Esguerra Spearheads Filipino Victory in First ACRR Held in his Home Country
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The first ever FIM Asia Cup of Road Racing event in the Philippines featured riders from six countries in two races on board Sniper race bikes provided by Yamaha Motor Philippines. It was held together with the 15th InsideRACING Grand Prix at the Tarlac Circuit Hill from December 9-11, 2022.
FIM Asia, InsideRACING, USRA and Yamaha Motor Philippines
Dustin Esguerra ignited the fighting spirit of Team Philippines with a superb qualifying performance wherein he secured the pole position. Chinese Taipei rider Bo-Yao Zhan qualified second and he and Esguerra were the only riders to clock in 1 minute and 13 seconds in the time trial session.
Race 1 grid
ACRR Race 1 winner: Bo-Yao Zhan from Chinese Taipei (CTMS)
In Race 1 on December 10, Bo-Yao Zhan displayed a stellar performance and finished the race in first place. Crossing the finish line second was Filipino Garry Cañeda Jr. followed by Japanese riders Raiku Hasegawa and Buntaro Kurihara. Bo-Yao Zhan’s teammate Yung-Shun Tsai finished fifth while Esguerra ended up at P6. Sarvesh Hanumannavar from India was seventh to cross the finish line while Thailand’s Nontanan Khanti and Teetat Phusang finished eighth and ninth, respectively. Sri Lanka’s Vinula Pathirage settled for P10. Mathana Kumar from India and Nikila Pathirage from Sri Lanka were not able to finish the 12-lap race. Esguerra submitted the 1:13.975s best lap time of the race.
Race 2 about to start
ACRR Race 2 winner: Dustin Esguerra of the Philippines (NAMSSA)
In front of his home crowd, Esguerra delivered a masterclass in Race 2 the following day, making sure he will take the checkered flag after the 10-lap race wherein he figured in an intense battle for the win against Bo-Yao Zhan who led the race at the start. The Chinese Taipei racer finished in second place and was the rider to clock in the 1:12.660 best lap time of the race. Mathana Kumar finished third followed by Garry Cañeda Jr. and Buntaro Kurihara. Sarvesh Hanumannavar ended up at P6 while Teetat Phusang and racing brothers Nikila and Vinula Pathirage finished seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. Nontanan Khanti was not able to finish the race. 
It was Esguerra’s first international race win and he has proven he is one of the top racers of the country and he is also one of the first champions of the first IRGP. His victory was made sweeter as he achieved this feat in front of a great crowd of Filipino race fans.
ACRR December 2022 overall winners
After tallying the results of the two FIM ACRR races, Team Philippines (NAMSSA) emerged as the champion in the 2022 FIM ACRR held in the Philippines. Coming in second was Team Chinese Taipei (CTMS). Third placer was Team Japan (MFJ) while Team India (FMSCI) bagged the fourth place overall. Fifth place result for Team Thailand (FMSCT) and sixth placer was Team Sri Lanka (FMSSL).
Team Philippines (NAMSSA) represented by Dustin Esguerra and Garry Cañeda Jr.
Team Chinese Taipei (CTMS) represented by Bo-Yao Zhan and Yung-Shun Tsai
Team Japan (MFJ) represented by Buntaro Kurihara and Raiku Hasegawa
Team India (FMSCI) represented by Sarvesh Hanumannavar and Mathana Kumar
Team Thailand (FMSCT) represented by Teetat Phusang and Nontanan Khanti
Team Sri Lanka (FMSSL) represented by Vinula Pathirage and Nikila Pathirage
It was a memorable and successful first FIM Asia Cup of Road Racing in the Philippines both for participants and race fans.
December 2022 Asia Cup of Road Racing results
This was published in InsideRACING Magazine Issue 207
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