Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India announces fresh line up for 2023 International Racing Championships

All set to prove their mettle on the international racetrack, four rookie riders from India will challenge the best of Asian riders in the 2023 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) and Thailand Talent Cup (TTC).

The solo Indian team - IDEMITSU Honda Racing India for the AP250cc class of 2023 ARRC season consists of the talented young-gun Kavin Samaar Quintal who made his international debut in 2022 at Thailand Talent Cup and Asia Talent Cup. Joining him in the pit will be Mohsin Paramban who, after proving his mettle in the national racing and displaying strong potential at Thailand Talent Cup, has now been given his first break at Asia's toughest racing championship, as per a press release from Honda.

Giving an opportunity to move up to greater challenges and fast-tracking the career development of young Indian riders to the Asia level, Honda Racing India's promising stars Raheesh Khatri and Shyam Sundar will make their debut on international soil with the 2023 Thailand Talent Cup.

Speaking on the company's plans for the 2023 season of racing, Atsushi Ogata, Managing Director, President & CEO - Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India said, "Boosting a culture of motorsports in India, we announced a directional shift for racing in 2018 from fun-biking to developing an iconic Indian rider for the international championship. Aggressively charging towards this direction, we have built a roadmap that begins from identifying young talent to developing them as next-generation riders and nurturing this talent pool at the national level to give them a platform to race with the world's best. This year, four of our young riders realize their dream of racing with Asia's best riders. These young guns are developed through rigorous training under the expert guidance of racing stalwarts. We are looking forward to a trail-blazing action this year."

Elaborating on HMSI's 2023 international racing plans, Prabhu Nagaraj, Operating Officer - Brand and Communication, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India said, "The 2023 season of International Racing Championship will witness four of India's new promising riders from Honda's stable. Having experience of racing at both domestic as well as international championships, young guns Kavin Quintal and Mohsin P will debut in AP250cc class of the Asia Road Racing Championship this year. On the other hand, Raheesh Khatri and Shyam Sundar will showcase their talent for the first time ever on an international platform with Thailand Talent Cup. Last year we achieved some noteworthy milestones as a team. With next-gen riders now taking part in the competition, we are eager to see how these young guns will display their talent on the track and outpace the competition."

In the Asia Production 250cc class of 2023 Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) - Asia's toughest road racing championship, the IDEMITSU Honda Racing India strives to emerge as a tough challenger to the 20 best Asian riders from across 7 countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Japan and India).

Leading the battle in ARRC battle will be Kavin Quintal. The 17-year-old racing prodigy from Chennai has been associated with Honda Racing India since 2019 when he was first identified at Honda India Talent Cup. Displaying strong performance on the racetrack, the youngster stood second in the 2019 & 2020 championship of IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup NSF 250R class. Learning and making giant leaps in his performance, Kavin won the 2021 IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup NSF250R championship and showed promising results in his debut year at 2022 Thailand Talent Cup.

His teammate, Mohsin Paramban from Mallapuram has been associated with Honda since 2018. Spotting his potential earlier on, Honda put him on an accelerated growth path. In his second year of racing with Honda, the 20-year-old rider was among the first 8 next-gen Indian riders to get the opportunity to race on Honda's legendary NSF250R. After demonstrating his skills at IDEMTISU Honda India Talent Cup NSF250R class and finishing third in the 2021 & 2022 seasons of championship, he participated in the 2022 Thailand Talent Cup and gained prominent international experience.

Speaking on the upcoming championship, Kavin Samaar Quintal shared, "This is my first season at ARRC. I am excited to race amongst the finest riders of Asia. It is my honour that Honda has trusted me and presented me with this prestigious opportunity. Though it is going to be a tough season as there are a lot of fast riders in AP250 class but I would make the most of this platform to further grow my skills and prove myself in the championship."

Sharing his thoughts, Mohsin P said, "Being a part of ARRC is a dream opportunity for me and a huge step up for my racing career. I am extremely happy and excited to set my foot on international soil at Asia's toughest championship with IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team. This excitement is motivating me to train more to give my best across all rounds. Looking forward for great learning with team Honda!"

Committed to building the Next generation of young riders for international championships from a young age, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India fast-tracks the career development of two of its IDEMITSU Honda Talent Hunt finds.

The new riders for the 2023 season of Thailand Talent Cup are 15-year-old Raheesh Khatri and 20-year-old Shyam Sundar from Chennai. The Mumbai lad Raheesh Khatri joined Honda Racing India in 2020 and won the 2022 championship of the Honda India Talent Cup CBR150R category with a clean sweep. Whereas Shyam Sundar from Chennai became part of Honda Racing India in 2019 and is the champion of the 2020 Honda India Talent Cup CBR150R and Runner-Up of the 2022 Honda India Talent Cup NSF250R class.

The 26th edition of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is Asia's most competitive motorcycle road racing championship, held since 1996. The 2023 season will have a total of six rounds beginning with the official test and season opener at the Chang International Circuit (Thailand) from 24-26 March 2023. In May 2023, the Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia) will host the second leg. While the host venue for Round 3 in June 2023 will be held at the Sports land Sugo International Circuit (Japan). Round 4, 5 and 6 will be held in August, October and December in Indonesia, China and Thailand respectively. (ANI)