06 Aug 2012 Ono: Fourth win of the season

After crashing out in Race 1 of the Asia Dream Cup race, Hiroki Ono bounced back in Race 2 to claim his fourth win of the season as Round 3 of the 2012 PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship concluded at the Zhuhai International Circuit.

Race 1 winner Iswandi Muis crashed out early in Lap 1. The remaining nine laps saw Ono, Hikari Okubo, Apiwat Wongthananon, Joshua Hook, S. Sasitharen and Fitri Ashraf Razali grappling to be at the front of the race. The battle ended when Ono crossed the finish line in first place with 21:18.204s. Apiwat Wongthananon, another podium regular, finished second with 21:19.031s. However, the biggest surprise of the day was presented by Singaporean rider Md Jazil Juraimi who impressed everyone in third place with a time of 21:19.113s.
 
"I was really upset about my crash in Race 1. In Race 2, I kept within the group, making sure to be the first bike coming out of the last corner of the last lap. This win comes as a relief after two consecutive DNF finishes," said Ono.
 
However, even though Ono has won the most number of races to date, it is the more consistent Okubo who is leading the Asia Dream Cup standings. Okubo, with a total points haul of 104 points, holds a 4-point margin over Ono who is now second overall with 100 points. Apiwat Wongthananon is third overall with 88 points.