The season finale of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Chang International Circuit this November 29 to December 1 will witness the final battle between Broc Parkes and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman to become the first Asian Superbike champion.
The two riders have been locked in a tussle over the course of the past 12 races, with Broc’s consistent approach to winning a championship keeping him in the driving seat for most of the season.
Both rivals representing the Yamaha and BMW camps respectively have scooped up seven podiums each. Broc has picked up three wins from Australia, Japan and China. He has also consistently finished within the top five in every race.
The mercurial and unpredictable Azlan, on the other hand, holds five wins out of seven podiums but is handicapped by two DNF results from Round 1 and Round 5.
In all this, Honda’s Zaqhwan Zaidi cannot be discounted yet. Trailing Broc by 46 points, the Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA rider still has an outside chance of creating an upset in Buriram.
The final battle at the 4.554km Chang International Circuit may be tilted in Azlan’s favour. The ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team rider converted pole to double win during the previous race in Round 3.
If Azlan were to repeat his double-victory feat, Broc must finish at least third in both races to win the title by a single point. Should he succeed, Broc will become the first Australian to win the Asian title.
Spoilers who could potentially derail the title chase include Thai riders Thitipong Warokorn, Apiwat Wongthananon, and returning WSBK wildcard, Federico Sandi.