Buriram ARRC: Kumar sidelined after injury, Subramaniam scores

Sarath was due to make his debut in the ARRC this weekend, taking part in the Supersport 600cc class.

But the Indian reported severe pain in his knees following third practice, forcing him to skip qualifying and subsequently, the race.

“It was most unfortunate that my debut in the 600cc class was a non-starter,’’ Sarath lamented.

“I was in severe pain after participating in the three Free Practice sessions on Friday following which we decided to skip the rest of the weekend rather than risk aggravating the injury.”

The Indian had a difficulty in turning the bike in corners, as he finished last in all three practice sessions on Friday.

The Chennai-based rider, however, hopes to fully recover from his injury by the next round in Suzuka.

Speaking about his early exit from ARRC, Ramji Govindarajan, MD, Honda Ten10 Racing said: “Sarath is still recovering from his knee injury and Friday's FP3 took a toll on his knee and he was in pain.

“The grid is tough, but we as a team and manager are not putting any pressure on him to perform. We want him to recover and learn the nuances of riding a 600cc motorcycle step by step.

“Sarath has been working hard on it despite being in pain and is not able to ride through left corner or right to left quick transition turns,’’ he added.

First points for Subramaniam

After a non-score in the opening round, Kanan Subramaniam enjoyed far better fortunes in Thailand, finishing fifth in the first Suzuki Asia Challenge race of weekend.

The Indian qualified 11th for the race, but swiftly moved up the order, finishing 1.109s behind race-winner Muhammad Sapril as Jefri Tosema and Eane Jaye S.Sobretodo completed the podium.

Prior to qualifying, Subramaniam finished 11th and second in the two practice sessions held on Friday.

Low-key results in Asia Dream Cup

In Asia Dream Cup, neither Hari Krishnan nor Sethu Rajiv were able to pull off a strong result on Saturday.

Krishnan finished 11th, having started from 10th place, the Indian was running in top five before he fell after a contact between two other rivals.

Meanwhile, fellow countryman Rajiv retired with seven laps to go, having started at 12th position. The race was won by Muhd Febriansyah ahead of Hiroki Nakamura and Hafizh Nor Azman.