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Four years into the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship and Tomoyoshi Koyama finally ended his winning drought with a faultless performance in Race 1 of the SuperSports 600cc at the Chang International Circuit. The win came as the first set of races got underway for Round 2 of the 2016 season this weekend. The 33-year-old Japanese rider started the race from third on the grid, filing up beside pole sitter Zaqhwan Zaidi and Ratthapong Wilairot on the front row. A rocket start catapulted Koyama into the lead. Throughout the extended 18-lap race, Koyama held steady through a number of challenges – first from Decha Kraisart, Zaqhwan Zaidi and Anucha Nakcharoensri. Behind Koyama, the treacherous track conditions and pressure of the race whittled down the 21-man grid. The competition intensified in the final lap when 600cc rookie Anucha finally made a move on Koyama. Despite his exhaustion, Koyama dug deep and found the extra reserves to hold his course. Anucha’s challenge ended in disappointment when his aggressive moves caused him to crash on the last corner. The T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS with WOW rider celebrated his first Asian victory with a total race time of 30’08.402s. Meanwhile, Anucha’s crash gifted second and third place podium finishes to MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda team mates Zaqhwan Zaidi and Yuki Takahashi. “This must be one of the toughest races I have ever endured. The heat, the competition, the extra long race, everything was a challenge. Throughout most of the race, all I could think of was that I had to win the race. It was the only thought in my mind. The final two extra laps were pure torture. I had already reached the end of my physical endurance and vomited into my helmet. Still I persevered and I am really happy with this win,” said Koyama. Championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman struggled at the 4.554km Chang circuit, picking up only eight points to stay marginally in the lead with 58 points. Race winner Koyama is now second overall with 56 points and Zaqhwan third with 52 points.

MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda’s Zaqhwan Zaidi is revelling in the heat of the Chang International Circuit while SuperSports 600cc championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman struggles to get on pace. The Malaysian rider who is second overall in the title chase was quickest during the first day of practice for Round 2 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship underway in Thailand this weekend. Despite playing second fiddle behind team mate Yuki Takahashi during the first two practice sessions, Zaqhwan came out with guns blazing at the third session with 1’40.249, the fastest lap of the day. Decha Kraisart and Tomoyoshi Koyama posted 1’40.255s and 1’40.376s respectively to round up the top three. Meanwhile, Takahashi’s pristine record at the Chang International Circuit was marred by a crash at Turn 1 during the second free practice session. Takahashi ended the first day fourth fastest with 1’40.468s followed by Ratthapong Wilairot with 1’40.655s. “The track surface is heating up as the day wears on and we are getting less traction than ever. I took an unexpected tumble during FP2, but sustained only minor damages to the bike. I am still confident that my results will hold up well for the qualifying and subsequent races,” said Takahashi who is looking to revive his title defense here in Buriram. Meanwhile, class leader Azlan Shah struggled to produce the laptimes on an unfamiliar circuit. “The tarmac was really slippy and to be absolutely honest, these types of track layouts with a lot of stop-and-go are never high on my favourites list,” said Azlan who was 11th fastest in FP1, 10th fastest in FP2, and eventually 9th fastest in FP3. Qualifying for the SuperSports 600cc will take place on Saturday morning to be followed by Race 1 in the afternoon. Catch the live stream of the races on www.eversport.tv starting from 0505hrs GMT.

The 4.554km Chang International Circuit, Thailand’s first FIM Grade A circuit, can be a deceptively difficult race course for rookie riders. For Malaysian rider Mohd Fitri Ashraff Razali, currently in his third season in the premiere class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, the circuit located in Buriram is the most important race track in the 2016 title chase. “The Chang International Circuit will host the ARRC twice this season. Therefore, the ability to score big points here becomes doubly important. This is not an easy race track to master. It looks easy on paper but there are two big trouble spots that could have a big impact on riders’ performance. Turn 4 happens as we descend from a slight elevation and we have to make an immediate left hand dive. Because of the elevation, we won’t be able to sight the corner prior to the turn and the method to tackle this turn must be memorized and ingrained into our muscles and reactions. Turn 12, the last corner, is also another tricky spot. It is a sharp right-hander and any mistake here will send the rider out onto the runoff area, effectively killing our race pace,” said Fitri. The 22-year-old Malaysian rider has much to prove this season, especially after landing a coveted ride with factory team Yamaha Racing. In a field of factory-supported satellite teams, Team Yamaha Racing is the only factory outfit in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. “Turn 4 and 12 have always been the hardest part of the circuit for me. I have not had good results here in 2015. This season, I must overcome those blocks. I need to improve on my rankings to secure my seat in the team,” he said. Fitri ranked 32nd overall in 2014, his maiden season in the SuperSports 600cc class. In his sophomore year in 2015, he climbed up the ladder to finish 25th overall. After one round of competition in 2016, Fitri is currently 14th overall.

23-year-old Indian rider Sarath Kumar is set to take on a new chapter in his racing career. With backing from the WOW Digit Company, the former Asia Dream Cup graduate will be making his SuperSports 600cc debut at Round 2 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Scheduled to be held at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand on May 7 – 8, 2016, Sarath will be running mates with two Japanese aces – Moto2 rider Tomoyoshi Koyama and upcoming hotshot Taiga Hada. Sarath was the first Indian rider to be accepted in the Honda-driven Asia Dream Cup. He ranked ninth overall in 2014 but slipped down to 13th in 2015. While Sarath will not be the first Indian to race in the Supersports 600cc class (that distinction has already been taken by K. Rajini), his participation in the class becomes that much more anticipated with the Buddh International Circuit set to host the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship later this year. “This is a perfect time for me to move from 250 class to the 600 class and I am so happy that I will be representing India in ARRC SS600. I have been riding the smaller bikes for over 8 years and because of my physic I had to move up the cc class but I did not expect the opportunity to come so soon that to at such a high level of competition. ARRC SS600 is one of the toughest grid in the world and I want to learn a lot this year before I start thinking about results. Riding with teammates like Koyoma will be a great learning opportunity for me and I hope I can get adjusted with the motorcycle fast. I really want to thank Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India, HM Japan our sponsors Mr. John Sudheer, WOW Digit Company and Mr. Ramji Govindarajan, Ten10 Racing who came forward to support the entire team for the season,” said Sarath. The Asia Dream Cup is an intermediary development programme meant to bridge the distance between the national championships and the regional and international levels. A fully sponsored programme, the Asia Dream Cup has become a much coveted opportunity among young hopefuls from around the region. Within five short years, the Asia Dream Cup had clocked tremendous success with their proteges now making waves around the world. 2012 winner Hikari Okubo is now a full-season World Superbike rider racing the 1000cc, 2013 and 2014 winners Hiroki Ono and Khairul Idham Pawi form a team in the Moto3 World Championships, 2015 winner Mukhlada Sarapuech is now being trained in Japan. Other luminaries from the Asia Dream Cup platform include Australian rider Josh Hook, now a WSBK rider with Hikari Okubo; as well as Indonesian Gerry Salim who is beginning to make big strides in the SuperSports 600cc class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. The Asia Dream Cup gained global prominence recently when Malaysian rider Khairul Idham Pawi became the first South East Asian to win the Moto3 race. Khairul accomplished his feat at the Argentinian Grand Prix on April 3