Indian rider Rajiv Sethu Friday secured his best ever position on the grid at the Asia Road Racing Championship by qualifying 12th while rookie Senthil Kumar will begin Saturday's Race 1 of Round 2 from the 18th slot.
The 21-year-old Rajiv, in his third season with Honda Racing, timed 2:11.738 for his best lap at the Bend Motorsport Park, more than 100km away from here.
It came in ninth of his 12 laps of the 2.95km track, considered complicated due to its different elevations.
Senthil, 18, clocked 2:13.876 for his best lap, which was 11th of his 12 attempts.
Kawasaki Racing's Andy Muhammad from Indonesia topped the time chart for pole position with his best lap coming in 2:08.626.
He was followed by his Japanese teammate Aiki Iyoshi (2:08.929) and Thailand's Muklada Sarapuech (2:09.238) from Racing Thailand.
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Last year, Rajiv had crashed here during FP3 and now he has his best qualifying in windy conditions.
"I had only 5 laps last year but had a clear idea about the track. Not just me but all the riders were struggling due to the wind. The timing could have been better," said Rajiv.
"This position is not bad for a top-10 finish. I am pretty confident. Apart from the top-2, the riders from 3-14 will be in a group. It's going to be a close race," said the Chennai rider.
The windy and cold conditions are likely to prevail on race days as well.
Senthil, who also hails from Chennai, had his first taste of riding in windy conditions after doing practice on a wet track, caused by rains.
"Everything is new for me here. I had never raced in windy or wet conditions for me. I made a few mistakes in practice and corrected those in qualifying. Like I was braking too much and late, so I was missing entry points in the corner," he said.
"The new conditions made me a bit apprehensive but I feel confident now," said Senthil, who is hoping to be among points.
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