Malaysia’s senior Underbone 130cc rider Ahmad Fazli Sham put up a masterclass in underbone racing when he won Race 1 during the fifth leg of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Fazli, who has been on a winning streak of late, snared his second consecutive win in as many weekends. Fazli led an all-Malaysian podium at the Buddh International Circuit comprising of Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa and Mohd Izzat Zaidi who finished second and third places respectively.
The Underbone race got off to its usual tussle as soon as the lights went off. Racing again in a group, Fazli was visible throughout as one of the most consistent leaders in the class. On Lap 6, the Uma Yamaha Maju rider fended off an aggressive Florianus Roy to take the final corner. Behind him, Roy crashed out, taking with him Mohd Helmi Azman and Saiful Izman Ahmad.
“I think this was a lucky win. I wasn’t able to do much in the early part of the race because Wahyu was just too fast. But when Wahyu developed engine problems midway through, that was when I took full advantage of the situation to push my front wheel ahead of the rest,” said Fazli.
The results from Race 1 had again changed the tables. Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa is now the championship leader with 103 points. Mohd Izzat Zaidi is second with 98 points while Wahyu Aji Trilaksana is third with 93 points.