Mario Aji Never Fasts After Making History

JAKARTA Mario Suryo Aji has never been complacent after successfully making history as Indonesia's first racer to finish in the top 10 of the Grand Prix racing event.

The 21-year-old racer finished the race in ninth place in the latest Moto2 race at the American Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) Austin, Texas, United States, on Sunday, March 30, 2025 local time or Monday morning Indonesian time.

The ninth position is the best finish ever achieved by Indonesian racers in the history of the Grand Prix. He broke his own record when he finished in the 12th position of the Moto3 class for the 2023 season in the same place.

"Finanese in the top 10 position as the first Indonesian racer to do so is an extraordinary achievement. I am happy, but never satisfied. I am always thirsty for more," he said, quoted by the Honda Racing website.

Mario started the race in COTA from the 12th position. He then slowly passed his opponents and finished with a time gap of 33.466 seconds from Jake Dixon who won the race.

Mario admitted that finishing in the top 10 in a wet track condition was an experience he had not imagined before. That's because he made preparations with a motorbike for a dry track.

"However, things suddenly changed when it started to rain. To be honest, I'm not too optimistic because I had a hard time getting wet on Friday. However, during the race, my confidence in the wet track was increasing," he said.

Mario managed to secure seven points thanks to the results he got at COTA. He now has a total of eight points and sits in 17th place in the standings of the three races that have been held.

This is Mario's second time securing points in the 2025 season racing calendar. He previously secured one point in the opening race at Chang International Circuit, Buriram, Thailand.

"I want to dedicate this result to my team because I can't do it without them. Thank you very much to my family and friends who have always supported me, both at home and on track. I really appreciate it," Mario said.

The next race or fourth series of the season will take place at the Lusail International Circuit, Qatar. The competition there will be held on April 11-13 closest.