Sepang Circuit (Malaysia), Sep 20 (IANS): S Honda Racing India teams riders Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar kicked-off their 3 free practices of Round 6 of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at the Sepang International circuit with positive momentum here on Friday.

Despite his 3rd year at ARRC, Rajiv is riding in Sepang for the second time only, his debut being in Round 1 this year.

Ending FP 1 on 15th position, it was in FP2 that Rajiv recorded his best combined lap time of 2:27:781 putting him firmly in Top 11 riders of Asia Production class.

With Top 11 riders fighting for positions in just a mere 1.973 seconds, Rajiv's gains in morning qualifier will not only mean entry into the Top 10, but also a golden chance to push even higher.

And with a potential second round of RPM cut coming into play after Saturday's race, a strong start can just be the wind beneath his wings.

In his debut ARRC race in Sepang, Senthil had showed his mettle climbing from 17th start to Top 14th finish. Today, the 18-year-old shaved off seconds to record his best lap time of 2:29:724 - a 3 second gap from lead rider Piwyawat placing him 22nd. In Friday's 3 practice sessions he had shown improvement getting closer to Rajiv.