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A season of twists and turns in the SuperSports 600cc class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship and suddenly, Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi finds himself back in the championship lead again. Zaqhwan, who is also the defending champion of the class, did not look particularly strong at the start of the season. Instead, it was Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman who became the hot favourite for the title. But Azlan was unable to sustain his winning momentum beyond Round 2. He crashed and injured himself twice during the season. Meanwhile, Zaqhwan’s performance peaked with two race wins out of five podiums. As Zaqhwan and his peers head to the Chang International Circuit for the final round, the MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider leads the pack with 138 points. This is not the first time in Zaqhwan’s career when circumstances outside of his control had turned matters in his favour. In 2014, Zaqhwan won the SuperSports 600cc title by one point ahead of Yuki Ito. Ito was a strong contender for the title that year. But at the last lap of the final round, Zaqhwan’s team mate Mohd Zamri Baba crowded Ito off the racing line and ushered Zaqhwan into the winning position.     In 2016, the SuperSports 600cc title was a toss-up between Tomoyoshi Koyama and Zaqhwan. The title chase had narrowed down to the two riders and whichever one finished ahead of the other, would be the winner. Koyama had been the stronger of the two during the race weekend. Nobody would have guessed that the Japanese rider would fail to finish the race due to an engine malfunction.     As the countdown begins for the finale at the Chang International Circuit, the question remains: will Zaqhwan’s luck hold for a third time?

Since Yuki Ito’s full season ARRC debut in 2013, the 26-year-old had frequently been considered as one of the potential riders who could lift the SuperSports 600cc crown. He came close to reaching that target in 2014 when he missed out on the title by only one point. 2016, in particular, was a year to forget. Bogged down by persistent mechanical issues, the Yamaha Racing rider struggled to match results to his full potential. Dogged persistence and sheer determination from both the rider and his engineering crew had made a comeback possible in 2017. The bad news is, Ito’s results had not been consistent this season. However, a performance graph with peaks and valleys is infinitely preferable to a flatline at the bottom of the chart. The good news is, consistency was a rarity among the front runners in the 2018 title fight. Everyone suffered from their own issues ranging from mechanical failure to injuries and unforced human errors. With four podiums and a race win under his belt, Ito rocketed up the SuperSports 600cc ladder. As the clock ticks down to the season finale at the Chang International Circuit, the Yamaha Racing rider is trailing championship leader Zaqhwan Zaidi by only 4 points and shares second overall with Taiga Hada. YUKI ITO Rank after Rd 5: 2 Points: 134 points 2017 Pole: 0 2017 Podium: 5 (50%) 2017 Win: 1 (10%)

The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship experienced a mini-trend from 2012 to 2014 that brought a wave of young Japanese riders into the Underbone category. Some of these riders included Kazuki Masaki, Kaito Toba, Ren Toba, and Taiga Hada. Only 18, Hada is one of the youngest riders in the SuperSports 600cc category, and certainly the youngest among the five racing for the title in 2018. This is his fourth season in the ARRC. In 2014, Hada finished second overall in the Underbone 130cc class behind Gupita Kresna Wardhana. Since that first year, Hada’s progress had been remarkable. He ranked 22nd overall in his rookie SuperSports 600cc year in 2015 and finished 10th overall in 2016. Hada started the 2017 season in top form but experienced a slight dip in the mid-segment of the season. Double podium results from Round 5 at the Madras Motor Race Track places him shoulder-to-shoulder on the points standings with Yuki Ito. TAIGA HADA Rank after Rd 5: 2 Points: 134 points 2017 Pole: 0 2017 Podium: 5 (50%) 2017 Win: 1 (10%)

Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman’s quest for his second Asian title had been derailed by a string of unfortunate incidences. Following a positive start in Round 1, the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing rider looked to be in good position, especially after inheriting a double win in Round 2 when Anthony West was disqualified. Azlan’s season went downhill after that. He injured his hand in Round 3 at Suzuka which also affected his results in Indonesia (Round 4). Just when he thought his injuries were behind him, another crash in India resulted in an injured leg and a start position from the back of the grid. The fact that Azlan is still in title contention is testament to his grit and determination. This rider had been racing in pain for most of 2017 yet had been able to keep his points-haul high enough for one last battle. AZLAN SHAH KAMARUZAMAN Rank after Rd 5: 4 Points: 128 points 2017 Pole: 0 2017 Podium: 3 podium (30%) 2017 Win: 2 (20%)

Since 2011, the SuperSports 600cc title had been won by either the Japanese or Malaysian riders. As the 2017 season draws to an end, Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing’s Ahmad Yudhistira is in position to become the first premiere class champion from Indonesia. 24 years of age, Yudhis, had been racing in the SuperSports 600cc category since 2013. His best result in the class was in 2015 when he finished third overall. Currently standing fifth on the rankings with 110 points, Yudhis still has a mathematical chance of overcoming the 28-point chasm that yawns between him and Zaqhwan Zaidi in first place. AHMAD YUDHISTIRA Rank after Rd 5: 5 Points: 110 points 2017 Pole: 0 2017 Podium: 3 podium (30%) 2017 Win: 0

Becoming Asia’s Top 600cc Team For every time the riders go out on track for the title hunt, a parallel but invisible race happens in the Asian paddocks – the race to win the title as the best Asian team in their race category.     In 2017, the Asia Production 250cc team title had been sealed by the Astra Honda Racing Team while team UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor picked up the Underbone 150cc team title.   As for the SuperSports 600cc category, five teams are in contention for the crown as the season finale looms at the Chang International Circuit this December 2 and 3. While MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing’s Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi leads the riders championship, it is team Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing that tops the teams standings with 155 points.   Teams pick up points through their best performing rider in every race. In the case of team Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing, the team could pick up points from either Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman or Ahmad Yudhistira, depending on which rider finishes higher in any particular race.   Having two experienced riders in their stable had given the Kawasaki outfit a nominal edge over its closest competitors. After five rounds of competition, the Indonesian-based team has a 9-point advantage.   Their closest rival is team MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing. The Malaysian team had opted for a senior-rookie combination in 2017. Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi is racing for the first time as lead rider this season. In the past, Zaqhwan had always had a senior rider or at the very least a peer of similar experiences. This year, Zaqhwan is paired with SuperSports 600cc rookie Teppei Nagoe. This meant that team MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing is completely reliant on the points accumulated by Zaqhwan in their quest to win their sixth consecutive SuperSports 600cc team title.   Just as Yuki Ito and Taiga Hada are tied in second overall on the riders’ chart, their teams, team Yamaha Racing and RAMA Honda by NTS T.Pro Ten10 Racing are tied in third overall with 140 points each.   Yamaha Thailand Racing Team has a mathematical chance, hovering in fifth overall with 115 points. The Thai team is 40 points adrift of the leading pack but they may be able to improve on their rankings. This is especially because the final race will take place on home ground.