After recovering from a knee injury that forced him to miss the opening two rounds of the Asian Road Racing Championship, India's Sarath Kumar is now looking to finally make his debut in the 600cc category at the iconic Suzuka circuit here on June 4.
Supported by Ten10 Racing and WOW Digit HK, Sarath will be riding a Honda CBR600WR for Team T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS Racing.
Sarath Kumar was all set to make his debut in Buriram, Thailand last month, but aggravation of the injury forced him to skip rest of the weekend's programme after riding in just three free practice sessions.
The 24-year old from Chennai hoped to make it count at Suzuka in the highly competitive SuperSport 600 class following recovery after a stint with leading physiotherapist Dr. Kannan Pugazhalenthi in Chennai.
"The injury had healed and that was why we decided to start the season in Buriram, but unfortunately, it's the supporting muscles which needed a lot of strengthening and physiotherapy.
"I have been attending physiotherapy sessions with Dr. Kannan Pugazhalenthi from Spars in Chennai and so far, the recovery has been fast, though my leg does get camped when stressed. However, I do a few exercises and stretches that relieve the stress," said Sarath who had picked up the injury during pre-season training.
Sarath, who moved up to the 600cc class from 250cc this year, hoped to ride in all the sessions (free practice, qualifying and two races) at Suzuka and continue his learning process in a field that is considered among the toughest in the category globally.
"During the practice sessions in Buriram, I felt very comfortable with the bike especially with the power delivery. My Moto3 experience helped me understand the speed, data, and the slick tyres. The Honda CBR600WR is a comfortable bike to ride and the team has given me a great setup, so someone for the first time can understand the bike.
"The competition in SuperSport 600 is very stiff and it's one of the toughest grids in the World, but that is why I am here, to ride with the best and learn from them so I can compete with them one day.
"Suzuka is a fast circuit and has many high speed corners which I like. There are also a lot of technical turns where I need to work on my riding the big bike around. Now that my knee feels better I am confident that I will ride all the sessions during the weekend," Sarath said.
