The amazing adventure of “Madman” at TTC 2019

The weather in Buriram, Thailand in early December is sunny and windy, and the Chang International racetrack is vibrant and an epicenter of excitement as it hosts the final race of the ARRC 2019 Asian motorcycle racing championship and also the final race of the Thailand Talent Cup 2019 (TTC 2019).

If the ARRC championship has become familiar to Vietnamese fans in recent years, the TTC championship is still relatively unknown.

What do you know about the Thailand Talent Cup?

The Thailand Talent Cup (TTC) is a competition organized by A.P. Honda (Honda Thailand) since 2017 with the aim of discovering young talents in motorcycle sports. In 2018, the TTC became the focus of the “Race To Dream” campaign by A.P. Honda, targeting the discovery of a Thai rider who can compete in MotoGP before 2025. Hence, this championship holds significant importance for Thai motorcycle racing.

TTC is for Thai riders aged 10-20 who have received training at the Honda Thailand Racing Academy (for riders aged 9-14) and young Asian riders under 25. Riders who shine in the TTC will get the chance to compete in the Asia Talent Cup (ATC), the most prestigious young racing series in Asia and Oceania organized by FIM ASIA.

The racing bikes used in the TTC are similar to those used in the ATC and Moto3, which are the Honda NSF250R. This is a single-cylinder, 250cc motorcycle model. The weight of these bikes is adjusted according to the weight of the riders to ensure equal total weight of rider and bike among all riders.

The journey to the championship of “Viet Nam”

“Crazy Man” Cao Viet Nam is the only rider from Honda Racing Vietnam participating in this championship. In his debut season in the TTC, Cao Viet Nam finished in the top 10 overall. In TTC 2019, with just one year of independent competition, Cao Viet Nam made significant progress by clinching the TTC 2019 championship.

“Crazy Man” started TTC 2019 by failing to complete the race on the first day of the opening round but finished the championship with the title. Let’s review the incredible journey of “Crazy Man” and Honda Racing Vietnam on their path to the championship.

Race	Location	Time (2019)
1	Thailand Circuit Nakhornchaisri	20-21 April
2	Chang International Circuit, Thailand	1-2 June
3	Chang International Circuit, Thailand	13-14 July
4	Chang International Circuit, Thailand	24-25 August
5	Chang International Circuit, Thailand	7-8 September
6	Chang International Circuit, Thailand	16-17 November
7	Chang International Circuit, Thailand	30 November – 1 December

Round 1: Unable to complete the race on the first day, but on the second race day, Nam finished in 9th place.

The second round of TTC 2019 was filled with excitement for Cao Viet Nam. On the first race day, he secured the 2nd place, making him the first Vietnamese rider to stand on the podium at an international race since 2016. It was also a milestone for Honda Racing Vietnam as an independent team. However, later in the day, “Crazy Man” received a penalty of 2 positions for crossing the yellow flag, which shocked and disappointed everyone. Moving on to the next race day, despite the affected mindset, he managed to secure the 3rd place, solidifying his position on the podium.

In the following two rounds, 3 and 4, Cao Viet Nam’s performance declined significantly due to the dense racing schedule of both ARRC and TTC. In the 4th round, he only scored 14 points, placing him at a disadvantage in the race for the TTC 2019 championship.

In the 5th round, “Crazy Man” made a comeback and regained his top form with two 2nd place finishes in the two race days. However, in the following 6th round, after a two-month break, “Crazy Man” couldn’t display his dominance and only managed to score 24 points. At this point, his championship chances were extremely uncertain as he needed at least 34 points in the final round while also hoping that the home rider Watcharin Tubtim-on would not be on the podium. Keep in mind that Watcharin had been on the podium 5 times in the TTC 2019 season.

Cao Viet Nam’s championship chances were further cast into doubt as in the final round, he had to compete in the AP250 category of ARRC 2019. Therefore, he had to face a tough battle. Failure to distribute his energy properly would leave him empty-handed in the 2019 season.

And finally, “Crazy Man” showed why he is the “dark horse” of the 2019 season. On the first race day of the final round of TTC 2019, he brilliantly won the stage, securing his first victory in his international racing career as an independent rider since 2019. Simultaneously, he closed the gap with Watcharin to just 3 points as Watcharin finished 4th on that race day, making the championship race an even match between the two riders.

On the second race day, “Crazy Man” had a slight advantage as the TTC race took place before ARRC on that day. Carrying the momentum from the first race day, he raced extremely impressively and consistently led the race. However, in the final few laps, he couldn’t maintain the necessary composure and ended up finishing 3rd. Nonetheless, his direct competitor, Watcharin, had a disappointing day and could only manage a 7th-place finish. Ultimately, “Crazy Man” Cao Viet Nam accumulated 168 points and claimed the TTC 2019 championship title, holding a 2-point lead over Watcharin.

The TTC 2019 championship marks the first international championship in Cao Viet Nam’s racing career, and it is also the first championship for Honda Vietnam (since their involvement in racing in 2016 in collaboration with Yuzy Racing Team, Malaysia) or Honda Racing Vietnam (as an independent team since 2019). The TTC 2019 championship is considered a miracle as Vietnam clinched the championship in a prestigious international racing series ahead of countries like Thailand and Indonesia, who have a motorcycle racing history at least 20 years ahead of Vietnam. Honda Vietnam entered the racing field only in 2016 and became an independent team in 2018, so the TTC 2019 championship holds immense significance.

For the first time in history, Vietnam has produced a champion in an international championship, marking a historical milestone not just for Cao Viet Nam and Honda Racing Vietnam, but also for the motorcycle racing scene in Vietnam.

As “Crazy Man” Cao Viet Nam shared after his championship victory: “I want to dedicate the TTC 2019 championship to the entire Honda Racing Vietnam team and all the fans. I also want to send a message to the authorities: ‘Racing is not a bad thing, let’s create opportunities for young talents in Vietnamese motorcycle racing to develop and compete in regional and international races’.”

The TTC 2019 championship has contributed to an outstanding 2019 for Vietnamese sports. Now, everyone is hoping that in 2020, “Crazy Man” and Honda Racing Vietnam, with their fiery spirit and fearlessness of challenges, will continue to raise the Vietnamese flag high in top international racing championships.

Trang Nguyen (Forum.autodaily.vn)