The riders who will compete in the third edition of the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup completed two days of testing at Sepang.
Under the guidance of Alberto Puig and his team, twenty young riders have completed two days of intense work in Malaysia. For fifteen of them it was the first time running on a circuit such as Sepang while controlling the Honda NSF250R, with which they will compete the 12 event season.
As instructed by Alberto Puig, the riders completed more than 50 laps per day with two clear objectives: security and speed. During the 17 sessions there were several falls but all without serious consequences. With the help of the mechanical team, riders have adapted and adjusted the setting of their bikes to better suit their riding styles and improve their times throughout the sessions.
The more experienced riders were those who dominated the timesheets. It was common to see Somkiat Chantra, or Japan’s Masaki or Indonesia’s Andi Izdihar top the standings after each outing on track. The fastest times of the test was set by Chantra who managed a 2’17.901, just off the record he set last year.
The test was also used to host a mock race and instruct both pilots and their assistants with different training lectures, videos and instructions to better understand the rules and regulations of competition.
Alberto Puig, Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup Director, was ambitious as the test was concluded: “You can never be fully satisfied because there is always room for improvement when it comes to children. At least we had very good weather, the riders were able to complete a lot of laps and we’ve even done a race simulation. There are many new guys and that always complicates things a little bit, some were a bit on edge, but this is normal. There has been a lot of progress from the first to the second day and we aim to continue to make improvements throughout the season.”
This season the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup brings together riders between the ages of 12 and 18 from countries such as Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, China, Turkey and Thailand. All will compete in twelve races across six rounds distributed throughout the year. The events will be held in Qatar, Malaysia, China, Japan and Thailand which will open the season on the 12th and 13th of March, coinciding with the second round of the WSBK Championship.
