For the first time this season, Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama topped the Asia Production 250cc timesheets. To sweeten the deal, the Yamaha Racing Indonesia rider also created a new lap record at the 3.964km Sentul Circuit where Round 4 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is taking place.
Having been outshone by high profile rivals Takehiro Yamamoto and Apiwat Wongthananon for the first half of the season, Galang rocketed into the lead when he clocked 1’44.229s during the second practice session and effectively erased Yamamoto’s lap record by almost a full second.
“We had an engine problem during the first practice. We’re still not sure what the problem is, so the team decided to change the engine entirely rather than waste more time on diagnosis. It proved to be the right decision as the bike performed perfectly in the second session. This has boost my confidence level and I hope to continue this momentum into the qualifying session and the two races,” said Galang.
Defending champion Yamamoto ended the day as the second fastest rider with 1’44.822s while the championship leader Apiwat Wongthananon was third fastest with 1’45.204s.
Galang’s team mate Rey Ratukore also made it into the top five when he posted the fourth fastest time of 1’45.634s. Thailand’s Anupab Sarmoon was fifth fastest.