Indonesia is set to host the next MotoGP 2022 and IATC 2022 events, following Qatar. The races will take place at the Madalika Race Track, which will serve as the “epicenter” for these events. As the largest race track in Southeast Asia, Madalika is expected to surpass Sepang and Chang and become the representative race track of the region.
Spanning over 120 hectares, Madalika features 17 turns and extends for more than 4.3km. It aims to replace Sentul and restore Indonesia’s prominence on the global racing map. The race track presents a range of challenging sections with long straight stretches and sharp turns.
Last Sunday, the MotoGP and IATC events were held at Madalika, attracting the attention of racing enthusiasts and the general public across the archipelago. Prior to the races, Indonesia’s President, Mr. Joko Widodo, rode a motorcycle to the race track to meet and interact with the participants of Round 2 of IATC 2022 and MotoGP 2022. This event showcases the grandeur of the races and underscores the pressure faced by the racers, particularly the young competitors in IATC.
Racer Nguyen Nguyen Tran Duc Tai is the sole representative from Vietnam participating in IATC 2022. He made his debut at Madalika, starting from the 17th position out of 21 racers, improving by 2 places compared to the first round in Qatar.
Racer Nguyen Nguyen Tran Duc Tai is the sole representative from Vietnam participating in IATC 2022. He made his debut at Madalika, starting from the 17th position out of 21 racers, improving by 2 places compared to the first round in Qatar. This remarkable progress demonstrates the potential of this young racer, especially considering that the qualifying round took place in rainy conditions with wet roads.
Following his notable performance in the qualifying round, Duc Tai is expected to make an even stronger impression in the two official racing days. However, he has already experienced the challenges of the top racing arena, particularly in the context of young competitors in IATC.
Nguyen Van Tan, technician of Honda Racing Vietnam, supports the young racer.
Race 1: Head up, tail up
Nguyen Duc Tai had a somewhat challenging start to Race 1, allowing three consecutive racers to overtake him and leaving him at the last position. However, he quickly regained his composure and racing spirit. Starting from the second lap, Nguyen Tran Duc Tai engaged in an intense three-way race with fellow racers Kavin Quintal from Indonesia and Zachry Akbar from India to avoid finishing in last place.
Duc Tai has shown progress compared to the first round.
This fierce competition unfolded over nine laps, from the second to the tenth lap. However, the Vietnamese representative managed to overtake his opponents only during the remaining three laps and consistently maintained a position chasing behind the direct competitors. Notably, Nguyen Tran Duc Tai and Kavin had moments of exchanging overtaking moves throughout the race.
Nevertheless, in the tenth lap, Nguyen Tran Duc Tai unfortunately fell and was unable to complete Race 1. Despite finishing in the 17th position out of 21 racers, his performance exerted pressure on Kavin and Zachry. Although he had to retire early from the race, Duc Tai’s ability to challenge his opponents instead of being left behind can be considered a great success for this racer, especially considering that his two competitors were from the host country and enjoyed strong support from the local spectators.
Race 2: Falling before the finish line
In Race 2, Duc Tai boldly adjusted his starting maneuver, opting for a diagonal start to gain an advantage in direct confrontation with the leading racers. However, this strategy did not yield the desired outcome, and Duc Tai was left behind immediately after the first turn.
Duc Tai and the team have six months to train before the third round of IATC in Japan in September 2022.
On the second day of racing, despite the incomplete outcome of the first racing day, Duc Tai remained undeterred and continued to strive with unwavering determination. Although he was overtaken by Zachry Akbar in the second lap, pushing him to the last position, Duc Tai did not surrender. Specifically, in the fourteenth lap, capitalizing on mistakes made by Kavin Quintal and Zachry Akbar, Duc Tai executed a clever maneuver to overtake both opponents and reclaim the seventeenth position. However, he was subsequently overtaken by both racers and fell to the nineteenth position. Unfortunately, Duc Tai fell just before the final turn of the race and was unable to finish the race.
Based on the first two rounds, it is evident that if Duc Tai can improve his starts, along with maintaining his determination and further developing his skills, he has a strong chance of securing points in the next race. With six months of training before the third round of IATC in Japan in September 2022, his goal is well within reach.
The second round of IATC 2022 concluded with racer Hakim Danish from Malaysia dominating the races, securing a podium finish on both racing days. As for representative Nguyen Nguyen Tran Duc Tai from Vietnam, he currently has four points and is ranked nineteenth out of twenty-one on the IATC 2022 standings.
Additionally, within the race day’s framework, racer Somkiat Chantra, the ATC 2016 champion, secured first place in the Moto2 format, becoming the first Thai racer in history to achieve a podium finish at MotoGP. It is hoped that Vietnam will also produce a racer capable of achieving a podium finish in both IATC and MotoGP in the near future.
Anh Quan (forum.autodaily.vn)