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CONVINCING HOME WIN FOR MUKLADA

2019, 2019 Round3, Asia Production 250, Latest News /

Muklada Sarapuech bagged one for the Thai contingent with an uncontested AP250 Race 1 win as Round 3 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship got underway at the Chang International Circuit. Starting the race from pole position, the AP Honda Racing Thailand rider got herself into the front by the first lap, and easily maintained a consistent one-second lead ahead of her rivals to take the win with 19’01.091s. Behind Muklada, her team mate Tatchakorn Buasri made it an AP Honda Racing Thailand 1-2 when he crossed the finish line in second with 19’02.295s While Muklada and Tatchakorn’s race went perfectly to script, what went on behind them was madness. Andy Muhammad Fadly, racing with a 500rpm equalizer, found himself in the thick of battle against Irfan Ardiansyah, Piyawat Patoomyos and Faerozi Toreqottullah for P3. The close fighting among the four riders led to close contact at the last corner of the final lap when Irfan seemed to touch Andy’s bike and somehow, caused Andy’s front wheel to lift. Andy was able to stay on the bike but lost the final sprint to the chequered flag. Irfan Ardiansyah from the Astra Honda Racing Team claimed third place with 19’04.491s. Further down the grid, Cao Viet Nam’s perseverance over the past few seasons seemed to have paid off. The Vietnamese rider recorded his best results in the AP250 to date when he finished ninth ahead of Rafid Topan Sucipto, Suttipat Patchaeetron and Rey Ratukore. Muklada’s win has brought her to the top of the standings with 86 points. She is 34 points in front of fifth ranked rider Irfan Ardiansyah, and will be riding with a -500rpm equalizer in Race 2. Andy Muhammad Fadly finished fifth to climb up to second overall with 76 points. Aiki Iyoshi crashed out of the Race 1 melee and dropped to third with 68 points.

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PERFECT UNDERBONE STRATEGY BY AKID

2019, 2019 Round3, Latest News, Underbone 150 /

UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor Asia Team’s Mohd Akid Aziz gave a masterclass in the perfect underbone strategy when he won Race 1 against a 20-bike front group at the Chang International Circuit. This would be Akid’s first win of the season. It has been a weekend of ups and downs for 2016 Underbone champion Akid. He broke the lap record during the free practice and set a new record for the underbones at the 4.55km Chang International Circuit. Akid was half a second faster during the qualifying but something went awry during the SuperPole and Akid lost his anticipated position on the front row, instead started the race from 15th on the grid. Akid was quick to make up for lost ground and led the pack into Lap 1, but there was no breaking away from the chasing group. ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team’s Hafiza Rofa was dominant during the first half of the race, leading from laps two to four but Hafiza was unable to sustain his pace against the tide of riders behind him. Meanwhile, Akid had opted to stay out of trouble before emerging in the lead again on Lap 7. The young Malaysian rider, no stranger to winning Underbone 150cc races, expertly threaded his way past the 20-bike group and was first across the finish line with 16’25.633s Indonesian rider Richard Taroreh, racing in Pro-Liner 549 Kaboci Racing Team colours this year, also picked up his first ARRC Underbone podium in second place with 16’25.776s. Seasoned Malaysian campaigner Mohd Affendi Rosli claimed the final spot on the podium in third place with 16’26.017s “The front group was bigger than usual and it was very difficult to strategize with attacks coming from all corners. I’m glad our plan worked out although I wish that my team mate, Haziq Fairues was standing beside me on the podium,” said Akid. Haziq was the man with the pole advantage when he aced the SuperPole with 2’02.416s but finished 15th with 16’26.713s Championship leader McKinley Kyle Paz picked up enough points from sixth to stay ahead on the championship standings. The Filipino rider leads with 51 points. Affendi Rosli ranks second with 44 points followed by Akid third with 41 points.

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AZLAN TAKES PROVISIONAL POLE AHEAD OF ROUND 3 BATTLE

2019, 2019 Round3, Asia Superbike 1000, Latest News /

Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman is leading the ASB1000 after the first day of free practice at Round 3 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Buriram, Thailand. The ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team rider shaved a full second off his laptimes to take provisional pole with 1’35.518s. Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi was second quickest after the first day with 1’36.274s. The Honda Asia Dream Racing with Showa rider had been dominant in the first two practice sessions, but crashed on his out-lap in FP3. Luckily for Zaqhwan, the crash did not result in any serious injury although the damage to the bike was quite significant. Apiwat Wongthananon clocked 1’36.416s, third fastest of the day, followed by championship leader Broc Parkes in fourth with 1’36.553s. Bryan Staring, back again as Thitipong Warokorn’s replacement, was eighth with 1’37.004s.

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PEERAPONG IS A MAN ON A MISSION

2019, 2019 Round3, Latest News, Supersports 600 /

Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Peerapong Boonlert has lost none of his verve and flair despite the pressures of racing on home ground. At the Chang International Circuit for Round 3 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Peerapong aced the first day free practice sessions with the quickest time of 1’40.212s, putting him on course to pick up a 33rd Buriram podium for Yamaha Thailand. Looking to stop Peerapong’s reign are Malaysian duo Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin and Adam Norrodin. Both Malaysian top guns have just returned from a stint in the CEV and are raring to halt their Thai rival’s unchallenged romp at the top of the 600cc standings. Kasma clocked second quickest with 1’40.345s while Adam posted 1’40.985s to lock down the provisional front row. AP Honda Racing Thailand’s Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi was the fourth fastest rider of the day with 1’41.158s followed by two other Honda riders – Andi Farid Izdihar and Azroy Hakeem Anuar respectively. Javier Orellana Malloy, the dark horse of the SuperSports 600cc class, is taking his time to get used to the Chang International Circuit. He posted 13th quickest for the free practice, but as seen in Australia, is capable of podium-worthy performances. Chinese wildcard Ma Sai was 3 seconds off the leader with 1’43.505s.

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AP HONDA RACING THAILAND MUKLADA AND PIYAWAT DOMINATES FREE PRACTICE

2019, 2019 Round3, Asia Production 250, Latest News /

AP Honda Racing Thailand duo Muklada Sarapuech and Piyawat Patoomyos dominated the AP250 proceedings during the free practice sessions as Round 3 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship got underway at the Chang International Circuit. Muklada stopped the clock at 1’53.138s to top the timesheets followed by Piyawat second with 1’53.666s. Muklada’s time, however, is still about a second off the 2018 lap record set by Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi (1’52.339s). Despite riding with a 500 rpm cut, Andy Muhammad Fadly proved to be still competitive, coming in third on the combined timesheets with 1’53.724s. AP Honda Racing Thailand’s third rider Tatchakorn Buasri clocked the fourth quickest time followed by the fastest Yamaha on the grid, Faerozi Toreqottullah who posted fifth fastest with 1’53.850s. Championship leader Aiki Iyoshi, also riding with a 500 rpm cut, paced home at sixth fastest followed by the Astra Honda Racing Team trio Irfan Ardiansyah, Lucky Hendriansya and Awhin Sanjaya.

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NEW UB150 LAP RECORD BY AKID AZIZ

2019, 2019 Round3, Latest News, Underbone 150 /

Mohd Akid Aziz smashed the Underbone 150cc lap record at the Chang International Circuit by 0.024s to take provisional pole ahead of the UB150 SuperPole on Saturday morning. The UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor Asia Team rider went from fifth on the combined free practice results to first in the qualifying session with 1’59.974s. Akid’s blistering pace has effectively erased Wawan Wello’s 2018 record (1’59.998s). Akid was also the only rider among the 30-man grid to lap below two minutes. After a morning dominated by the Yamaha riders, Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa came out strong in the qualifier. The Yuzy Honda Racing rider posted 2’00.730s to clinch the second quickest time of the day. Indonesia’s Richard Taroreh, representing team Pro-Liner 549 Kaboci Racing Team this season, was third with 2’00.732s. Behind the three leaders, nine riders found themselves lapping within the same minute. The sole Thai rider on the grid, Peerapong Luiboonpeng clocked fourth fastest with 2’01.036s followed by his Team One For All team mate Mohd Affendi Rosli with 2’01.160s. Championship leader McKinley Kyle Paz will need to up his pace if he were to retain any hopes of keeping the championship lead. McKinley clocked 13th quickest with 2’02.089s, a full two seconds behind pace-setter Akid.

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SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT AND TWO WHEELS MOTOR RACING JOIN FORCES TO HOST 2019 MALAYSIA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

2019, Latest News /

SEPANG, 28 May 2019– In an effort to raise the level of competition and overall series promotion, Sepang International Circuit (SIC) and Two Wheels Motor Racing (TWMR) have ventured into a collaboration to organise the Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) beginning with the 2019 season. TWMR is an established body that has vast experience in organising motorcycle race series, notably the Malaysia Cub Prix series and the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC). The Cub Prix series was inaugurated in 1994 as a means for budding talents to race competitively using underbone motorcycles with smaller displacements on the national level. TWMR has stepped in to organise and promote the event since 1996. The ARRC, started in 1996, is a regional championship that aims to bridge the gap to the world championship with competitions involving classes of ASB 1000, Supersport 600cc, Asia Production 250cc class and also an underbone class. “This is exciting times for us as we have a very experienced partner to run the MSBK with us,” said SIC Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Razlan Razali. The collaboration to organise the MSBK will be for five (5) years beginning June 2019.  The Malaysia Cub Prix and the ARRC have proven to be a good stepping-stone and grassroots programmes for riders in Malaysia and the Asian region as they make their way into the world championship. Among notable riders that have come out from the championships to race on the world stage are Malaysians Shahrol Yuzy, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, Khairul Idham Pawi and Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah, Ratthapark Wilairot (Thailand), Chris Vermeulen (Australia) and most recently Somkiat Chantra, Dimas Ekky Pratama, Kaito Toba and Kazuki Masaki. Dato’ Razlan added that the collaboration would further cement the MSBK’s status as one of the top national championships in the country. “We don’t claim to be the best in being a series promoter nor sentimental for holding on to MSBK (formerly known as MSS) since it was created in 2001. In the interest of Malaysian Motorsports, we rather that an entity such as TWMR with great experience in promoting series to take it over and collaborate with SIC to ensure that MSBK remains relevant and continues to contribute to the development of Malaysian Motorsports and complement other series such as Malaysian Cub Prix and Asia Road Racing Championship. We are hoping that with the expertise under TWMR’s umbrella, the MSBK will become a much better and more competitive and overall as an exciting and reputable event for spectators at the circuit – not only in Malaysia but also recognised as the best in the region,” said Dato’ Razlan. “TWMR has the experience of running a high-level regional championship that has seen many riders make it into the world championship and SIC – in line with our aim to produce talents – would like to continue with this trend. “We want the MSBK to grow bigger from what we had experienced before. In the last edition of the MSBK, we had 418 participants putting their best on the track and we hope for the numbers to grow even bigger from now on.” “On behalf of TWMR, our objective is to help create a platform where Malaysian riders can be groomed further before they leave for the higher regional or international level championships,” added Ron Hogg, Director of Two Wheels Motor Racing. “The MSBK can also be utilized as a hub for other Asian riders to hone their skills prior to their international debut.” “In the first year of the collaboration, TWMR will maintain the classes available in the MSBK but the Superbike and Superstock classes will be merged into a single race. We had thought about removing the Superbike class this year, but to be fair to the competitors who have already prepared for the 2019 season, we decided to postpone the decision.” “The future direction will be to have it as a single class with possible A & B sub-divisions to increase the competition level and following the direction of most championships in the world for this category. The Supersports A & B as well as the 250 A & B classes will remain at status quo. The technical regulations for the class will be similar to the ARRC regs,” Ron concluded. The 2019 MSBK will run for four rounds, kicking off on 14-16 June together with the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup (ATC) that will join as the support race and the season ends with double header MSBK Round 4 and 5 on Nov 8-10.   Race calendar   Round 1 (14 – 16 June 2019) – support race Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup (ATC) Round 2 (26-28 July 2019) Round 3 (20-22 Sept 2019) – support race Asia Road Racing Championsip (ARRC) Round 4 (8-10 Nov 2019)   For more information, please contact SIC National Press Officer Nor Lina Ayob at norlina.ayob@sepangcircuit.com

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TJ AND ACCESS PLUS RACING READY FOR THE NEXT STEP FORWARD

2019, 2019 Round3, Asia Superbike 1000, Latest News /

Access Plus Racing – Ducati Philippines – Essenza is ready to take the next step forward as the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship heads to the Chang International Circuit in Buriram for Round 3. The new Manila-based racing outfit has gotten their ARRC debut off to a good start, especially with young TJ Alberto at the helm. Come Buriram, TJ and his team mate Jonathan Serrapica will be hoping to convert the team’s pace into strong finishes. Since the last race meet at The Bend Motorsport Park, the team has poured a lot of effort into the development of their Ducati Panigale V4R. Unlike the previous legs where the team was hampered by a lack of data, TJ have at least had some experience at the Chang International Circuit, especially during the winter test at the end of 2018. Overall, the team’s outlook is very positive following improvements gained in Australia. With TJ now ranked 10th in the Asian series, the team looks ready for their next step forward. TJ Alberto, #77 Ducati: “The past few rounds have helped us clearly understand what is needed from the bike, technicians and riders to perform at their best. We were on the opposite end of the spectrum during the first round in Sepang and we have been learning after each race.” Toti Alberto, Team Principal: We’ve made strides as a team over the last few months. We now better understand the new Panigale V4R which we just received from Ducati Corsa right before the season began in Malaysia. Our progress so far have already allowed TJ and Jonathan to challenge for points and we’re looking forward to further improve on our results in Thailand.”

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4 RACES; 4 WINNERS; 4 MAKES

2019, 2019 Round3, Asia Superbike 1000, Latest News /

Two rounds into the inaugural season of the ASB1000 class has yielded four winners on board four different makes in four separate races. Malaysians Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi fired the first salvo at the season opener in Sepang. Azlan piloted his brand new BMW to the win in Race 1 while Honda rider Zaqhwan stormed his way through a rain-drenched Sepang circuit to clinch the second win. In Australia, Kawasaki took their turn at the top of the podium through replacement rider Bryan Staring’s impeccable performance in Race 1. In Race 2, Broc Parkes lived up to his top billings when he took his Yamaha R1 to its first ARRC win. Broc, who is racing for the Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, leads the ASB1000 class as they head to Round 3 at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand. The Yamaha stalwart holds a 21-point advantage over Zaqhwan Zaidi. Broc’s team mate, Yuki Ito has a strong track record at the Chang International Circuit and would be a threat to Zaqhwan’s position as he hunts for his first ASB1000 podium. After a strong start in Sepang, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman picked up two fifth places in Australia and has dropped down to fourth overall with 47 points. Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team’s replacement rider Bryan Staring came into the series with a bang. Bryan debut at fifth in the rankings with a win and a second place finish in Australia. The home team, Yamaha Thailand Racing Team, will be also be strategizing for a strong performance in Buriram. Over the past five years, the team had collected a whopping 32 podiums in Buriram. Apiwat Wongthananon and Ratthapong Wilairot will be under tremendous pressure to do well in front of their home fans. Amidst the big names, Ahmad Yudhistira has succeeded in bringing his near-standard Yamaha R1 to ninth overall in the standings while ARRC newcomer TJ Alberto from the Philippines maintained his position at tenth in the rankings.

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BRYAN GETS ANOTHER ‘STARRING’ ROLE IN BURIRAM

2019, 2019 Round3, Asia Superbike 1000, Latest News /

Thanks to his incredible performance as a super-sub in the Australian round, Bryan Staring is back for another starring role in Buriram. With Thitipong Warokorn still in the recovery process to get back into racing form, it was only natural for the Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team to reach out to Bryan to fill the vacuum. The Australian rider won Race 1 at The Bend, and second in Race 2 – bringing home enough points to keep the Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team afloat at the top of the team standings.

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