Sportsland SUGO (Japan),  Honda Racing India celebrated its best ever performance in the Asia Road Racing Championship 2022 (ARRC). It is the first time that India's solo team secured top 5 position at Asia's toughest road race championship.

Saturday's AP250 race was one of the toughest races of the season with 5 riders crashing out in first lap. Starting the wet 12-lap race 1 from 14th on the grid, Indian rider Rajiv Sethu quickly moved to 6th place after lap 1. From thereon, he continued to maintain his position until he fell in lap 5 due to wet racetrack. Determined to finish the race, Rajiv challenged himself and immediately re-joined the race to finally cross the chequered line at 5th place.

Masterful race performance by Rajiv in his very first outing at Sportsland SUGO International Circuit resulted in the team realizing its next step up by securing top 5 position in the Race 1 of AP250 class and earned 11 points.

"Today's race was a true test for all riders as weather conditions were not in favor. I am happy that I didn't rush on the wet track and maintained a steady position in race. Despite meeting a crash, I continued with the same performance as my focus was to earn points for the team. The training from our trainers and experience in past races helped me in countering all race hurdles and set a record for the team in ARRC. Having this performance as one of the biggest motivations, I am looking forward to another best results in tomorrow's race," said Rajiv.

Proud of Saturday's performance, Prabhu Nagaraj, Operating Officer - Brand and Communication, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, said, "Today, it's a happy day for Honda Racing India! We have reached the first step of our target top 5 finish. In nail-biting race where many riders crashed out due to wet weather conditions, our rider Rajiv Sethu showed his mettle and made India proud with his fifth-place finish. With his splendid performance, the team earned 11 points. His performance not only created a record but has also boosted the morale of entire team. Meanwhile, Senthil Kumar couldn't complete the race due to a crash. This was disappointing but he's learning fast and I'm confident that he will come back stronger and wiser. I am confident that tomorrow's race will see more excitement from both the riders."

Meanwhile, it was a tough day for teammate Senthil Kumar who crashed out in first lap due to wet racetrack.