Positive Test For Team Kagayama At Sepang
Cycle News Staff | April 8, 2015
Former Asia Road Race Champion (ARRC), Yukio Kagayama, and his Team Kagayama Suzuki Asia squad completed a successful three-day test at Sepang in Malaysia ahead of the first round of the 2015 ARRC, to be held at the same venue April 17-19. Against a packed field, all of which will take to the grid in two weeks’ time, team riders Noriyuki Haga and 21-year-old Indonesian Rafid Topan Sucipto completed eight sessions across the three days focusing on machine set-up and two variations of Dunlop tire with Haga finishing the test in 11th and Supcipto in 16th.
The competiveness of the ARRC was enforced over the test with the top 20 riders separated by 1.4sec after three days in the stifling Malaysian humidity.
“This was the team’s first test and it was a brand new package for the staff,” said Kagayama. “Although we had a minor incident where Topan crashed, we managed to clear all of our planned testing agenda and finish the preparation for the race. We still have work to do, but we were able to confirm the potential of the team.”
Haga was equally optimistic, but stressed the potential of the new machine over a race distance is still unknown.
“Considering that the race is over 25 laps, we need to improve our average lap times, but I hope we can solve the problems, while keeping the good parts, and be prepared for the race,” Haga said. “There are only six races in the championship, so we cannot drop any of them and I am going to be trying to race at the front from the first race.”
