Leaving China after stage 5 of ARRC 2019 with mixed emotions, Honda Racing Vietnam did not have much time to dwell on regrets at the Zhuhai race track. The whole team quickly got to work preparing for the final stage of the season, and also the emotional return to the place where the opening race of ARRC 2019 took place: the Sepang race track in Malaysia.
Malaysia is the country with the earliest developed racing scene and is currently the country with the most developed sports racing scene in Southeast Asia. It is no exaggeration to say that Sepang is the “Mecca” of racing in Southeast Asia.
Rider Cao Viet Nam in stage 1
It was at Sepang where Honda Racing Vietnam took their first steps as an independent international racing team from Vietnam in the first stage of ARRC 2019. Therefore, returning to Sepang brought back very special emotions for Honda Racing Vietnam.
In the first stage of the ARRC 2019 season at Sepang, the team made a very positive impression. In the UB150 category, with its first use, the model designed by Honda Racing Vietnam completed the two-day race with emotional moments created by Le Khanh Loc and Nguyen Vu Thanh. In the AP250 category, Cao Viet Nam had a successful opening race for ARRC 2019, earning 10 points, which is currently the highest achievement that “Crazy Guy” has achieved in the 5 stages of ARRC 2019. Will the team be able to make more impressions on this return? This is entirely possible if Honda Racing Vietnam competes with the right form and level of expertise.
Rider Nguyen Vu Thanh in stage 1 of ARRC 2019
In the UB150 category, there have been changes in personnel compared to the opening race. Rider Le Khanh Loc, after an injury in stage 3, had to suspend his racing career, and was replaced by rider Nguyen Duc Thanh. Coming up in stage 6 will be the third international race for Nguyen Duc Thanh. He has become familiar with the race atmosphere, the operation of the bike, and the team’s activities. Meanwhile, Nguyen Vu Thanh will certainly have more “care and burden”. Sepang marks his comeback after a year of recovering from an injury. In stage 1, he struggled to race because he had not found his riding feeling yet, but after 5 stages, Vu Thanh has gradually regained his riding feeling. He is eager to prove his progress at Sepang.
Rider Nguyen Vu Thanh with a technician
For “Crazy Guy” Cao Viet Nam in the AP250 category, Sepang is one of his favorite race tracks. Therefore, he really wants to surpass the 10-point mark he earned here. The biggest problem for Cao Viet Nam at the moment is that his performance has shown signs of slowing down since being banned from racing in stage 4 in Japan. Returning to stage 5 in China, he could not show much. Hopefully, in stage 6, “Crazy Guy” will rediscover his impressive breakthroughs. In August, Cao Viet Nam participated in stage 5 of the TTC 2019 and finished second on the podium on both days of the race. Therefore, his racing feeling is certainly still in good condition.
To prepare for stage 6 at Sepang, all 3 riders and the Honda Racing Vietnam team have been training vigorously at the Dai Nam race track. In particular, rider Nguyen Duc Thanh also achieved first place in the Blade 110 category of the VMRC 2019 race that took place on September 15, 2019.
Rider Nguyen Duc Thanh
Sepang is designed to challenge the technical skills of the riders and the power of the “battle horses”. It is at this place where Valentino Rossi made history with his kick that knocked Marc Marquez out of the MotoGP 2015 championship. In particular, at stage 6 of ARRC 2019, there will be the participation of a large number of Malaysian riders, adding extreme pressure on the Vietnamese riders.
Cao Viet Nam taking a turn
At the moment, in the UB150 category, the team has only earned 1 point from Nguyen Vu Thanh in Japan. In the AP250 category, Cao Viet Nam currently has 32 points, ranking 16th out of 36 riders, tied with the 15th place rider. Honda Racing Vietnam is currently ranked 8th out of 20 teams in the standings.
The goal set for the Song Thanh duo in the UB150 category is to earn points, while for “Crazy Guy”, surpassing the 10-point mark is definitely a task that he must accomplish. We hope that the progress of the Duc Thanh – Vu Thanh pair will help both of them achieve their goals. As long as Cao Viet Nam competes with his own level of expertise, the set goal is well within his reach.
The Honda Racing Vietnam team, after serving the domestic audience in stage 3 of the VMRC 2019, is ready to give it their all for stage 6 of the ARRC 2019, carrying the hopes and Vietnamese spirit into the top motorcycle race in the region.
And for the fans, are you ready to accompany Vietnam’s only representative in the top motorcycle race in Asia? Join and cheer for the Honda Racing Vietnam team.
The race will take place over 2 days, on September 21-22, and will be live-streamed at 12:10 each day on the Honda Racing Vietnam fanpage https://www.facebook.com/Vietnam-Motor-Racing-813850712144385/
Trang Nguyen (Forum.autodaily.vn)
