webadmin webadmin

UPHILL BATTLE AHEAD FOR WAWAN WELLO

2019, 2019 Round6, Latest News, Underbone 150 /

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.

UPHILL BATTLE AHEAD FOR WAWAN WELLO Read More »

McKINLEY RARING TO GO AFTER YAMAHA VR46 MASTER CAMP

2019, 2019 Round6, Latest News, Underbone 150 /

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.

McKINLEY RARING TO GO AFTER YAMAHA VR46 MASTER CAMP Read More »

BUY A HAPPY BAG; WIN A BIKE!

2019, 2019 Round6, Latest News /

In conjunction with Round 6 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Sepang International Circuit on September 21 and 22, race promoters Two Wheels Motor Racing will launch a Happy Bag campaign with two bikes up for grabs as the main prize. The Happy Bag, priced at only RM50, contains a limited edition ARRC Round 6 t-shirt, one bottle of Idemitsu 10W-40, a RM5 discount voucher for purchases at the promotion area, and most importantly, a lucky draw voucher to participate in the lucky draw at the end of the race weekend. The prizes are two of the hottest motorcycles in Malaysia this year – the hugely popular Yamaha Y15ZR and the Honda RS150R.

BUY A HAPPY BAG; WIN A BIKE! Read More »

WANG YI BO MANIA @ ARRC ZHUHAI

2019, 2019 Round5, Latest News /

In the weeks leading up to Round 5 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Zhuhai International Circuit, news began to circulate that rising Chinese star Wang Yi Bo will be taking part in the ZIC Motorbike Race, a support event for the race weekend. Wang, 22, is a Chinese actor and singer, as well as a member of the South Korean-Chinese boyband UNIQ. His latest work was popular costume drama, The Untamed. The Asia Road Racing Championship had the opportunity to have a few words with Wang. Wang Yi-Bo: I had an artiste friend who liked racing very much. That was how I got interested in this sport. Despite being relatively new to the sport, Wang put up a creditable performance in the Zhuhai Motorbike Race. He was consistently second in the practice sessions and qualified to start both Race 1 and Race 2 on front row. Wang Yi Bo: I have only participated in 1 race prior to this. That was in Beijing. Other than that, usually I just practice with the team. Learning to race is a lot harder than learning to act. Because here, I have to overcome fear. Luckily, I had a good teacher. The 22-year-old star, equipped with a Man Lee Tat Yamaha, finished first in his category in both Race 1 and Race 2. Wang Yi Bo: My fans are very supportive of my racing interests. They will usually come to lend their support – many will wear blue and green. Blue for Yamaha; and green because it is my favourite colour. And arrived they did. Fans from as far away as Beijing and Hangzhou flew to Zhuhai in the southern tip of China to form a vocal band of supporters every time Wang went out on the tarmac.

WANG YI BO MANIA @ ARRC ZHUHAI Read More »

BROC CAPS OFF SUCCESSFUL ZHUHAI WEEKEND FOR YAMAHA WITH ASB1000 WIN

2019, 2019 Round5, Asia Superbike 1000, Latest News /

Aussie rider Broc Parkes capped off a successful weekend for Yamaha when he asserted his domination in the ASB1000 with a third win of the season at the Zhuhai International Circuit. A better start from pole position as compared to Race 1 placed the Aussie in P3 at the start of the race. The Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN rider paced himself while allowing Malaysians Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman to dictate the early pace. Broc’s hunt began in earnest on Lap 3 when he overtook Azlan at Turn 13. As the ASB1000 race hits the midway point, Broc sped past Zaqhwan and proceeded to break away from the front group. A lap later, the Australian rider had extended his lead by almost a second while Zaqhwan bottled up the rest of the field. While Azlan, Zaqhwan, Thitipong Warokorn and Yuki Ito scrambled to fight for P2, Broc raced unchallenged to the finish line with 20’37.537s. An unforced error by Zaqhwan on the final lap saw him losing two positions. Azlan Shah and Yuki Ito completed the podium circle in second and third places respectively. Broc’s latest win puts him 35 points clear at the top of the ASB1000 ladder. The Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN rider will head to Sepang for Round 6 with 188 points in his pocket. Zaqhwan is still second on the standings with 153 points while Azlan closes in at third overall with 143 points.

BROC CAPS OFF SUCCESSFUL ZHUHAI WEEKEND FOR YAMAHA WITH ASB1000 WIN Read More »

KASMA CELEBRATES FIRST SS600 WIN IN ZHUHAI

2019, 2019 Round5, Latest News, Supersports 600 /

After a number of near-misses all season long, Malaysian rider Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin has finally claimed his first SuperSports 600cc win in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Following his defeat by the hands of fellow Malaysian Adam Norrodin in Race 1, a very determined Kasma made his way to pole position for a second shot at glory in Race 2. This time, a brilliant start put him in the lead with Adam, Azroy Hakeem, Andi Farid Izdihar, Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi and Peerapong Boonlert hot on his tail. Championship leader Peerapong looked to have missed a gear at the start of the race and was only in P7 at the end of the first lap. However, the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team rider needed only two laps to put himself back in the top three. Meanwhile, Andi Farid Izdihar had low-sided out of the race. Peerapong managed to overtake Adam on Lap 8 and briefly got into the lead on Lap 9 and 10. However, Kasma was not about to sit back and allow his Thai rival to claim his eighth win of the season. On Lap 11, Kasma regained the lead, braced against more attacks from his rivals. Not surprisingly, Adam got the power down in the final lap and succeeded in pushing Peerapong down to P3. Once again, Adam pulled off an overtaking move against Kasma at Turn 13. But this time, Kasma was ready for him. The Hong Leong Yamaha Malaysia rider out-braked Adam into the last corner, clung on to the inside line with no quarters given, and claimed his first SuperSports 600cc win with 19’42.945s SIC Junior ZK Racing’s Adam had to settle for P2 with 19’43.020s For the first time in the 2019 season, Peerapong Boonlert did not pick up a single win from the Zhuhai weekend. His string of podium finishes, however, remain unbroken. Peerapong takes P3 with 19’43.094s. The SuperSports 600cc title hunt may end at the penultimate round at the Sepang International Circuit next month. Peerapong, with 223 points in the bag, has an 80-point margin over Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin. Adam Norrodin is third overall with 125 points.

KASMA CELEBRATES FIRST SS600 WIN IN ZHUHAI Read More »

911 ALERT! RAFID TOPAN BACK IN WINNING FORM

2019, 2019 Round5, Asia Production 250, Latest News /

If there was one weakness that has marred the promising career of Indonesian rider Rafid Topan Sucipto, it would be his lack of consistency. Brilliant one day, india the next, it has always been hard to predict what Rafid would do in any given race. However, Rafid displayed none of that at the Zhuhai International Circuit when he picked up a double AP250 win from the 4.3km circuit. All eyes were on the Bike Corner SYS KYT Racing Team rider when he lined up on pole position – would he repeat his Race 1 feat? Rafid struggled at the start of the race, dropping quickly from pole to fourth on Lap 1 as Andy Muhammad Fadly, Awhin Sanjaya, and Tatchakorn Buasri took charge of the 10-lap race. The newly applied equalizer rule on Awhin and Irfan had done little to slow the pace of the two Astra Honda Racing Team riders. The duo had been able to quickly adjust to the reduction in power and were dominant in the first half of the race. By Lap 8, with two laps remaining, Rafid was still hunkered down in P6, deep within the leading group. The Indonesian rider finally made his move on the penultimate lap, moving up three spots to get into position for the final push to the finish line. When Muklada Sarapuech powered her way past Awhin and Irfan into the lead, Rafid tucked himself into her slipstream. With only half a lap remaining, the Indonesian rider successfully got past Muklada and stormed to his second win of the weekend with 19’10.448s Irfan Ardiansyah claimed the second spot with 19’10.541s followed by a jubilant Piyawat Patoomyos in third. This would be Piyawat’s first podium of the season. The AP250 Race 2 was a strategically important race for championship leader Andy Muhammad Fadly. After Race 1, Fadly was 47 points ahead of his team mate Aiki Iyoshi. Under the equalizer rules in the AP250 class, a second equalizer would be imposed should Fadly’s lead margin extend beyond 50 points against that of the fifth placed rider. In this case, to avoid the second equalizer, Fadly had to rein in his performance in Race 2. In other words, he had to lose the battle in order to win the war. Fadly finished the race in P9 to add seven more points to his points haul while his team mate Aiki Iyoshi picked up none after crashing out on Lap 2. Luckily for Andy, Aiki has dropped down to sixth overall while Lucky Hendriansya is now fifth with 97 points. Andy’s 145 points at the top of the table is 48 points clear of Lucky’s position. Therefore, the second equalizer will not take effect just yet.

911 ALERT! RAFID TOPAN BACK IN WINNING FORM Read More »

AKID NETS SECOND UB150 WIN

2019, 2019 Round5, Latest News, Underbone 150 /

As Muslims the world over celebrate the festival of Aidiladha, Malaysian rider Mohd Akid Aziz was doubly blessed when he picked up his second UB150 win of the season at the Zhuhai International Circuit. The Underbone 150 Race 2 got off to a rocky start when Mohd Izzat Raduan and Richie Taroreh crashed out at Turn 4 during the opening lap. The incident brought out the red flag and the race had to be re-started with 6 laps on the boards. Akid lined up fourth on the grid but as is common in Underbone racing, the UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor Asia Team rider quickly put himself at the front of the leading pack. Ably assisted by his UMA Racing team mates Haziq Fairues, McKinley Kyle Paz and Fernando Masato, the four riders successfully deployed their tag-team tactics to control the race pace from the front. Akid successfully threaded his way past the leading pack and managed to put himself squarely in the lead as the group exited the final corner. Akid sprinted to the finish line to claim the win with 12’14.739s 0.051s behind Akid, team mates Ahmad Fazli Sham and Wahyu Aji Trilaksana presented two podium finishes to the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team. Fazli finished second with 12’14.790s and Wahyu third with 12’14.869s SND Factory Racing Team’s Wawan Wello, who had led the UB150 class into Round 5, endured a disastrous weekend in Zhuhai. Wawan crashed out of Race 1, and his woes were compounded with a mechanical breakdown in Race 2. Zero points from the weekend has dropped Wawan down to P5. Newly reinstated class leader McKinley Kyle Paz finished in P5. He now leads with 95 points at the top of the table. Akid moves up to second overall with 91 points while Fazli goes from fifth to third with 81 points.

AKID NETS SECOND UB150 WIN Read More »

LIGHTS TO FLAG; ZAQHWAN TAKES SECOND WIN OF THE SEASON IN ZHUHAI

2019, 2019 Round5, Asia Superbike 1000, Latest News /

Malaysian rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi clinched his second ASB1000 win of the season at Race 1 in Round 5 at the Zhuhai International Circuit. The Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA rider had displayed the best pace over the course of the practice sessions, but found his pole position taken over by Aussie rider Broc Parkes during the qualifier. Broc earned the right to park his bike on pole position with 1’33.994s. However, a front row start from P2 was all Zaqhwan needed to take control of the ASB1000 Race 1 from lights to flag. A terrific start from the Honda rider sent him straight into the lead. Polesitter Broc did not have the best of starts, dropping to P4 at the end of Lap 1. Zaqhwan put up a masterful display of defensive riding as he controlled the race pace from the front and ended the 13-lap race with 20’38.147s Behind Zaqhwan, Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN’s Yuki Ito was also a constant presence in P2. Ito successfully clinched P2 with 20’39.032s. Thitipong Warokorn enjoyed a dream comeback in third with 20’40.430s. Championship leader Broc Parkes ended his race just off the podium in fourth. The Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN rider has managed to secure his lead on top of the standings. Broc now holds 163 points. Zaqhwan’s latest win has pushed him up the standings to second overall with 140 points. Meanwhile, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman dropped to third overall after he low-sided out of the race on Lap 3.

LIGHTS TO FLAG; ZAQHWAN TAKES SECOND WIN OF THE SEASON IN ZHUHAI Read More »

ADAM PICKS UP FIRST ARRC WIN IN ZHUHAI

2019, 2019 Round5, Latest News, Supersports 600 /

When Malaysian rider Adam Norrodin was first confirmed for the SuperSports 600cc class of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, there were a lot of high expectations placed on his shoulders. As a former Moto3 rider, Adam was immediately one of the favourites to win the 600cc title this year. As the season progressed, the quiet and unassuming rider tended to fade into the background, oftentimes overshadowed by Peerapong Boonlert’s unparalleled results and by Kasma Daniel’s showy riding style. At the Zhuhai International Circuit for Round 5 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Adam Norrodin finally revealed his true colours. The SIC Junior ZK Racing rider started the 12-lap race from the second row after qualifying P5 with 1’38.028s. Pole position went to Kasma who was clearly more comfortable with the stop-and-go nature of the Zhuhai International Circuit in spite of the searing temperatures. However, even as Kasma got the power down to lead into Lap 1, Adam was able to make sure that he stayed in touch with the leading group. While Kasma was busy engaged with Peerapong Boonlert and Ramdan Rosli, Adam was quietly making his way up the field. By Lap 7, the determined young rider had already overtaken championship leader Peerapong and Ramdan and was in position to challenge Kasma. Just when it looked as if the riders had settled into their race pace, Adam had one last surprise up his sleeve. The SIC Junior ZK Racing rider pulled off a perfectly-executed overtaking move on Kasma at the last corner, and successfully pipped his compatriot to the finish line by 0.087s. Adam logged his first ARRC win with a time of 19’38.917s, relegating Kasma to second with 19’39.004s. For the second time this season, championship leader Peerapong Boonlert had to settle for third.

ADAM PICKS UP FIRST ARRC WIN IN ZHUHAI Read More »