From winning a national championship to competing on some of Asia’s most renowned racing circuits, Crawford International Ruimsig learner Oratilwe ‘Ora’ Phiri continues to make steady progress in international motorcycle racing.

The young rider claimed a third-place finish in race two at Round 3 of the TVS Racing International Championship, held at Mobility Resort Motegi in Japan from June 12–14.

After finishing fifth in race one, he ended the weekend with another international podium in a championship that forms part of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.

According to Phiri, the weekend began with an unexpected challenge after the shipping containers carrying the race motorcycles arrived late. The delay forced riders to complete all practice sessions and qualifying on Saturday, leaving them with less time than planned to prepare.

Despite the revised schedule, Phiri made an encouraging start by setting the fastest time in the opening practice session. However, technical problems during the second practice session limited him to just one lap. He later qualified sixth for both races.

“The weekend started slow because the containers with the bikes arrived late, moving everything to Saturday, meaning practice and qualifying would all be in one day,” Phiri said.

He said there was no warm-up before the opening race, making Sunday’s programme even more demanding.

“We went straight into race one, and it was a very competitive race with lots of passes being made. I was able to finish in fifth position, which I was happy with and was ready to go for more in race two. During this race, there were even more passes being made and a lot of battling was happening, which let the leader get away unfortunately. This time I pushed myself further and was able to get onto the podium for a third-place finish,” he shared.

The podium is the latest milestone in Phiri’s growing racing career. Last year, he won the SAES/ MRSSA SBK600 Championship at Kyalami International Raceway before gaining international racing experience in Thailand. This year, he was selected to compete in the TVS Racing International Championship, where he continues to represent South Africa against an international field.

Phiri thanked TVS Racing, TVS South Africa, Gaman Racing, Lumi Racing, his sponsors and coach, Steven Odendaal, for their support throughout the weekend.

According to the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship calendar, Phiri’s next race will be Round 4 at the Mandalika International Circuit in Indonesia from August 7–9, as he continues his international campaign.