webadmin webadmin

Tengku Amirul Haffirudin will be filling in for Mohd Adib Rosley in the RCB Accentwire Yamaha YY Pang Racing Team at Round 6 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Sepang. Adib broke his leg two weeks prior to the ARRC, during the sixth round of the 2019 PETRONAS Malaysian Cub Prix Championship in Teluk Intan, Perak. The Malaysian rider is recovering rapidly from surgery, but is not yet fit to race.

Just as the Indonesian riders view the Sentul Circuit as their playground, so does the Malaysian riders with the Sepang International Circuit. At the 2019 season opener, the Malaysian camp had been expected to dominate the UB150 podium especially. When Filipino riders McKinley Kyle Paz and Fernando Masato claimed the win in both Race 1 and Race 2, it was a painful blow for the local heroes. Fortunately for the Malaysian riders, they will get a chance for a do-over when the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship returns to Sepang for Round 6 on September 21 and 22. At Sepang, the Malaysians will make up 50% of the 35-rider UB150 grid. UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor Asia Team’s Mohd Akid Aziz will be in the thick of the action as he challenges McKinley Kyle Paz for the leadership position in the class. Both riders have picked up two wins apiece in the previous four rounds. Akid trails McKinley by only four points. However, in the case of Underbone racing, numerical advantage can sometimes become a strategical nightmare. With so many bikes out on track, threading one’s way through the charging horde in the final few corners of the race can be challenging. Wily seasoned campaigners like Ahmad Fazli Sham, his younger brother Ahmad Fazrul Sham (wildcard) and championship mainstay Mohd Affendi Rosli can be expected to throw up obstacles of their own in their quest for the top step of the homeground podium. With the Malaysian national day celebrations only a few weeks ago, fans can expect to see their favourite Malaysian riders amp up the level of competition in Sepang.

SND Factory Racing Rapido rider Wawan Wello will face an uphill battle to get back into the UB150 title chase. Wawan led the pack into Round 5 in China, but saw his 12-point lead evaporate following a disastrous weekend at the Zhuhai International Circuit. Coming into the penultimate round in Sepang, the Indonesian rider is now trailing by 24 points in fifth overall. Three DNF results in a row has checked Wawan’s upward trajectory. With only two rounds and four races left on the calendar, he will need a slew of podium finishes to make up for lost ground. The stakes are high for Wawan. He is still the best performing Indonesian rider in the UB150 class, as well as the sole Honda representative among the top-10.

A week in Italy training at the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp has Underbone 150cc leader McKinley Kyle Paz raring to go for Round 6 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. McKinley will return to the Sepang International Circuit, the scene of his first ARRC win that put him on course for the title hunt. The young Filipino rider, who currently leads the UB150 with 95 points in the bag, was part of a group of young Asian riders sent to the Rossi camp for further exposure. These include Malaysian Mohd Alif Ashraf Tahiruddin and Yamaha AP250cc riders Sawapol Nillapong and Suttipat Patchareetorn. This has been an on-going initiative by Yamaha. McKinley and co were the eighth group of Asian riders to train at the VR46 Master Camp. Luminaries from the camp include current top riders such as Apiwat Wongthananon, Peerapong Boonlert, and Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin. “I will always treasure this five-day training experience. Being coached by your idols is really an inspiration for a young rider like me. The Master Camp really makes a difference!” said the UMA Racing Yamaha Philippine rider. Armed with fresh determination, McKinley will be looking to pick up his third win of the season in Sepang. He and team mate Fernando Masato will be joined by a third member – wildcard, John Emerson Inguito.