Sarath, Rajiv set for Thailand campaign

India's Shankar Sarath Kumar and Rajiv Sethu will renew their respective campaigns in the second round of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Chang International Circuit here tomorrow.
Sarath Kumar, participating in the SuperSport 600cc class on a Honda CBR 600WR bike, picked up points in both the races in Johor Bahru, Malaysia while Sethu, astride the all new Honda CBR 250RR, made his debut in the highly competitive Asia Production 250cc.
Both the Chennai-based riders, supported by Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, Honda Motorsports Japan and John Sudheer of RAMA Group of Companies, are part of a five-rider team that includes Japan's Tiga Hada who delivered a double podium in Johor.

Sarath, shrugging off a collar bone injury that he suffered after a crash during pre-season test session, put in two impressive rides in Johor as he improved his time with each outing.
"I need to focus on my pace in Round 2. This circuit is fast and is one of my favourite as compared Johor. I am now feeling more confident on the bike and I hope good results will come from Round 2.
"I have been working hard on adapting to SuperSport style of riding. In Johor, I was still riding the 600 like a 250cc, carrying a lot of corner speed and losing precious time exiting the corner. Now, after a lot of data analysis and inputs from my team, I have started adapting to the big bike and I hope to score more points.

"The only setback is a crack in my collar bone from the crash during pre-season test, but I think, it is manageable. Honda and my team have been very supportive and I hope I give them something good this round," said Sarath on the eve of the Buriram round.
Sethu, who is aiming for a top-15 finish here, said: "The AP250 category is very competitive. I have to come to terms with the competition and it is important that the all new Honda CBR250RR should be set up right. This bike is brand new, very powerful and a perfect package for the road racing.

"My expectations for this round is to finish in top 15 which in itself will be a great improvement on my lap times and riding. It's a step by step learning.