ARRC 2023 Stage 4 – Honda Racing Vietnam Closing in on Season-Long Goal

The ARRC 2023 Stage 4 took place at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, Indonesia on August 12-13, 2023. Located in the Mandalika resort on the island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara province, which is considered as one of the “5 super priority tourist destinations in Indonesia”, the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit is known not only as one of the most famous race tracks in Southeast Asia, hosting a series of prestigious races including MotoGP, but also as an impressive tourist destination in the archipelago country.

The Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit was officially inaugurated in April 2021. With a total track length of 4,313m and a total of 17 corners, including 6 left corners and 11 right corners, the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit promises to bring challenging experiences for racers at the ARRC 2023 Stage 4.

New livery for added motivation

New livery on the Honda CBR250RR

After their impressive performance at Stage 3 of the ARRC 2023, all 4 Vietnamese racers enter Stage 4 with a relaxed mindset, full of confidence and enthusiasm, eager to burst out and improve their rankings. Furthermore, with the goal of making it into the Top 10 for the entire ARRC 2023 season, the Honda Racing Vietnam team has invested a lot in both human resources and technical aspects, as well as the racing bikes.

The new livery looks eye-catching and brings a high level of recognition, with the hope of providing more motivation for the racers to achieve better results.

In particular, at Stage 4 of ARRC 2023, the Honda Racing Vietnam team has invested in new livery for the Honda CBR250RR racing bikes in the AP250 category. This is an idea from the General Director of Honda Vietnam, aiming to enhance the brand image of Honda Racing Vietnam in the regional arena. The new livery looks quite eye-catching and brings a high level of recognition, with the hope of providing more motivation for the racers to achieve better results.

Race 1: Exciting start

As expected, Race 1 of Stage 4 ARRC 2023 witnessed an impressive performance on the Indonesian soil by all 4 racers at the Mandalika race track. Especially in the AP250 category, racer Cao Viet Nam (number 65) delivered an extremely outstanding performance, surprising all Asian speed enthusiasts. Starting from 9th place, “the crazy guy” confidently competed on par and aggressively pursued the top positions. In the early laps, racer number 65 consistently maintained 5th and 6th places. At times, Cao Viet Nam even climbed up to 4th place, competing shoulder to shoulder with the strongest opponents.

Racer Cao Viet Nam (number 65) delivered an extremely outstanding performance, surprising all Asian speed enthusiasts.

Notably, in the last 2 laps, when the competition became intense, the battle for 6th place was extremely tense. In the 8th lap, Cao Viet Nam dropped to 8th place. However, with his extensive racing experience and wise tactics, racer number 65 fiercely climbed back up and finished in 6th place out of 27, earning an additional 10 points.

Through Race 1 of Stage 4 ARRC 2023, we can see that the gap between Cao Viet Nam and the leading racers from the continent has been significantly reduced. While in previous stages, his best result was reaching the top 4 due to some lucky factors, in this Stage 4, we can see substantial improvement in the true capabilities of racer number 65.

Meanwhile, Cao Viet Nam’s teammate in the AP250 category, Nguyen Duc Thanh (number 193), despite starting in 26th place, showed determination and finished in 20th place out of 27.

In the UB150 category, the racers from Honda Racing Vietnam, including Nguyen Anh Tuan (number 178) and young talent Nguyen Huu Tri (number 111), started at disadvantageous positions of 31st and 33rd, respectively, and faced immense pressure, finishing in 21st/33 and 26th/33. However, we cannot deny their persistent efforts and determination in competing with the top opponents on the continental stage of Vietnamese racers.

Race 2: Sweet result for Nguyen Duc Thanh

After an explosive first day with a 6th/27 ranking for “the crazy guy” Cao Viet Nam, all hopes were placed on him in Race 2 of Stage 4 ARRC 2023. In fact, there has never been such a close opportunity for the Honda Racing Vietnam team to stand on the podium.

Entering Race 2, Cao Viet Nam continued to maintain a confident mindset and a strong determination to improve his ranking even further. However, the result did not meet our expectations as an unfortunate incident occurred at the last corner of lap 1, with racer Cao Viet Nam slipping and falling due to an oil spill from an earlier UB150 race that had not been properly cleaned up. This early slip made it extremely difficult for racer number 65 to replicate the breathtaking competition for the top positions as in Race 1. Nevertheless, “the crazy guy” stood up, lifted his bike, and continued racing. Starting from the last position, Cao Viet Nam made great efforts and finished in 18th place out of 27. Although he did not earn any points in Race 2, we can clearly see the determination and strong will of “the crazy guy”.

While Race 2 was a disappointment for Cao Viet Nam, it was a notable performance by Nguyen Duc Thanh (number 193) as he tried to overtake opponents and climbed up to the Top 15 overall despite starting in 26th place. With the first points earned, Stage 4 of ARRC 2023 recorded a very bright smile from racer number 193 after his persistent and persevering efforts. These initial points will motivate Duc Thanh to train harder and compete, proving his abilities and racing skills in the upcoming races in the AP250 category.

Meanwhile, in the UB150 category, Nguyen Anh Tuan and Nguyen Huu Tri encountered issues and could not complete the race.

Thus, the Honda Racing Vietnam team concluded Stage 4 of this season’s ARRC with memorable impressions. The rankings of all 4 racers on the overall standings after this stage are as follows: Nguyen Anh Tuan ranks 17th/38, Nguyen Huu Tri ranks 32nd/38, Nguyen Duc Thanh ranks 30th/33, and Cao Viet Nam ranks 8th/33.

After Stage 4, Honda Racing Vietnam gets one step closer to the season goal. Specifically, for the ARRC 2023 season, the Honda Racing Vietnam team aims to achieve 70 points in the AP250 category (56 points by the end of Stage 4).

Notably, after Stage 4, Honda Racing Vietnam gets one step closer to the season goal. Specifically, for the ARRC 2023 season, the Honda Racing Vietnam team aims to achieve 70 points in the AP250 category (56 points by the end of Stage 4). With 2 more stages and 4 races to go, the opportunity to achieve this goal is within reach because the upcoming Stage 5 will be held at the Zhuhai race track (China) with a flat race track, or the final stage at Chang (considered Cao Viet Nam’s home track), number 65 has an advantage to demonstrate his strengths. Especially when “the crazy guy” has rediscovered his racing feeling, gained confidence, and shown good racing mentality. We can see the return of Cao Viet Nam version 2019 and anticipate that he will bring more impressive results. Let’s remember, in 2019, Cao Viet Nam became the champion of the Thailand Talent Cup and had moments of racing in the top 3 in ARRC stages.

Not stopping there, Mr. Do Anh Son – Manager of the Honda Racing Vietnam team, revealed that at Stage 5 of ARRC 2023, to be held at the Zhuhai race track, the team will bring surprises for their opponents, and hopefully, our racers will achieve even better results.

Let’s continue to follow and support the Honda Racing Vietnam team in the upcoming races of the ARRC 2023 season!

Anh Quan (forum.autodaily.vn)