2020 is as follows:
HVN began competing in the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) in 2016 as a companion with the Yuzy racing team from Malaysia. By the 2019 season, HVN had officially established the Honda Racing Vietnam team – the first and only racing team from Vietnam competing in ARRC. In their first year of independent competition, the team achieved remarkable progress in the UB150 and AP250 categories. In addition to their domestic activities, HVN also aims to achieve higher results in the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC). ARRC began in 1996 and is known as one of the most prestigious racing events in Asia and the Pacific, serving as a stepping stone for national champions to reach a higher level, while opening up a new chapter for this dramatic sport in Asia. Currently, the competition is held in 4 categories: UB150cc, AP250cc, SS600cc, and ASB1000cc.
Activity
In the 2020 season, the entire Honda Racing Vietnam team will continue to compete in the UB150 and AP250 categories with the goal of achieving better results than in 2019. In the AP250 category, based on their previous season’s performance, the team is aiming for a podium finish, while in the UB150 category, the team aims to earn a total of 8 points by the end of the season.
In the ARRC 2020 competition, the Honda Racing Vietnam team consists of three racers: Nguyen Duc Thanh #193, Nguyen Anh Tuan #178 competing in the UB150 category, Cao Viet Nam #65 competing in the AP250 category, and Team Manager cum Technical Manager of the UB150 category, Tran Trung Dung.
Athlete Nguyen Duc Thanh has been competing for the Honda Racing Vietnam team since stage 4 of ARRC 2019. Besides, at the VMRC 2019 competition sponsored by HVN, Athlete Nguyen Duc Thanh won the championship in the Blade 110cc category. With his impressive performance in the 2019 season and systematic training, Athlete Nguyen Duc Thanh will continue to be one of the two racers expected to bring impressive achievements to the Honda Racing Vietnam team in the UB150 category.
Athlete Nguyen Anh Tuan joined the Honda Racing Vietnam team in stage 7 of ARRC 2019. Despite only participating in one stage of ARRC, Athlete Nguyen Anh Tuan showed his talent, experience, and ability to compete on par with more experienced racers. In addition, he won the championship in the Winner 150cc category of the VMRC 2019 competition. Athlete Nguyen Anh Tuan will compete for the Honda Racing Vietnam team throughout the 2020 ARRC season.
Athlete Cao Viet Nam is currently the only Vietnamese racer competing in the AP250 category. In just two years of competing in the category, he has shown remarkable progress. In the 2019 season, Athlete Cao Viet Nam scored 50 points, finishing 14th out of 44 racers, while the team finished 7th out of 20. In addition to impressive performances, Athlete Cao Viet Nam also won the championship in the Thailand Talent Cup 2019, becoming the first Vietnamese racer to win an international competition.
With his progress and maturity in strategic thinking, in his second year of independent competition, the Honda Racing Vietnam team aims for a top 10 finish and at least one podium finish in the AP250 category.
Honda Racing Vietnam will compete in all 7 stages in the UB150 and AP250 categories. The overall schedule for the 2020 season is as follows:
Training Activities
In the goal of making racing activities in Vietnam more professional and closer to international standards, HVN focuses on developing and training racers as well as building a healthy racing culture in Vietnam. The notable training and coaching activities for 2020 are as follows:
Training young racers in Vietnam
In 2020, HVN will continue to invite Japanese advisor Mr. Satoru Kamada – a former MotoGP driver in the 2009 race held in Japan and currently the manager of the prestigious Okegawa racecourse in Japan – to train racers and support the Vietnam Motorcycle Sports Association in granting valid licenses for racers. In addition, the racers of Honda Racing Vietnam will directly participate in training young racers in Vietnam, thereby discovering potential talents for racing activities at the international level.
Sending technicians to participate in the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance EWC 2019 – 2020 and Sepang 8 Hours Endurance EWC 2020-2021 races
The Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance and Sepang 8 Hours Endurance races are endurance races held in the International Championship Federation International Motorcycle – Endurance World Championship (FIM – EWC). In these races, racers compete for 8 consecutive hours on the Suzuka racetrack in Japan or the Sepang racetrack in Malaysia to maximize the number of laps and achieve the highest ranking in each stage as well as throughout the season.
With the goal of helping the team’s technicians learn more experience and skills in major international competitions, starting in 2017, HVN sent one technician from the HVN team to join the technical team of Honda Asia – Dream Racing with SHOWA. In 2020, one technician from the team will continue to be sent to work and learn from experience. The expected time to participate in the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance is July 19, 2020, and the Sepang 8 Hours Endurance is on December 13, 2020.
Participating in the Suzuka JP250 4 Hours Endurance Road Race 2020
The Suzuka JP250 4 Hours Endurance Road Race has been held annually at the Suzuka racetrack in Japan since 1980. This race is for Japanese and Asian racers to compete and aim for larger competitions such as ARRC or Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance.
The Honda Racing Vietnam team started competing in this race in 2019. In the first year of competition, despite finishing 22nd out of 46 overall, the team had an impressive performance, especially with Athlete Cao Viet Nam being able to compete in the top three leading racers. In the 2020 season, the team will continue to strive for a higher ranking in this race, which is also an opportunity for the entire team to improve racing skills and gain experience for technicians to apply to international competitions. The expected time to participate in the race is May 16-17, 2020.
Participating in the Thailand Talent Cup 2020 (TTC) Race
The Thailand Talent Cup is a domestic race organized annually by AP Honda (Thailand) Company. Since 2018, AP Honda has provided opportunities for racers from Honda companies in the region to compete in order to improve their experience and skills towards international standards. Honda Racing Vietnam is proud that Athlete Cao Viet Nam became the champion of the TTC 2019, making him the first Vietnamese racer to win an international championship. In the 2020 season, the team will continue to send one young racer to compete and train in this competition, nurturing young talents for Honda Racing Vietnam as well as for motorcycle racing in Vietnam.
Participating in the Malaysia Superbike Championship 2020 (MSBK)
The Malaysia Superbike Championship is held at the international Sepang racetrack in Malaysia, bringing together racers from Malaysia and Indonesia to compete in 4 categories: MSBK250, MSBK600, MSBK Superstock, and MSBK Superbike. With the goal of elevating the competition level of Honda Racing Vietnam athletes to achieve high results on the international stage, the team will officially participate in the MSBK from the 2020 season. Furthermore, in the 2020 season, the MSBK will increase the number of competition categories, officially organizing the MSBK 150 category for 150cc motorcycles. Honda Racing Vietnam will compete in the MSBK150 and MSBK250 categories.
With the brand slogan “The Power of Dreams,” HVN believes in the power of dreams to bring joy to everyone. With the spirit of accepting challenges, constant creativity, and continuous effort, HVN always strives to create new value to ensure the highest satisfaction for customers. With that spirit, HVN not only focuses on developing diverse products but also strives to participate in and organize various racing activities. In 2020, HVN will continue to strive for the development of racing culture in Vietnam, improve its position in prestigious motorcycle racing events, compete in more categories at regional and continental competitions.
Trang Nguyen (forum.autodaily.vn)
