As previously reported, two of the brightest stars from the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia Pacific Championship, Kakeru Okunuki and Sakchai Khongduangdee, were selected to compete against riders from across the world in the European SuperFinale at Estoril. The two riders duly made their way to the iconic circuit, which sits on Portugal’s Atlantic coast, for last weekend’s bLU cRU global showdown.
The SuperFinale, which was part of the race calendar for the penultimate World Superbike round, was run as a two-race tournament in which riders would score points in each 10-lap race to determine the winner. There were competitors from every Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Championship in the world, including South America and Europe, as well as the Asia Pacific region. Kakeru and Sakchai both stepped up to the task in practice and qualifying, grabbing grid slots in P6 and P23 respectively.
In Race 1, both riders got away well in a closely fought 25-bike contest. Sakchai progressively moved up from his starting position, while Kakeru engaged in a ferociously close battle at the front. The determination and speed we had previously seen in the APAC championship was matched with outstanding race craft by the 17-year-old. In the early laps he was a frequent leader and looking a likely winner. At the start of lap 4, though, the Japanese star was speared from behind as another rider came too hot into the braking zone for turn 1. The unfortunate Kakeru was sent flying into the gravel trap and out of contention. He was understandably furious, but uninjured. Sakchai, meanwhile, fought well to take the checkered flag in 17 th.
Race 2 again featured tight battles throughout the field. Kakeru again made his presence felt in the front group, though didn’t quite have the race winning pace of the previous day. He crossed the finish line 10 th . Sakchai made a promising start, but only completed 3 laps before crashing at turn 1.
Both riders have grown from the experience of racing with other elite international racers and return stronger for the final round of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia Pacific Championship at The Bend in South Australia on November 8-10. Kakeru goes in with a 15.5 point advantage over Australia’s Ryan Larkin, with Sakchai just 2.5 points further back.
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