Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), May 28 (IANS): Saturday turned out to be a day of gaining points for the Honda Racing India team's rider duo of Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar in the first race of Round 2 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), here.

Bagging seven points for the solo Indian team at ARRC, both Rajiv and Senthil maintained steady performance till the last lap in Saturday's race.

Starting 16th on the grid, Rajiv overtook Indonesian rider Fitriansyah Kete in the first lap itself. From the 2nd lap onwards, Rajiv continued to ride at 14th till lap 4. Thereafter, he consecutively moved 1 position up on lap 5 and lap 6. Continuing to maintain his momentum, Rajiv crossed the finish line at 12th with a time of 20:12.398, earning four points for the team.

Senthil Kumar too showcased his full power on the racetrack on Saturday. Clocking the best lap time of 2:29.301, Senthil has recorded his new fastest lap time at the Sepang International Circuit. Avoiding all mistakes and keeping a steady momentum till the end, Senthil finished lapped back home right after his teammate Rajiv. After the 13th position finish, Senthil Kumar adds three points to his kitty.

Commenting on the race, Prabhu Nagaraj, Operating Officer - Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, said, "Coming back on this track after a long gap of two years, our riders are showing consistent improvement in every outing. Despite starting from the last row on the grid in today's race, our riders showed great zeal and gained four positions, thus earning valuable points for the team. I am sure that with today's learning and experience, our riders will enhance their strategies to better their positions tomorrow."