Top-10s for Russo and Nikolis at Sepang ATC round

2023 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup

Round Five – PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit
Malaysia

That couldn’t stop Pratama steam rolling on to victory and the 2023 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup title in Race 2 though, after a record-equalling seventh victory of the season. Zen Mitani and Ryota Ogiwara joined Pratama on the podium as the rostrum fight went to the final corner.

The season will conclude in Qatar at Losail International Circuit, marking the sixth and final round next weekend.

Race One

Riichi Takahira was on pole and the Japanese star had a good launch in the rain, but Ezawa won the last of the late brakers competition down into Turn 1. Pratama got a good start too and at the beginning of Lap 2, the Indonesian took the lead.

However, four corners later, the #7 was out. Pratama’s front end washed out and he was unable to get his Honda going again, it was race over for the six-time 2023 race winner. A rare mistake.

A fascinating fight for victory then played out. There was a lead group of eight at one stage but that started to diminish as the riders pushed harder in the improving conditions, which ultimately led to more crashes.

Marianos Nikolis, Zen Mitani, home hero Farish Hafiy and polesitter Takahira all went down while fighting in the lead group until it became a two-horse race for the win between Odaki and Ezawa.

Ezawa – despite a near highside at Turn 15 – led onto the final lap and kept Odaki at bay until the back straight. The latter grabbed P1 just before the braking zone at the final corner and managed to fend off Ezawa’s late attempt up the inside to win for the first time since last year’s Qatar opener. Ezawa settled for a third P2 finish of the season, with Phuettisan coming home in a comfortable P3.

Ryota Ogiwara was a lonely P4 with Hamad Al-Sahouti rounding out the top five, as Levi Russo, Chessy Meilandri, Kiattisak Singhapong, Sarthak Chavan and Adi Putra completed the top 10 – and the riders who finished.

ATC Indonesia Race One Results

TBC

Race Two

After that rare mistake in Race 1, Pratama’s points advantage was cut to 55 points from 74 ahead of Race 2 – but it was now just Saturday’s winner Amon Odaki and Jakkreephat Phuettisan who could mathematically catch #7. Starting from P5, the task wasn’t going to be easy but Pratama got a phenomenal launch and by Turn 4, the race lead was his.

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The group behind, which included Odaki, fought back as the lead began to change several times on each lap. However, once Pratama hit the front on Lap 5 of 11 – and after Odaki made a small but costly mistake at Turn 6 – the lead stretched out. 0.5s rose to a second, and then in a couple of laps it was up to two. Pratama had got his head down and was gone. Now it was all about bringing it home.

Tried as they might, Pratama’s advantage was too big for the likes of Odaki, Riichi Takahira, Ogiwara and Mitani to bridge. For those riders, it was all about trying to finish on the podium.

For Pratama though, victory number seven was in sight – and more importantly, so was the title. Pratama made no mistake in becoming Indonesia’s first Asia Talent Cup title winner, and with it becoming the highest-scoring rider in a single season ever – and there’s still two more races to go.

Mitani’s well-timed Turn 15 inside swoop saw the Japanese rookie return to the podium, with Ogiwara finally grabbing his first podium of the season in P3. Takahira’s wait for a rostrum since Round 1 goes on as the Japanese rider finished a close P4, with Odaki’s hopes of taking the title fight to Qatar unfortunately ending with a P5 finish in Race 2.

Levi Russo won the P6 fight as Phuettisan’s run of three consecutive podiums comes to an end with a P7 result. Marianos Nikolis, Hafizd Fahril Rasyadan and Kiattisak Singhapong completed the top 10.

While Pratama has wrapped up the title, Odaki and Phuettisan are separated by just five-points, 137-132, with Mitani and Ogiwara fourth and fifth.

Marianos Nikolis sits 11th in the standings, just six-points out of the top-ten, while Levi Russo is 13th, tied on 38-points, with Radilah and Meilandri.

ATC Indonesia Race Two Results

2023 Asia Talent Cup Final Standings