The inaugural FIM Intercontinental Games (ICG) is just weeks away and FIM Asia, with Team Manager Akira Goto at the helm, is preparing its challenge for this landmark event on 30 November and 1 December when it will line up against teams from the five other FIM Continental Unions (CONU) of North America, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Oceania at the iconic Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in Spain.
Sure to be a highlight of the FIM’s one-hundred-and-twentieth anniversary year, the first-ever ICG – the City of Jerez FIM Intercontinental Games – provides a gender-neutral platform with the action divided between Supersport and Supersport 300 classes with R7 and R3 machines provided by ICG Official Partner Yamaha Europe. More disciplines will be added as the biennial event becomes more established.
FIM Asia is fielding racers from five countries with its efforts in the Supersport 300 category captained by eighteen-year-old Indonesian sensation Aldi Mahendra who this year made history as his nation’s first-ever FIM Circuit Racing World Champion. Mahendra clinched the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship at Jerez and is hoping he can translate his knowledge of the circuit into a winning performance.
Competing alongside Mahendra on R3 machinery will be sixteen-year-old Malaysian up-and-coming star Farres Putra – who this season has enjoyed success in his national superbike championship – and McKinley Kyle Paz from the Philippines, nicknamed ‘Wonderboy’, who in 2024 has been a contender in the Supersport 600 class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship and in 2019 the UnderBone 150 FIM Asian Champion.
Also with experience of the challenging Spanish circuit, the final R3-mounted member of the team is ground-breaking Miu Nakahara from Japan who became the first female to win a title in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship when she was crowned Asia Dream Cup Champion in 2015.
Captaining the team’s effort on R7 machinery, Apiwat Wongthananon from Thailand has recent top-flight experience in the FIM Supersport World Championship. The thirty-year-old will compete alongside fast female Naoko Takasugi from Japan and her twenty-four-year-old compatriot Soichiro Minamimoto who was the 2023 FIM Supersport 600 Asia Road Racing Champion.
Completing FIM Asia’s Supersport selection, twenty-four-year-old Kasma Daniel from Malaysia has competed in the FIM Moto2™ and Moto3™ World Championships as well as the Superbike 1000 class of the FIM Asian Road Racing Championship.
Stephan Carapiet, FIM Asia President, said: “FIM Asia’s participation is an exciting milestone for motorsport in our region. This new event is a unique opportunity for our athletes to challenge themselves against some of the best in the world, while showcasing the strength and depth of talent that exists within Asia.
“It’s not just about competition – it’s about forging stronger connections across FIM Continental Unions and elevating the profile of Asian motorsports within the global community. We are proud to stand alongside the world’s best and look forward to continued success and growth in future editions of this prestigious event.”
Organised with the support of la Junta de Andalucía, the City of Jerez FIM Intercontinental Games brings together forty-eight riders from nineteen countries and takes place on 30 November and 1 December 2024 at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in Southern Spain.
Published by: Isabelle Larivière – FIM Communications Manager