As Race 2 Stage 5 ARRC 2023 entered the final lap, all members of Honda Racing Vietnam were almost bursting with emotion and preparing to celebrate as Cao Viet Nam was showing impressive performance, making it to the Top 3 and only a few corners away from the podium. It seemed like the moment of waving the Vietnamese flag in the international arena was very close.
However, luck has not smiled on the Vietnamese racer yet. And until now, speed fans have not been able to escape the feeling of regret for the efforts of racer number 65 and the entire Honda Racing Vietnam team.
Yes, it can be said that Stage 5 is one of the most intense and explosive stages of the Honda Racing Vietnam team in the ARRC 2023 season. The racers of Honda Racing Vietnam have taken the audience from one level of emotion to another and ultimately left behind the desire to conquer, the desire to raise the Vietnamese national flag high on the continental stage.
Stage 5 ARRC 2023 took place at the Zhuhai International Circuit, Guangdong, China on November 4th-5th, 2023. The Zhuhai International Circuit is the venue for top racing events in Hong Kong and Macau such as HTCC, MTCC and some top international events such as Endurance World Championship, FIA GT, A1 Grand Prix,… The track has a total of 14 corners with a length of 4.3 km including 9 right corners and 5 left corners, and the longest straight section is 900 m.
The Vietnamese racers entered Stage 5 of ARRC 2023 with excitement, determination, and confidence to achieve the overall season goal early in China. This was clearly demonstrated right from the qualifying race.
In the AP250 category, Cao Viet Nam (number 65) started in 7th position, while Nguyen Duc Thanh (number 193) was in 22nd position. Meanwhile, in the UB150 category, Nguyen Anh Tuan (number 178) started in 23rd position, and Nguyen Huu Tri (number 111) was in 25th position. These achievements were significantly improved compared to the qualifying race in Stage 4 of ARRC 2023 in Indonesia before.
The weather at the Zhuhai Circuit in China on the first day of the race was quite favorable. The sunny weather made the racing spirit of the drivers even more excited. In the AP250 category, racer Cao Viet Nam (number 65) started in 7th position and raced with great determination, competing evenly with the top drivers.
However, on the 5th lap, Cao Viet Nam unfortunately crashed while cornering, preventing him from completing Race 1. This was a very regrettable thing, as in the first 5 laps of Race 1, Cao Viet Nam performed very well and at times competed for a Top 3 position.
Nevertheless, fortunately, the AP250 category still brought points to the Honda Racing Vietnam team when racer Nguyen Duc Thanh (number 193), despite starting from an unfavorable position, 22nd, still showed great courage on the track. There were times when he even came close to the Top 10.
After completing 10 laps in Race 1, racer Nguyen Duc Thanh finished in 12th position and earned an additional 4 points for the team.
In the UB150 category, Nguyen Anh Tuan (number 178) and Nguyen Huu Tri (number 111) also gave it their all and achieved positive results compared to the qualifying race, finishing in 17th and 20th positions respectively.
After the regretful Race 1 due to an unexpected crash, racer Cao Viet Nam entered Race 2 with the determination to turn things around. Racer number 65 had a truly outstanding performance, starting from 10th position in the early laps, moving up to 5th position, and eventually securing 3rd position in the final lap.
There was a very close distance to the podium for Cao Viet Nam. In fact, international commentators even praised the extremely impressive racing performance of racer number 65. However, once again, the unfortunate happened to Cao Viet Nam at the Zhuhai Circuit as he encountered a regrettable incident and could only finish in 8th position, which meant an additional 8 points for the team.
The regret and disappointment were clearly shown on the faces of all members of the Honda Racing Vietnam team and even on the face of Cao Viet Nam himself as he completed the 10 laps of Race 2. This is also understandable because the “crazy guy” entered Race 2 of Stage 5 ARRC 2023 with a determined spirit and the desire to step onto the podium after the incident on the first day of racing. And it should be emphasized that the performance and racing skills of Cao Viet Nam are gradually improving. Hopefully, the regrets in China will provide the motivation for racer number 65 of Honda Racing Vietnam to achieve even greater success in the final stage of ARRC 2023 in Thailand in December.
Meanwhile, Cao Viet Nam’s teammate, Nguyen Duc Thanh, also had a day of determined racing. He finished in 17th position, a significant improvement compared to his starting position of 22nd.
In the UB150 category, fierce competition was also witnessed. The two racers of the Honda Racing Vietnam team, Nguyen Anh Tuan (number 178) and Nguyen Huu Tri (number 111), had heated battles, overcame difficulties, and achieved positive results compared to the qualifying race, finishing in 17th and 20th positions respectively.
It can be seen that the closer to the final stages, the more spirited the Vietnamese drivers became, even having the opportunity to step onto the podium. Let’s look forward to the exhilarating races and the next surprises that the Honda Racing Vietnam team will bring in this year’s ARRC season in the final stage at Chang International Circuit, Thailand in December.
Trang Nguyen (Forum.autodaily.vn)
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