The Philippines’ Ralph Kenneth Torres finished fifth in a field of 26 riders in the two-race second round of the five-leg KTM RC Cup Asia at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia recently.
Torres, the country’s first sponsored rider in the series, lay ninth overall in a field that included top entries from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, China and Thailand after missing the first round.
Starting fifth on the grid in Race 1, Torres took the early lead in the “Orange” class for riders not older than 22 years with a fastest lap time of 2 minutes and 35.218 seconds over the 5.543-kilometer Formula One circuit.
Top Malaysian riders Ibrahim Norrodin, Ahmad Idham Khairuddin, and Izam Ikmal Izamli and a Thai rider eventually passed Torres as his limited practice time took its toll.
“It was a great weekend for me and my team, especially since it’s only my first race in the series,” Torres said.
The racing series is also held across Europe and United States to showcase the capabilities of the KTM RC 390 sports motorcycles. —STEVE SILVA, MOTORSPORTS CONTRIBUTOR