In the final two days of the 2019 ARRC season, the last race took place at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand. The Chang International Circuit is a familiar track for the Honda Racing Vietnam team and speed enthusiasts worldwide. With a length of 4.554km and 12 turns, the track is considered the “home” of Honda Racing Vietnam as it is one of the tracks that the team has had the most success on. The track is designed with long straight sections and sharp turns, with turn 12 being known as the “fateful turn” of the race.
Nguyễn Anh Tuấn’s debut in ARRC 2019
Honda entered the final race with the biggest morale boost coming from the stellar performance of Cao Việt Nam, who had earned 12 points in the previous race at Sepang, bringing his total to 44 points and moving up to 14th out of 40 in the AP250 category. This achievement also helped the Honda Racing Vietnam team secure the 7th position out of 20 teams participating in this category.
Racer Nguyễn Đức Thanh UB150 (#193)
Notably, in the final race, the UB150 category duo “Song Thanh,” Nguyễn Vũ Thanh and Nguyễn Đức Thanh, were no longer racing side by side. Replacing Nguyễn Vũ Thanh in this race was racer Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, who is known as the champion of the 2018 VMRC season and currently leading the VMRC 2019 ranking after 4 races in the Winner 150 category. With his calm and wise racing style, coupled with the advantage of racing on the Winner 150, Nguyễn Anh Tuấn is expected to create surprises in the UB150 category in the final race of ARRC 2019.
Racer Cao Việt Nam AP250 (#65)
In the qualifying session held on the morning of November 30th, Cao Việt Nam (#65) secured the 13th starting position, while the two racers in the UB150 category, Nguyễn Anh Tuấn (#178) and Nguyễn Đức Thanh (#193), secured the 28th and 31st starting positions, respectively.
On the first official race day, Cao Việt Nam, starting in 13th position in the AP250 category, showcased his racing prowess and determination by finishing in 10th place. However, luck was not on the side of Vietnam’s top racer in the Race 2 as he had to retire due to a technical issue with his bike. This was a regrettable incident for Cao Việt Nam, considering his impressive performance. At the end of Race 7 ARRC 2019, Cao Việt Nam earned an additional 6 points, bringing his total to 50 points.
Meanwhile, in the UB150 category, two Vietnamese athletes, Nguyễn Đức Thanh and Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, competed. Starting from relatively low positions, their chances of breaking into the top 15 scorers were slim. As predicted, at the end of Race 1, Nguyễn Anh Tuấn finished in 19th place, while Nguyễn Đức Thanh finished in 20th place. In Race 2, racer Nguyễn Đức Thanh finished in 22nd place, while Nguyễn Anh Tuấn had to retire due to a technical issue with his bike.
So, the final race of ARRC 2019 ended with disappointment for Honda Racing Vietnam. However, in compensation, great news came for Honda Racing Vietnam in general and racer Cao Việt Nam in particular at the Chang circuit over the weekend as the “madman” impressively won the 2019 Honda Thailand Talent Cup with a total of 168 points after 7 Rounds and 14 Races.
Cao Việt Nam wins the Honda Thailand Talent Cup 2019
In the 2019 season of the Honda Thailand Talent Cup, Cao Việt Nam stood on the podium 5 times, with 1 first-place finish, 2 second-place finishes, and 2 third-place finishes. This achievement is also the best record of a Vietnamese racer competing internationally to date.
Trang Nguyễn (Forum.autodaily.vn)
