2016 Round1

UPPER HAND FOR SOPHOMORE ASIA DREAM CUP RIDERS

2016, 2016 Round1, Asia Dream Cup /

The second-season riders of the Asia Dream Cup are holding the upper hand during the free practice session at Round 1 in the Johor Circuit. Seasoned trio Hafiz Nor Azman, Md Harith Farhan and Hiroki Nakamura were a second faster than the rest of the grid. Hafiz led the timesheets with 1’51.726s followed Harith with 1’51.848s and Nakamura third with 1’51.964s. Japanese rider Tokio Shibuta led the class of 2016 when he posted fourth fastest with 1’52.843s, a little more than half a second in front of Indonesia’s Mohd Febriansyah. Thailand’s Sittipon Srimoontree and India’s Sethu Rajiv were equally impressive when they ended the first practice 6th and 7th fastest.

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NEWCOMERS SET THE UNDERBONE PACE

2016, 2016 Round1, Underbone 130 /

Underbone 130cc newcomers Azroy Hakeem Anuar and Md Haziq Md Fairues distinguished themselves during the first day of practice at the kick-off leg of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. 17-year-old Azroy emerged as the fastest rider with1’53.833s while 15-year-old Haziq checked in at second fastest with 1’54.222s. Despite consistently dominating the timesheets during the pre-season test, RCB KAGE Motobatt Yamaha YY Pang duo Md Adib Rosley and Md Izzat Zaidi were only third and fourth fastest in the Underbone 130cc SuperPole. Unlike the other classes, the Underbone 130cc grid is determined by SuperPole method. Each rider gets a clean piece of track on which to perform. The reason was to eliminate the element of slipstream towing from the heritage South East Asian class.

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APIWAT REAPS BENEFITS FROM PRE-SEASON TEST

2016, 2016 Round1, Asia Production 250 /

The official pre-season test of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship held only a week before the season opener has brought benefits for many of the riders. In the Asia Production 250cc class, most of the riders were able to spend the first day of free practices focused on their riding instead of machine set-up. Thai rider Apiwat Wongthananon continued to exert his dominance in the Asia Production 250cc class. The 22-year-old rider was consistently the fastest man on the grid, and topped the first day’s timesheets with 1’45.142s. Indonesia’s Rey Ratukore upped his game and posted the second fastest time of 1’45.513s. Defending champion Takehiro Yamamoto was third fastest with 1’45.582s. Similar to the SuperSports 600cc class, the lap record charted during the pre-season test held intact after the first day of practice. “We didn’t make much changes to the bike set-up for today, the team and I were satisfied with the results from last week’s pre-season test. But thanks to the extra practice, I now feel more comfortable on this bike. Today, I spent the three free practice sessions focused on my riding and I am confident that I will be in contention for pole position during qualifying,” said Apiwat. Apiwat’s team mate, Anupab Sarmoon and Johor-born Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin rounded up the top five.

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NO SWEAT: ZAQHWAN CONTINUES 600cc DOMINATION

2016, 2016 Round1, Supersports 600 /

The temperature may be soaring at the Johor Circuit, but local boy Zaqhwan Zaidi is not sweating the competition as he faces down a 21-strong SuperSports 600cc grid. The 21-year-old rider secured the provisional pole position for the season opening leg of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship with his fastest time of 1’31.423s. Zaqhwan, who is also 2014 SuperSports 600cc Asian Champion, will expect stiff competition from Japanese rider Tomoyoshi Koyama who was second fastest with 1’31.654s and his former team mate Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman who clocked third fastest with 1’31.902s. The top three riders were the only ones lapping within the 1 minute 31 second barrier. Zaqhwan’s fastest time recorded during the official pre-season test, 1’31.112s, remains as the unofficial lap record at the 3.86km Johor Circuit. “I think everyone was more relaxed today because we have all been able to do many laps during the pre-season test last week. The variables such as track temperature and tarmac condition has remained the same. So, for the free practices, we were able to focus on long runs to find the limits of the new tyres instead of going for speed. I have been able to test out many different compound combinations but we are still fine-tuning our strategy for qualifying and the race. I am expecting a drastic change of results during the qualifying session so we can’t rest on our laurels yet,” said Zaqhwan. Thai riders Ratthapong Wilairot (1’32.130s) and Thitipong Warokorn (1’32.166s) completed the free practices in fourth and fifth places respectively. Indonesian riders Gerry Salim and Ahmad Yudhistira, double 600cc champion Decha Kraisart, 600cc sophomore Taiga Hada and defending champion Yuki Takahashi all made it into the top-10 in the SuperSports 600cc. Moto2 rider Anthony West, was 13th fastest with 1’32.741s, 1.5 seconds off Zaqhwan’s pace.

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ARRC RELEASES 2016 CALENDAR FEATURING JOHOR CIRCUIT, BURIRAM, SUZUKA, BUDDH AND SENTUL

2016, 2016 Round1, 2016 Test, Asia Dream Cup, Asia Production 250, Latest News, Supersports 600, Suzuki Asian Challenge, Underbone 130 /

The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) 2016 calendar will feature a combination of familiar and new circuits as the 21st season of the Asian series get underway. The season will open with a return to the Johor Circuit in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia on April 1 and 2, 2016. The last time the 3.86km Johor Circuit hosted the ARRC was in 2007. The second leg will take place at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand followed by Suzuka Circuit in Japan and the Sentul Circuit in Indonesia as hosts for the third and fourth rounds respectively. Round 5 will take place at a new venue – the Buddh International Circuit in New Delhi, India. Thailand’s Chang Circuit will close off the 2016 season in December. Quote by Ron Hogg – Director, Two Wheels Motor Racing (race promoters of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship) “This year, we are excited at the opportunity to return to the Johor Circuit. The Championship has taken a 10-year leave of absence from Johor and we hope that this homecoming will create a huge impact with the local motorsports fans.” “Even more exciting is the prospect of racing at the Buddh International Circuit in New Delhi, India. The Championship’s previous visits to India were at the southern tip of the continent, the Madras Race Track in Chennai. This time, the riders will be taking on new challenges from the 5.13km Formula 1 circuit.” Round Venue Date Round 1 Johor Circuit, MALAYSIA April 1 & 2, 2016 Round 2 Chang International Circuit, THAILAND May 7 & 8, 2016 Round 3 Suzuka Circuit, JAPAN June 4 & 5, 2016 Round 4 Sentul Circuit, INDONESIA August 6 & 7, 2016 Round 5 Buddh Circuit, INDIA October 1 & 2, 2016 Round 6 Chang International Circuit, THAILAND December 3 & 4, 2016 Note: All dates and venues are subject to change.

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