A.P. Honda Supports Thai Racers to Enter Moto GP

Its goal is also to lay a strong foundation for A.P. Honda Racing Thailand Team and to improve the racers as well as other team members, for the international circuits in the future.

The mechanics team will be sent to learn know-how from Moriwaki Camp in Japan. Racers will be sponsored to enter Asian and international competitions including World GP, Moto3 Class, and Suzuka 4 Hours Endurance Race, which requires not only racing skills but also determination to win from A.P. Honda Racing Thailand Team. The company’s long-term plan is to expand the motorsports industry in Thailand, by hosting more local competitions to seek young talents for Thai industry.

“A.P. Honda has a dream to make motorsports as popular as football, another cultural activity enjoyed by people from all walks of life. We have a plan to expand the sport to a larger fan base, and to push Thai motorsports to the international circuits. A.P. Honda Racing Thailand has continuously supported Thai racers at the international circuits. In 2006, we sent Ratthapark “Feem” Wilairot to Moto2.

In 2013, we built Thailand’s first female racer, Muklada Sarapuech, to compete in Asian level and won Asian Dream Cup in 2015. To make our dream come true, we have planned two important steps,” said Yoichi Mizutani, President of A.P. Honda Co., Ltd.

“First, our goal is to build the first Thai Moto GP racer by 2025. In the meantime, we will seek young talents, aged between 10 and 15. We will also host a competition for racers using NSF100 – dubbed as a racing machine – adding to the existing Thailand Talent Cup. The race was launched last year, as a first step for young Thais to enter the world of true motorsports, and a channel to seek Moto GP racers,

“Second, we are improving potential and increasing challenges for A.P. Honda Racing Thailand Team by making it a factory team to compete in Asia Road Racing Championship 2017 and Suzuka 4 Hours Endurance Race 2017 in Japan. Every team member and racer is Thai and mainly staff at A.P. Honda. In fact, we can make it easier for Thai racers to win by signing them with another foreign team.

But that will not help A.P. Honda Racing Thailand to improve its capability. Setting up our own team from scratch can be tough and tiring, but we will be able to make decisions of which competitions to participate and design our own team. I am confident the race will receive a priceless experience for racers and the whole team to improve themselves, to reach the goal of being a part of the international circuits,” said Mr. Yoichi.

“Stepping into the international arena, it needs a clear-cut plan in every step of competition. Our long-term goal is to build a pure Thai racing team that will take part in World Superbike. This year’s plan for A.P. Honda Racing Thailand is to send racers to two important competitions. Starting from World GP, Nakarin “Chip” Atiratphuvapat will be racing in Moto3 Class under Idemitsu Honda Team Asia. He is the first Thai to be in the race. Meanwhile, Somkiat “Kong” Chantra, young Thai talent and latest Asia Talent Cup winner, will be joining CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship 2017, an entering stage for many World GP racers,” said Mr. Sukati Sanpawat, General Manager Product and Motor Sport Planning Division of A.P. Honda Co., Ltd.

“In Asian level, we will send our racers to take part in three competitions. Ratthapong “Float” Wilairot and Tatsuya Yamaguchi will be racing in Asia Road Racing Championship 2017. Inviting Mr. Yamaguchi, the Japanese racer, to join A.P. Honda Racing Thailand Team is to lift the standard of Thai team, preparing it to become a professional before entering the world arena. Both will be racing in 600cc supersport class. Two rising stars – Vorapong “Aey” Malahuan and Muklada “Muk” Sarapuech, Thailand’s only female racer in All Japan race – will be racing in 250cc sport production class. Both will be coached by Makoto Tamada, the team’s head coach, and Ratthapark “Feem” Wilairot, assistant coach.

“Suzuka 4 Hours Endurance Race is a most important step and also the first time for A.P. Honda Racing Thailand to take part in. Led by Mr. Ratthapark, we are in the screening stage, seeking four Thai racers to team up with Thai mechanics and support team. For the Asia Talent Cup, a tournament cooperated by Dorna and HRC to seek rising stars of Asia to participate in World GP, we will send Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi. All these racers will certainly represent Thailand and mark the country on the motorsports map in both regional and international levels. I would like to invite everyone to cheer them.

“This year, we have also teamed up with Moriwaki, world-class racing team. The cooperation will be beneficial for the country’s motorsports industry. Mechanics will be sent to learn from the Moriwaki Camp in Japan throughout the season, to enhance their experience and teach them to apply knowledge to A.P. Honda Racing Thailand and local industry.”

Moreover, A.P. Honda is also determined to expand the motorsports to a wider audience in the country, by continuing the Honda CBR300R Thailand Dream Cup and Honda MSX Super Challenge. Our commitment also includes a project to seek young talents, aged between 10 and 15, through the racing machine, NSF100 race, to pave ways for the youngsters to be familiar with the motorsports, to be in line with Honda Racing School’s concept.