Reflecting on the VMRC Motorcycle Racing Championship: Evolving with more professionalism and exhilaration

Vietnam Racing Motor Championship or VMRC is a tournament sponsored by Honda Vietnam in coordination with the Vietnam Motorcycle Sport Federation. It aims to build a safe and healthy playground for those who are passionate about speed and want to pursue racing as a profession. It also aims to improve the competitive level of athletes in the country and internationally.

Development milestones over the years

Since 2018, VMRC has been organized as a season-long championship, with each stage being scored. The competition follows the same format as professional competitions internationally, such as the Asian Road Racing Championship (ARRC), in which the Honda Racing Vietnam team has participated and achieved good results.

In 2019, the VMRC tournament became more consolidated with the completion and enforcement of official competition rules. The tournament’s referee team has also been trained by foreign experts.

In 2019, the VMRC tournament introduced a new competition category called the Vietnam Talent Cup. The category aims to find young talents to add to the lineup for the tournament as well as the Vietnamese racing team on the international stage. The talent category is for young racers aged 13-17, along with the traditional amateur and professional categories.

The following years were marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected all areas, including sports. Vietnam, like many other countries, was heavily affected, and the VMRC tournament was no exception.

In 2022, when the pandemic situation improved, the VMRC 2022 tournament resumed under the eager anticipation of fans, after a two-year absence.

2022 is also a milestone year as VMRC expanded to the North for the first time, with races held at My Dinh – Hanoi. This widened the professional motorcycle racing movement, attracting more fans and attention from the community.

In 2023, the VMRC tournament continues to maintain its position as the most professional and attractive speed arena in Vietnam. The Vietnam Talent Cup category has expanded the age range for competition from 15 to 13 years old to improve the ability to find young talents.

The two familiar venues, Dai Nam – Binh Duong and F1 My Dinh – Hanoi, will host the races of the VMRC 2023 season as usual. However, at the 2nd stage of VMRC 2023, the BTC has redesigned the track structure, increasing the number of corners to 15 to increase the difficulty and demand fierce competition from the riders, thereby improving the quality of the competition.

Professionalize each competition category

The racing at VMRC 2023 is divided into three categories: Talent System, Amateur System, and Professional System. All three systems apply the same rule of scoring each round and add up the total points to calculate the overall performance for the season.

Young talent system – the future nursery

In the young talent system, racers compete using NSF100 bikes, which are specially produced by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) for racing purposes. These bikes are equipped with a 4-stroke engine of 99.2 cc, delivering a power output of 8.3 horsepower at 9,500 rpm.

The Vietnam Talent Cup NSF100 aims to discover young talents in the motorcycle racing discipline and provide opportunities for their training and development. This format has witnessed the remarkable performance of racer #40 Nguyen Trung Kien, who leads the overall standings with 32 points.

Amateur system – a scale and healthy development environment

In the amateur racing system, racers compete in categories like Blade 110, Winner X 150, and CBR150R, using modified Honda bikes. Among them, the Blade 110 category stands out for its high engine power ratio, with the engine being upgraded and the bike being equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission.

The top rider in the Blade 110 category is the young talent Le Tran Kim Thanh, who leads the overall standings with 29 points.

This category provides opportunities for riders with little experience and also allows female racers and foreign racers to compete alongside other participants.

In the Winner X 150 category, rider #79 Tran Gia Huy has shown great efforts and outstanding achievements. He leads the VMRC 2023 season with 32 points.

The CBR150R category is the closest to international professional racing, requiring riders to have a good racing history, stable performance, and superior skills and experience.

In this category, rider #17 Nguyen Hoang Dang Khoa leads the overall standings with 32 points, followed by #96 Nguyen Nhat Truong with 26 points, and #19 Nguyen Vu Thanh with 22 points.

Professional system – an uncompromising arena

In the professional racing system with the UB150 format, clubs self-upgrade and adjust their own bikes to gain the most “horsepower” for their racers, creating intense competition among the garages.

The VMRC 2023 competition is increasingly consolidated and deserves the position as the only professional speed playground for enthusiasts. It nurtures young talents and helps develop the legal racing movement in Vietnam. The upcoming races of the VMRC 2023 season will surely provide more exciting battles and thrilling close duels.