This Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) season will prove to be tougher than the last because the UB150 category sees the return of top-tier veterans.

It’s going to be a packed grid as well because a total of 24 racers will be competing from the previous 16.

April King Mascardo, who finished last season in third place overall, returns with Gian Carlo Mauricio, who is looking to redeem himself after a challenging season last year. Their quest to bring home the UB150 ARRC Championship will be under the UMA Racing MMR Yamaha Philippines team.

The challenge began in round 1 at Buriram in Thailand, where they were greeted by the scorching weather. With the heat at an all-time high, the riders had to make use of an ice bath that was installed in their paddock.

April would battle through an injury he got during a free practice session where he crashed during the last lap but still started at 6th position on the grid, with Gian settling in at 21. It was a tough start for the Filipino duo against a revitalized roster of competitors that were ruthless in their pursuit of victory.

April pushed through the crucible and finished 7th in Race 1 and 8th in Race 2. Gian had an unfortunate start to his campaign and finished at 19th, and a nasty spill at the final corner of the last race landed him with a DNF.

The Pinoy tandem looks forward to a better outcome in Round 2 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia on May 12 to 14.