Kavin retires due to technical snag, Mohsin finishes P17 in Motegi

MOTEGI: Honda Racing India could not earn any points from Race 2 of Round 3 at the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship as Kavin Samaar Quintal did not finish the race due to an engine issue with his bike while Mohsin Paramban ended in P17 in the AP250 class, here Sunday.

With 10 points in his kitty and lying in the 14th position before Race 2 of the third round in Motegi, Kavin needed a solid performance to close the gap with his nearest rival -- Ngyuen Huu Tri from Vitenam.

Kavin was four points behind the Vietnamese, who races for Honda Racing Veitnam. However, starting 18th on the grid, it was a herculean task for the Indian rider, who mostly trains and competes in Spain.

Still, he fought well after losing a position early into the race to Vrei-Ar Marcosuba from JRT Tech -2.

By Lap 3, Kavin had got back his grid position, going past Vrei-Ar and Watcharin Tubtimon from NJT Racing team. When the gap between Kavin and the riders ahead began to increase, it appeared the Indian was probably struggling with his speed.

From +6 seconds, it gradually went up to +10 seconds. He needed to pass China's Gao Ziang and Mohammad Diandra Trihardika to get into points contention but the declining speed only made it tougher.

Meanwhile, Diandra pushed Wang down to move to 17th position but the Indian team's worst fears came true when Kavin retired in Lap 6.

"It's difficult to catch the group, so the best is to stay with the group. But my RPM suddenly dropped, the bike was overheating and there was no power, so I had to take back the bike. It's part of the game," said Kavin, putting on a brave face.

A crash near the end of the race helped Mohsin gain a position.

Kavin remains at 10 points and Mohsin on two. Mohsin had the challenge to earn some points after being unlucky in three previous races.

The Kerala rider had scored two points in the season-opening race, finishing in 14th position. But since then, he has not logged points in four straight races.

"For me it's more about learning. Earlier I was a bit scared to negotiate the corners but now I am more confident in approaching the corners," said 22-year-old Mohsin.

Astra Honda Racing's Mohammad Kiandra Ramadhipa logged his second win in a row to open up a four-point championship lead over teammate Herjun Atna Firdaus (77), who crashed in the last lap.

Ryota Ogiwara (Sanwa Racing) and Yuta Date (Victor Racing) were the other podium finishers.