AP Honda Racing Thailand may have finished fourth in the recent Suzuka 4 Hours, one of the most gruelling motorcycle races in Japan, but they succeeded in impressing the man who allocates the funds for their different ventures.
Yoichi Mizutani, CEO of Thailand-based AP Honda, was pleased with the team's performance in their debut in the event at the famed Suzuka circuit last month.
"I could feel that a lot hard work had gone into the team's preparations and appreciate the efforts of their technical staff, riders and others," said Mizutani.
"We could also see that there is a lot of potential in the riders and our fourth-place finish should help boost the confidence of the team even further.
"Competing in four-hour endurance races is not easy, but the team proved that they can up their standard."
The team prepared for more than six months as the company opted for a Thais-only policy for the event.
They brought in former Moto2 rider Ratthapark 'Feem' Wilairoj, who has gained a lot of experience while racing across the globe for more than 10 years.
Ratthapark joined as the head coach and his input helped the team's riders in Suzuka a great deal.
The three Thai riders selected to join the team were not only judged on the basis of their ability to rev up on the track, but their motivation during races, skill to plan rides, physical fitness and ability to work as a team were also taken into account.
The riders were Worapong Malahuan, Sittisak Onn-chawieng and female racer Muklada Sarapuech.
The team suffered their first setback when Sittisak slipped during a practice session and broke his collarbone, forcing the Khon Kaen native to pull out of the Suzuka race.
Sittisak was replaced by Muklada but she had trouble familiarising herself with the Honda CBR 600 RR she had been assigned to ride.
Despite the adverse developments and heavy rain, the team managed to finish fifth in the two qualification rounds.
"This was just the first step for the team and I would say it was fantastic as everything went as planned," said Mizutani.
"The results here encourage us to keep pursuing our plans for sending an all-Thai team to the MotoGP in 2025," he added.
Mizutani did not want the team to have any lapses in their development.
He said: "I have told head coach Ratthapark to do his homework and come with up with a plan for the team for next year.
"Next year, we don't want to aim high, as it may put everyone under pressure which might affect their development and results.
"This time, our goal was to finish the four-hour race and it made everyone relax. They were able to perform to the best of their potential.
"Next year, we will come back aiming for a top-five finish or if possible maybe a place on the podium."
Speaking on his plans for the future, Mizutani said he wanted to steer the team towards the world level.
"We are planning to field a Thai team in the World Super Bike by the year 2020 but that is just one of our targets," he said.
"Depending on the state of development of the Thai riders, we might change it and participate in the Suzuka 8 Hours instead."
"AP Honda just wants to develop domestic teams and take them to the international level.
"Look at the results of the Suzuka 4 Hours race. There are hardly any teams from Japan at all.
"This shows that teams from Asean countries have a lot of catching up to do and that holds true for Thailand as well."