Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup

【2021 End Of Season Review】Taiyo Furusato Wins All Seven Races to Claim Championship Title

The Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup aims to nurture young riders in Asia to challenge the world stage. The coronavirus pandemic had cut the 2020 season short, down to one round, but seven races in three rounds were held in 2021.

【2021 End Of Season Review】Taiyo Furusato Wins All Seven Races to Claim Championship Title

Rounds were planned for Thailand, Malaysia and Japan, but the coronavirus canceled these venues, leaving Qatar and Indonesia.

Taiyo Furusato Dominates

The first two rounds were held a week apart at Losail International Circuit in Qatar. In Round 1 Race 1, Furusato maintained his preseason momentum to win by a 16 second margin. The battle for second place was fierce, with Gun Mie chased by Hakim Danish. The two riders crossed the line side by side, Mie taking second place by 0.001 second. Furusato dominated Race 2 as well, while second place was another hard fought contest between six riders only 0.1 s apart. Kanto Hamada was second, and Danish was once again third.

In Round 2 Race 1 held the following weekend, Daniel Sharil challenged the seemingly unbeatable Furusato, taking the lead in Lap 2. Furusato was soon back in front, beating the pressure to win once again. Sharil was second by 0.115 s, while Kanto was third. In Race 2, the duel between Furusato and Sharil heated up. After a neck and neck battle, Furusato won his fourth consecutive race by 0.041 s.


Round 1 Race 2 podium (from the left): Hamada, Furusato, Danish
Round 1 Race 2 podium (from the left): Hamada, Furusato, Danish

After a six month gap, Round 3 was held at the Mandalika International Street Circuit in conjunction with the Superbike World Championship. In Race 1, Sharil took pole, and was once again in a battle with Furusato. Sharil pulled ahead of the Japanese rider during the race, but Furusato claimed victory after a last lap overtake. In Race 2, Sharil keeps the lead until the closing stages, and yet again Furusato overtakes on the final lap. Furusato dominated Race 3 as sell, victorious in all seven races to earn the championship title.


Furusato and Sharil battling since Round 2
Furusato and Sharil battling since Round 2

Sharil was second for two consecutive rounds, while Mie was third in the same rounds. Their overall standings for the 2021 season were also second and third respectively. In 2022, Furusato joins the Moto3 World Championship with Honda Team Asia.


Furusato to join the world championship in 2022
Furusato to join the world championship in 2022


  • Standings
Pos. Rider Num. チーム Constr. Pts
1 Taiyo FURUSATO 15 - Honda 175
2 Danial SHARIL 21 - Honda 119
3 Gun MIE 5 - Honda 105
4 Carter THOMPSON 6 - Honda 70
5 Hakim DANISH 13 - Honda 57
6 Kanta HAMADA 8 - Honda 49
7 Masaya HONGO 17 - Honda 45
8 Sharul SHARIL 20 - Honda 45
9 Rei WAKAMATSU 2 - Honda 44
10 Tetsuya FUJITA 14 - Honda 37
11 Marianos NIKOLIS 12 - Honda 35
12 Herjun FIRDAUS 10 - Honda 33
13 Herlian DANDI 11 - Honda 29
14 Tom DRANE 18 - Honda 28
15 Reykat FADILLAH 24 - Honda 27
16 Fadillah ADITAMA 3 - Honda 18
17 Veda PRATAMA 25 - Honda 15
18 Thanakorn LAKHARN 9 - Honda 15
19 Thurakij BUAPA 22 - Honda 15
20 Yousef AL-DARWISH 25 - Honda 5
21 Azryan DHEYO 19 - Honda 5
22 Hamad AL-SAHOUTI 23 - Honda 4
23 Watcharin TUBTIMON 16 - Honda 4