ZHUHAI, CHINA: With Round 5 of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) starting today, the 3 free practices gave the IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team’s riders Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar their first taste of the unfamiliar Zhuhai circuit in southern tip of China.

Friday’s free practices proved that the hot and humid Zhuhai tarmac brought the biggest twist in championship. 

Barring the solo Chinese wildcard entry in Asia Production 250cc class, the track is new for all 25 Asian riders from Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taipei and India.

The three timer ARRC rider of IDEMITSU Honda Racing India, Rajiv Sethu enters Zhuhai buoyed by his double win in Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship last weekend. 

Familiarizing himself to the new track, Rajiv’s best lap time of 1:56:121 was 2.3 seconds off from the Indonesian lead rider Lucky, putting him 17th out of total 26 riders.