Veda Pratama's "Superb" signal from Jerez

Veda Pratama started his racing career in Europe brilliantly. Even though he didn't make it to the podium, he performed brilliantly.

KOMPAS/AGUNG SETYAHADI

Fifteen-year-old racer from Astra Honda Racing team, Veda Ega Pratama, competed in the Asia Road Racing Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand on Sunday (3/12/2023). Currently, Veda is competing in the Red Bull Rookies in Europe.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Young Indonesian racer, Veda Ega Pratama, has always been in the spotlight since the training session until the second race of the 2024 Red Bull Rookies Cup at the Jerez-Angel Nieto Circuit, Spain. Veda was able to perform solidly on his debut and then achieved fourth starting position in qualifying. Veda also started brilliantly in the two races, always finishing second from fourth starting position. However, the 15 year old racer still needs to learn a lot to reach the podium.

Veda revealed his targets in this inaugural season in the Red Bull Rookies Cup in a special interview facilitated by Astra Honda Motor, which coached him.

How are the physical and technical preparations for the first series of the Red Bull Rookies Cup, what training programs are you undertaking?

For physical preparation, I always do the strength and durability menu regularly with an ever-increasing portion of exercise. Technically, I also train with my father and Astra Honda Racing Team so that my skills are even more honed.

Also read: Veda Pratama Promoted to Red Bull Rookies Cup

What are the results of the performance analysis from pre-season tests, what still needs to be improved? What does the level of competition look like there?

As a starting point, there are certainly several things that need to be considered. Especially in terms of physical and weather adaptation. Competitively, it is also more rigorous, and I need to adapt quickly so that I can compete optimally.

DOKUMENTASI ASTRA HONDA MOTOR

Astra Honda Racing rider, Veda Ega Pratama, rode the CBR250RR motorcycle in the first race of the Asia Road Racing Championship in the Asia Production 250 class at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, on Saturday (2/12/2023).

How feeling with the new motorbike, do you need to make any major riding style adjustments? What are the differences in character with the motorbike that Veda used before?

Certainly, every motorcycle has its own character, and every new thing for me requires adjustment, not only motorcycles, but also championships, circuits, and other things.

What are Veda's targets for this inaugural season in the Red Bull Rookies Cup?

In this championship, I try to focus on utilizing this golden opportunity to the fullest. Striving to perform at my best and continue to improve in every series.

Also read: Veda Will Not Waste the Red Bull Rookies Cup

This season, apart from appearing in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, Veda also appeared in the Asia Road Racing Championship with the Astra Honda Racing Team in the 600 cc Supersport class. The choice of class is also part of Veda's preparation to increase competitiveness

What impact does Veda feel from appearing in the SS600 ARRC class in preparation for fighting in the Rookies Cup this season?

Each motorcycle has a different character. However, one thing is for sure, with 600 cc, I can feel a more powerful and bigger motorcycle that I have never experienced before. So, I can learn faster and not be surprised when I have to ride a powerful motorcycle.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Veda Ega Pratama celebrated after winning the race in the second round of the Asia Talent Cup at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara on Sunday (15/10/2023).

In the Red Bull Rookies Cup, Veda will race on European circuits used for MotoGP races. After the first series at Jerez, the next races will take place at Le Mans, Mugello, Assen, Red Bull Ring, Aragon, and finally at Misano on 7-8 September 2024.

Introducing the character of circuits in Europe will be one of the challenges to being competitive. So far, how has Veda studied the character of these tracks, what has been the focus of attention?

I don't know much yet. However, in general I have studied it in theory even though I have never done a live race. Of course my focus will be, yes, as quickly as possible understanding the circuit character and layout along with the challenges.

Also read: Veda Ega Pratama, from the Cattle Market Parking Track to the European Track

What will the support of Astra Honda Motor and the Astra Honda Racing Team be like in this new chapter of Veda's racing career?

All the processes that I went through from Astra Honda Racing School, Asia Talent Cup, and even to Europe, are the results of full support from Astra Honda Motor, which indeed has a program to realize the dreams of the nation's children in the world of racing.

Vedic positive signals

In the first series in Jerez, 26-28 April, Veda's performance stole the attention. In fact, at the start of every race, the commentator for the live broadcast of the first race in the 2024 Red Bull Rookies Cup series used the word superb to praise Veda. Veda was brilliant every time he started, shooting like a rocket from fourth starting position to occupy second place after the first corner.

However, Veda, who just made his first appearance in Europe, did not fully understand the character of the Jerez track and had to adapt to his new bike, the KTM RC250R. Prior to this, the racer under Astra Honda Motor always rode the Honda NSF250R, which he rode to win the 2023 Asia Talent Cup.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Young Indonesian racer, Veda Ega Pratama (right), closely follows Amon Odaki (from Japan) at turn 16 during the first Asia Talent Cup race at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara on Saturday (October 14th, 2023).

These two factors were among the reasons why Veda failed to reach the podium in the first series of the Red Bull Rookies Cup. Veda failed to finish in the first race on Saturday (27/4/2024) due to a fall in turn 2, leaving only two laps out of the 14-lap race. Meanwhile, in the second race, he managed to score five points by finishing in 11th position.

Although not yet reaching the podium, Veda has shown great potential to continue to develop and become one of the top racers in the Red Bull Rookies Cup. The signal was emitted by the racer from Gunungkidul, DI Yogyakarta, throughout the weekend in Jerez.

The first signal, in the training session, he was able to occupy eighth position and then in the second training session he was in 10th position. This was not an easy achievement because some of the tracks were wet. Veda is also not yet complete in understanding tracks and motorbikes. This brilliant performance continued in the qualifying session, when Veda won the fourth starting position with a lap time difference of 0.203 seconds from the pole position winner, Maximo Martinez Quiles.

In the qualifying session, Veda also showed a spark of talent in exploring the potential of his new motorbike, especially at top speed. Veda scored a top speed of 203.7 kilometers per hour, the highest in the qualification. If you are integrated with your new motorbike and understand the character of European tracks, Veda's performance will be much more solid.

The second signal is Veda's ability in the start. He has a very good start reaction that allows him to sprint with precision. In the Asia Talent Cup, he was named "Rocket Man" partly because of his starting ability.

In two races in Jerez, he could always occupy the second position after the first turn. The problem is that he then loses his position. This is because there is still a lot that he needs to learn to fight against European racers who are known to be super-aggressive and already understand the character of the track well.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Young Indonesian racer, Veda Ega Pratama, led a group of racers in the second race of the Asia Talent Cup at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, Central Lombok, NTB on Sunday (15/10/2023). Veda swept the victory in the third series of the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup 2023.

The third signal is the fighter's mentality that serves as the foundation of Veda's continuous efforts to improve its position. In the first race, Veda fiercely battled with Quiles, Brian Uriarte, and Marco Morelli in the top four positions. In the competition for the top spots, Veda then fell in turn 13 when in fourth place. Veda was able to continue the race and further improve its position, eventually reaching 15th place with less than seven laps remaining. Veda then climbed up to 12th place with two laps left in the race. However, Veda later suffered a second accident in turn two, failing to finish the race.

In the second race, Veda also demonstrated her ability to bounce back after falling to 14th place from second position. She then climbed three positions to finish in the 11th position and gain five points. Overtaking other racers in a race with the same motor is not an easy matter. Debutant racers usually find it very difficult to do so, but Veda was able to overtake other racers in her first series.

Why is it so difficult to overtake? Because European racers are known for being very skilled at covering spaces. To be able to overtake, it requires great courage and precise calculations to enter the narrow space available. This was once revealed by two racers under Astra Honda Motor, Mario Suryo Aji and Fadillah Arbi Aditama, in their debut season in the CEV Junior Moto3 World Championship, which is now called JuniorGP. The racers in JuniorGP are mostly graduates of the Red Bull Rookies Cup. Therefore, overtaking other racers in debut races is a very important achievement.

The positive signals are crucial for Veda to continue raising his level in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, an event that serves as a stepping stone towards the Grand Prix. Veda is currently in 15th place in the standings with five points.