Noriyuki Haga and KAGAYAMA SUZUKI move up to 6th in ARRC

Team KAGAYAMA SUZUKI Asia’s Noriyuki Haga climbed to sixth in the 2015 Asia Road Race Championship following a positive weekend aboard his GSX-R600 at the fifth and penultimate round of the series in Qatar at the weekend.

Haga on the #41 GSX-R followed-up his eighth position in the previous evening’s opening race, held under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit in Doha, to score another eighth position from 14th place on the grid; as team-mate Rafid Topan Sucipto, on the #25 machine, remounted after a fall to finish 13th.

Both riders positioned themselves in the top-10 at the start of race two. Haga climbed as high as seventh as the race progressed, while Topan kept his position in the top-10. Haga held his position until the final lap, when was overtaken and finished eighth. Topan was unlucky to fall on the final corner of the last lap while pushing to make a pass, but he managed to remount and bring the damaged machine home in 13th position.

The results and 16 points scored moved Haga up to sixth in the series, while Topan adding nine points, moving him up to 17th with one round remaining at Buriram, Thailand on December 3-6th.

Rafid Topan Sucipto #25:

“I had no problems with my SUZUKI GSX-R600 and made a good start, so I was able to make a solid race, but I fell when I made a move to pass a rider on the last lap, so that was set me back a little. Next race in Thailand is our last race of the season and I aim to get my first podium of the season there.”

Noriyuki Haga #41:

“We had some trouble in warm-up, so I couldn't confirm if the major change in my set-up would work. There were things that improved, but there were also things that worsened, but I was able to understand more by finishing both races. The next race is the last of the season so I plan to give it everything I can.”

Yukio Kagayama - General Manager:

“We couldn't solve the chattering problem Haga had, so it must have been frustrating for him. But even in those circumstances, he finished in the top-10 in both races and I can only thank him for that. Topan had a shifter problem during Race 2, but he managed to get points for us, despite his crash on the final lap. The next race in Thailand is our final one of this year and I will do my best to provide the two riders with a machine that they can finish with their best results of the season.”


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