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The 2018 season of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship began in Buriram. It ended in Buriram with a dramatic flourish. It had been a weekend of non-stop drama, particularly in the SuperSports 600cc category where six riders were in contention for the title. Of the six, Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Ratthapong Wilairot had the slimmest chance of taking the crown. He needed to win both races.   With a little bit of help from his senior team mate Decha Kraisart, 26-year-old Ratthapong successfully turned the tables and revived his title hopes with a win in Race 1. By then, four riders were in the chase for the crown and Ratthapong, Ahmad Yudhistira and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman each needed to win Race 2.   Team orders within the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team were very much in evidence in Race 2. Decha Kraisart set the pace at the front in the first nine laps. At exactly the midway point of the race, right on cue, Decha moved aside for Ratthapong to come through. Decha planted himself firmly in second place to guard his team mate’s flanks and succeeded in ushering Ratthapong to his second win of the season with 30’00.360s. Decha settled into second place with 30’00.701s.   While the two Yamaha Thailand Racing Team riders romped unhampered to the finish line, Keminth Kubo from the Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN managed to get into Ahmad Yudhistira’s head and disrupted the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing’s focus and concentration. The young Thai maverick hounded Yudhistira mercilessly until Kubo himself overcooked Turn 3 and crashed out on Lap 9. By then, it was too late for Yudhistira to catch up to the marauding duo at the front. For the second time this weekend, Yudhistira settled for third with 30’03.332s.   With this win, Ratthapong confirmed himself as the 2018 SuperSports 600cc FIM Asian Champion with 141 points. Ratthapong’s win has ended a 7-year title drought for Thailand in the premiere class of the Asian series.   “It has been a very emotional day for me. My late father, Christmas Wilairot, was a top rider in this Championship during its early years but he never managed to win the Asian title. Today, winning this on our home track, makes the victory even more meaningful. I dedicate this title to his memory,” said Ratthapong in a post-race interview.   “Further, I thank my team mate Decha Kraisart. He has taken me under his wings since I joined the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team this year. He and the team members have all made me feel very welcome and I have been able to accomplish my best season in my career to date.”   Anthony West is second overall with 136 points. Ahmad Yudhistira has been propelled up the ladder to third overall with 131 points while Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman dropped to fourth with 123 points. Astra Honda Racing Team’s rookie rider Andi Farid Izdihar is ranked fifth with 117 points.   Webike IKAZUCHI Racing’s Randy Krummenacher picked up eight points from Race 1 and five points from Race 2, enough to keep the team at the top of the team rankings. The Webike IKAZUCHI Racing team were equal on points with Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing, but broke the tie with their stronger winning record.

Thai rider Ratthapong Wilairot successfully kept his SuperSports 600cc title hopes alive when he pocketed his first win of the season at Race 1 in the season finale of the 2018 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.   26-year-old Ratthapong made headlines earlier this year when he took his career to the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team. Since then, the Thai rider has twice made it to the podium but had yet to pick up a win.   Ratthapong more than made up for the lack when the Championship landed on his home ground at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand. Fastest in the free practice, Ratthapong carried his momentum into the qualifier where he succeeded in clinching the pole position.   Ratthapong got off to a slow start in Race 1, opening up the gap for his senior team mate Decha Kraisart to race into the holeshot. However, Ratthapong managed to stay in the top end of the group while the other title contenders jostled for position.   Malaysian rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi got taken off the title contention as early as the final corner of Lap 1. In trying to avoid Zaqhwan’s bike, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman was also forced to run wide. Azlan lost valuable race positions in the process and was left with the uphill task of clawing his way back up from P21.   Up in front, the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team duo Decha Kraisart and Ratthapong Wilairot had opened up a 4-second gap by Lap 6. Behind them, another title contender, Ahmad Yudhistira of the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing Team, had his hands full staying half a wheel ahead of the unpredictable maverick, Keminth Kubo.   Team orders were very much in order within the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team. Decha Kraisart had the superior speed, but he played his wingman’s role to perfection when he slowed his pace for Ratthapong to catch up. The younger Yamaha rider finally drew abreast of his senior team mate on Lap 7 and successfully overtook on Lap 8. With 10 laps remaining to the end of the race, the two riders were almost racing in tandem as they swooped to a 1-2 finish with 29’56.061s and 29’57.431s respectively. Ahmad Yudhistira also kept his title hopes alive when he finished third with 30’01.433s. Keminth Kubo and Tomoyoshi Koyama rounded up the top-5 in the race.   Keisuke Kurihara finished sixth in the race, with Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman about a second off his pace in seventh place. However, Kurihara was penalized and dropped five positions for exceeding the track limit and Azlan was promoted to P6 instead. Yuki Ito and Azroy Hakeem Anuar were similarly penalized.   As it stands, the list of title contenders have been whittled down from six to four. Race 2 in the SuperSports 600cc class will be a straight-out battle for the win as Ratthapong, Yudhistira and Azlan all need the win to clinch the 2018 Asian crown.