2016 Round4

NAKAMURA ON COURSE TO BECOME FIFTH ASIA DREAM CUP CHAMPION

2016, 2016 Round4, Asia Dream Cup /

Japanese rider Hiroki Nakamura looks set to becoming the third Japanese Asia Dream Cup champion behind Hikari Okubo and Hiroki Ono. Nakamura’s consistent performance in the first four rounds of the 2016 season has allowed him to overcome the minor hiccups that occur along the way. In Race 1 at Round 4 in Sentul, Nakamura managed to finish fourth while still trying to overcome the pain of an injured shoulder and leg when he crashed out during the morning warm-up. Victory went to Indonesian Muhd Febriansyah with 19’00.791s. China’s Zhou Sheng Jun Jie was only 0.021 seconds behind Febriansyah in second place, stopping the clock at 19’00.812s followed by Malaysian Hafiz Nor Azman who is still nursing a recovering wrist. By Race 2, Nakamura had succeeded in putting his physical discomforts aside and was able to pull a win out of the bag with a time of 19’21.083s. Zhou finished second again in Race 2 while Koko Tadachi celebrated his first podium finish in third place. Nakamura is now leading the Asia Dream Cup with 158 points. Hafiz Nor Azman is a distant second with 95 points. The 63-point margin means that if Nakamura continues to perform at this pace, the Asia Dream Cup title could be sealed by Round 5 in India.

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DOUBLE PODIUM FOR JEFRI TOSEMA

2016, 2016 Round4, Suzuki Asian Challenge /

Indonesian rider Jefri Tosema was the biggest Suzuki Asian Challenge winner at Round 4 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Sentul, Indonesia. The local rider’s campaign got off to a prominent start when he beat India’s Jagan Kumar and fellow countryman Rizal Feriyadi to win Race 1 with a time of 16’06.625s. In Race 2, Jefri followed up on his win with a podium finish in second place behind Malaysia’s wily Muhd Rozaliman Zakaria. Jefri’s hard work places him on par with Rozaliman at the top of the Suzuki Asian Challenge standings. Both riders are now fighting for the win with 127 points each. Muhammad Sapril from Indonesia who finished seventh in Race 1 and fourth in Race 2 is also threatening in third overall with 124 points. April King Mascardo from the Philippines also enjoyed a good outing in Indonesia as he scored a fifth placement in Race 1 and a third place podium in Race 2.

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GERRY SALIM IS YOUNG PRINCE OF SENTUL (SUPERSPORTS 600cc RACE REPORT)

2016, 2016 Round4, Supersports 600 /

Overview: The SuperSports 600cc race at the Sentul Circuit may have lost some stars to injury (Yuki Takahashi, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and Ratthapong Wilairot did not compete), but the outcome of the race showed that there was no shortage of star potential. The local heroes certainly knew their way around the 3.864km circuit as they grabbed four out of seven wins on the table at the fourth leg of the season. In the SuperSports 600cc category, it was young Gerry Salim’s time to shine. Race Start: A clean start from poleman Gerry saw the Indonesian hotshot lead Ahmad Yudhistira and Tomoyoshi Koyama into the first corner. Two turns into the race, and already six overtaking moves among the top group had been spotted. Lap 1 to Lap 2: Gerry easily absorbed the pressure of race-leader as he, Yudhistira, Koyama and Dimas Ekky Pratama rapidly broke away from the second pack. MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda’s Zaqhwan Zaidi was left alone in fifth place while Jakkrit Sawangswat and Thitipong Warokorn made the third group. Behind the action, Decha Kraisart took a tumble out of the race. Lap 3: Inch perfect every step of the day, Gerry was able to tackle the bumpy Sentul circuit with finesse, creating a 0.5 seconds lead ahead of Yudhisitra. Lap 4 to 8: No change in position at the front. By Lap 7, the four rampaging riders were 2.4 seconds ahead of fifth-placed Zaqhwan. At the midway point of the race, it looked difficult for Zaqhwan to catch up. Lap 9: Behind the top five, Jakkrit was the leader in the battle for P6, fighting against Noriyuki Haga, Taiga Hada and Anthony West. Lap 10: Gerry, Yudhistira and Dimas are still on course for an all-Indonesian 1-2-3 in front of the packed grandstand. Lap 11: Koyama finally tires of sitting at the end of the leading group and makes his first move. As Dimas slows down to deal with the aggressive Koyama, Gerry got the break he needed to run away at the front of the field. Lap 12: The battle for second place intensified. With Yudhistira, Dimas and Koyama intent on fighting each other, none of the riders noticed that Zaqhwan had overcome a 2.5-second deficit to attach himself to their tail. With four laps to go, Gerry leads by 1.169 seconds. Lap 13 to 14: Koyama starts to look for a way past Yudhistira who is absorbing an enormous amount of pressure from Dimas. Lap 15: The level of aggression got higher. Dimas risked a move on the inside of Turn 2 but promptly lost it to Yudhistira on Turn 3 while Koyama looks on from the outside. The position swapping continued until Zaqhwan pulled of a surprising move two corners before the finish line. While the three riders were intent on fighting each other, Zaqhwan pulled out of the racing line, gunned his engine and managed to overtake all three in one move. It was a win-all-or-lose-all gamble which paid off when Zaqhwan managed to make it stick. Lap 16: Gerry celebrated his double victory on home ground with a time of 24’17.743s while Zaqhwan’s bid for the podium succeeded in placing him second with 24’19.395s. A surprised Dimas pulled in third with 24’19.593s. Championship Standings: Tomoyoshi Koyama once again missed out on the podium in fourth place and he is now tied with Zaqhwan at the top of the riders rankings. Both riders have 131 points a piece. The absent Yuki Takahashi dropped to third with 104 points followed by Dimas Ekky Pratama and Gerry Salim moving up the ladder to fourth and fifth overall respectively. Team Standings: MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda leads the team standings with 162 points, 31 points in front of T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS with WoW. Gerry and Dimas’s podium finishes at Sentul has boosted team Astra Honda Racing’s position to third overall with 119 points. Rider Quotes: Gerry Salim, Astra Honda Racing, Winner: I am thrilled to be a double winner this weekend. This is my home track and I have been consistently winning here in the local championships. I was glad to have been able to use that intimate knowledge of the track to my advantage. Zaqhwan Zaidi, MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda, 2nd place: I was pushing hard at the start of the race but a slow start off the grid had me at a disadvantage. I tried to stay in touch with the lead group but quite a distance away in fifth position. Luckily, Dimas, Tomoyoshi Koyama and Ahmad Yudhistira were so engrossed with fighting each other at the closing stage of the race that they failed to notice that their pace was slowing down. I decided to blindside the three riders with that risky move. In fact, I almost high sided during that corner but it was a huge gamble that paid off. Dimas Ekky Pratama, Astra Honda Racing, 3rd place: Yudhistira was the biggest stumbling block for me. I was trying to make it to second place when Zaqhwan suddenly showed up out of nowhere. I didn’t have enough time to respond so I guess I just had to be happy with 3rd place. At least we managed to give our team two double podiums this weekend.

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APIWAT BOUNCES BACK FROM DISAPPOINTING RACE 1 (ASIA PRODUCTION 250cc RACE REPORT)

2016, 2016 Round4, Asia Production 250 /

Overview: Thai ace Apiwat Wongthananon was made to work hard for his victory in Round 2 of the Asia Production 250cc. However, the Yamaha Racing Thailand rider was made to work hard for his sixth win of the season, having to overcome strong opposition from his Japanese and Indonesian rivals. The drama in the Asia Production 250cc Race 2 began even before the race start when Galang Hendra Pratama was seen to pit-in at the end of the sighting lap. Luckily for the Yamaha Racing Indonesia rider, he was able to re-enter the track before the pit lane was closed, and managed to return to his spot in the middle of the front row. Race Start: Galang got off to a great start when he led the group into Turn 1 but Apiwat managed to muscle past. Lap 1: Galang, Apiwat and Vorapong Malahuan were the early leaders in the race. Gupita Kresna Wardhana of Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing suffered an engine failure and was forced to return to the pit. Ayumu Tanaka lost control and slipped out of the race. The TRICKSTAR Racing rider was able to get back on board, but was left far behind by the group. Lap 2 and Lap 3: Galang retains his lead position across the finish line. After all, this was the circuit where Galang learnt to race. Imanuel Putra Pratna, Apiwat Wongthananon, Takehiro Yamamoto and Anupab Sarmoon made up the rest of the leading group were in hot pursuit. Yamamoto managed to squeeze his way into the lead, taking Anupab with him. Galang lost his position even as the action hots up when Imanuel sprinted past Anupab while Apiwat also injects himself into the mayhem. Lap 4: Yamamoto gained a small advantage as he led the group at the end of Lap 4. But Apiwat soon begins to apply pressure on his Japanese rival, eventually taking over the lead for a few corners. Lap 5: After a strong start, Galang had disappeared from the radar but another Indonesian rider, Imanuel Putra Pratna, stepped up to the plate. Imanuel led Apiwat, Yamamoto, Vorapong and Yusuke Nakamura across the finish line. At Turn 1, Nakamura edged into second place but was unable to retaliate when Apiwat took back the position and made it stick. Lap 6: Still trying hard, Nakamura broke out of the slip stream and dived for the lead at Turn 1, carrying Yamamoto in his slipstream. At Turn 2, Yamamoto who was racing in a very pro-active manner, pushed past Nakamura. By now, the riders at the front end of the battle had undergone a complete change. Galang Hendra Pratana showed up at the front for a few brief moments but it is now the Japanese riders who are dominant on the Sentul track. Lap 7: With a mere 0.355s lead, Yamamoto was having a hard time keeping his Yamaha rivals at bay. Lap 7 saw Imanuel and Apiwat taking over the front end. Lap 8: The battle for P1 was fought out among 12 riders. Yamamoto responded to the Yamaha charge but had a hard time running away from Apiwat and Imanuel. Lap 9 to 11: The race finally settled into a familiar formation with Yamamoto and Apiwat once again duking it out for the win while Imanuel Putra Pratna and Yusuke Nakamura hovered in the background hoping to take advantage of any opening in either lead rider’s racing line. At the last lap, Apiwat braked hard into the chicane, arguably the hardest part of the course. Yamamoto had no response for that daring move. Lap 12: After shaking Yamamoto loose, Apiwat sprinted to the finish line in first place with 21’51.097s, only 0.098s ahead of second-placed Yamamoto. In third place, Nakamura outwitted Imanuel Putra Pratna for the final spot on the podium. Championship Standings: Apiwat is now a full 36 points ahead in the Asia Production 250cc standings. The Yamaha Thailand Racing rider holds 171 points to Yamamoto’s 135 points. Peerapong Loiboonpeng is third overall with 104 points. Riders Quote: Apiwat Wongthananon, Yamaha Thailand Racing, Winner: I am very happy I was able to make a comeback after yesterday’s engine failure. Everything went perfectly to script today and I want to thank everyone for their support. Takehiro Yamamoto, TRICKSTAR Racing, 2nd place: All throughout the race, Apiwat was braking very hard. He was also shadowing me everywhere. I tried to out-brake him, but at the final lap, I didn’t have enough time to respond. Yusuke Nakamura, Akeno Speed WJR Racing, 3rd place: My first podium of the season! This had been a tough but satisfactory race for me.

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UNDERBONE 130cc RACE 2 REPORT

2016, 2016 Round4, Underbone 130 /

Overview: Indonesian rider Wahyu Aji Trilaksana was finally able to show his full mettle in Race 2 of the Underbone 130cc class at Round 4 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. The TPK48 BKMS Indonesia rider who was tipped as the favourite to win at the Sentul Circuit crafted a comeback after a dismal outing in Race 1 on Saturday. Race Start: Wahyu shot off from pole position into the holeshot with the full 17-bike contingent hot on his tail. Wahyu was only able to hold on to the position for a few corners as the usual jostling got underway. Lap 1: Wahyu leads Amirul Ariff Musa into Lap 1. Vietnamese rider Cao Viet Nam retired from the race. Lap 2: Wahyu managed a small 0.434s lead ahead of the group battling for P2. Mohd Fareez Afeez of team IUGB AFB Tech Racing also retired, cruising into the pitlane on his own power. Lap 3: Tag-team strategy began to come into play with Wahyu Aji seen to be asking for help from Wahyu Nugraha to keep the rest of the riders in place. Lap 4: Wahyu Nugraha played his role to perfection. Wahyu Aji Trilaksana’s margin increased. Lap 5: The battle for P2 intensified between the top nine riders. Another IUGB AFB Tech Racing rider, Mohd Irfan Rosnizam retired from the race due to engine failure. Lap 6: Norizman emerges from the group to bring the challenge to Wahyu Nugraha. Both riders were still fighting for P2. By then, Wahyu Aji Trilaksana had gained a 2.141s lead – a huge margin by Underbone racing standards. Lap 7: Wahyu Aji Trilaksana increases his lead to 3.3 seconds. T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS With WoW’s Amirul Ariff Musa was seen trying to reel Wahyu in, but was himself pressured by the large group surrounding him. Lap 8: Norizman had to fend off persistent attacks from Wahyu Nugraha and Florianus Roy. While the three riders were otherwise engaged, Amirul Ariff Musa slipped past into P2. Lap 9: After spending 8 laps taking the measure of each other, the riders hunkered down for the final lap battle. Lap 10: Wahyu Aji Trilaksana, unchallenged at the front, romped to an easy finish with a time of 19’13.483s, 4.443 seconds in front of his closest rival. Behind him, seasoned Malaysian campaigners Ahmad Fazli Sham and Norizman Ismail sprang out of nowhere to pull off a surprising second and third place finish. Fazli clocked 19’17.926s while Norizman posted 19’17.964s. Wahyu Nugraha and Florianus Roy who had worked so far to keep the other riders away from their compatriot, were denied their dream 1-2-3 all-Indonesian finish and had to settle for fourth and fifth places respectively. Championship Standings: Wahyu’s win turned the championship tables around as he leapfrogged to the top spot with 88 points. TPro Yuzy Honda NTS rider Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa is second overall with 83 points. RCB KAGE Motobatt Yamaha YY Pang’s Mohd Izzat Zaidi who had led the Underbone 130cc title chase up to this point, drops to third overall when he crashed out of Race 2. Team Standings: Wahyu has also managed an upheaval in the team standings. Team TPK48 BKMS Indonesia is now tied in first place with UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor. Both teams have picked up 88 points so far. Team RCB KAGE Motobatt Yamaha YY Pang slips down to third with 84 points. Riders Quote: Wahyu Aji Trilaksana, TPK48 BKMS Indonesia, Winner: I got lucky. Everyone was so busy fighting with each other that I managed to get away. After Lap 3, it was just a matter of staying focused. Ahmad Fazli Sham, UMA Racing Yamaha Maju, 2nd place: This podium feels good after I was forced to retire yesterday. But I went to the grid for Race 2 feeling good because the team had been able to fix the problem and the bike was a dream to ride today. My thanks to my team for their hard work overnight.

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GERRY AND DIMAS SCORES ONE FOR TEAM INDONESIA

2016, 2016 Round4, Supersports 600 /

Indonesian rookie Gerry Salim enjoyed a phenomenal Race 1 during Round 4 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Sentul, Indonesia. The young Astra Honda Racing Team rider not only clinched his first SuperSports 600cc pole position but also his maiden win in front of his delighted home crowd. Malaysian rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi who was the fastest rider during the first day of practice, lost the coveted pole position to high-flying Gerry. Dimas Ekky Pratama also clocked second fastest during the qualifying to lock out the second grid. Zaqhwan parked his bike on the last spot of the front row. As the 16-lap race flagged off, the Astra duo were quick to steal the holeshot but was unable to keep Kawasaki’s Ahmad Yudhistira from charging into the lead. The thee Indonesian riders set the pace for the first 10 laps of the race but Yudhistira lost his hard won position on Lap 11 when he lost the front tyre and slid out of the race. With Yudhistira out of the way, the two team mates continued to duel for the lead, not realizing that Zaqhwan had narrowed the gap behind them. One lap to the chequered flag, Zaqhwan showed his hand at the first corner as he slid under Dimas Ekky Pratama’s defenses to take the lead. Unfortunately, the Malaysian rider made his move too soon and he was unable to react when both Dimas and Gerry mounted a counter-attack. The 16-lap race ended with Gerry Salim taking his maiden SuperSports 600cc win with a time of 24’27.838s. Dimas made it an Indonesian 1-2 when he finished second with 24’27.932s. Zaqhwan had to be content with third place, clocking 24’28.161s. Championship leader Tomoyoshi Koyama managed to keep his championship lead by finishing 4th and currently holds 118 points to his name. Zaqhwan is second overall with 111 points while the absent Yuki Takahashi and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman dropped to third and fourth overall respectively. Rider Quotes: Gerry Salim: I am so happy that I feel speechless right now. I just want to take this opportunity to thank Astra Honda Racing for believing in me. I dedicate this team to my team mechanics and engineers for their hard work to prepare an amazing race bike for me. Dimas Ekky Pratama: It feels good to be fighting at the front. I tried to go for the win, but somehow just couldn’t make it stick. Of course, I am happy for Gerry to win his first SuperSports 600cc race. It is also great that we were able to deliver a 1-2 finish for team Astra Honda. Zaqhwan Zaidi: It was an exciting race for everyone. I overtook Koyama on Lap 11, just at the same time as when Ahmad Yudhistira crashed out of the lead. Over the next two laps, I noticed that Gerry and Dimas seemed to be fighting each other so I decided to join in the party. I made a mistake at the double right-hander during the last corner. I was just a little off pace at that part of the track. It allowed Gerry and Dimas to ride through. By then, it was too late to make another overtaking attempt. So I would say that I am alright with third place in Race 1.

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YAMAMOTO GETS AGGRESSIVE AT SENTUL

2016, 2016 Round4, Asia Production 250 /

TRICKSTAR Racing’s Takehiro Yamamoto got in touch with his aggressive side and pulled off a stunning win during Race 1 for the Asia Production 250cc class in Sentul, Indonesia. Starting the race from pole position, Yamamoto was unable to retain his lead against strong competition from Vorapong Malahuan, Imanuel Putra and Galang Hendra Pratama. The Japanese rider hunkered down into the leading group as one by one, riders dropped out in the heat of the race. Five laps in, Galang Hendra Pratama who stunned the grid with his blazing fast pace during the first day of practice retired on Lap 5 due to engine failure. Championship leader Apiwat Wongthananon who was challenging for the lead in the early stages of the race lost pace during the last few laps. With 5 laps remaining on the pit wall, Yamamoto emerged from the group to mount a campaign for the win. The position-swapping among the 6-rider lead group continued right up to the final lap. With one last burst of speed, Yamamoto managed to break out of the slipstream and sprinted to the finish line to steal his second win of the season with a time of 21’21.719s. In his wake, Thai team mates Vorapong Malahuan and Somkiat Chantra from AP Honda Racing Thailand finished second and third respectively. Apiwat Wongthananon is still in the lead with 146 points when he finished sixth in the race. Yamamoto also stays in second overall with 115 points followed by Peerapong Loiboonpeng third overall with 93 points.

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MALAYSIAN ROOKIE HELMI AZMAN TRIUMPHS AT SENTUL IN RACE 1

2016, 2016 Round4, Underbone 130 /

Rookie rider Mohd Helmi Azman netted a surprise win for fledgling team IUGB AFB Tech Racing as he stormed to victory in Race 1 of the Underbone 130cc class at the Sentul Circuit. Pitted against seasoned campaigners who had survived thousands of close-fought Underbone battles, Helmi carried himself with perfect composure throughout the 10-lap race to emerge victorious with a time of 19’45.426s. The 17-year-old Malaysian rider pipped Wahyu Nugraha to the finish line by a mere 0.043 seconds, forcing the Indonesian favourite to settle for second place. Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa from T Pro Yuzy Honda Racing grabbed third place with 19’45.598s. Wahyu Aji Trilaksana, who had hoped to revive his title chances at this round, was disappointed when engine problems pushed him down to 9th in the race. The championship lead is held by Mohd Izzat Zaidi Salehan who has picked up a total of 82 points after finishing fourth in Race 1. Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa is second overall with 73 points while Wahyu Aji Trilaksana stays third with 63 points.

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ZAQHWAN SMASHES SENTUL RECORD

2016, 2016 Round4, Supersports 600 /

Malaysian rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi interrupted what would be a full-Indonesian domination in the first day of practice for the SuperSports 600cc class at Round 4 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Sentul, Indonesia. A last-minute dash to the finish line netted a blazing quick time of 1’29.936s for the MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider and spoiled the party for the Indonesian riders who were on course for a top-five monopoly. In the process, Zaqhwan also erased the 2015 record set by Mohd Zamri Baba (1’29.984s). However, the 22-year-old is bracing for a tough battle ahead. “I went all out just to squeeze that extra 0.019 seconds out of my laptime to get in front of Gerry’s time. The home advantage is particularly important at this track because of its challenging track surface. The local riders, having raced here more often, would naturally be more confident during the heat of the battle. If this formation continues with the four Indonesian riders surrounding me at the starting grid, I will have a tough battle on my hands,” said Zaqhwan. Behind Zaqhwan, the local heroes featured prominently on the timesheets. Team Astra Honda Racing’s rookie Gerry Salim, was phenomenally fast in the second practice session, clocking 1’29.955s. Dimas Ekky Pratama, Andy Muhammad Fadly and Ahmad Yudhistira look set to lock out the remainder of the first and second row as they posted third, fourth and fifth fastest respectively. In the absence of two other title contenders Yuki Takahashi and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, championship leader Tomoyoshi Koyama could afford to take it easy on the first day. He was seventh fastest with 1’30.696s. Qualifying for the SuperSports 600cc class will take place on the morning of the second day, ahead of Race 1.

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GALANG SMASHES 250cc LAP RECORD

2016, 2016 Round4, Asia Production 250 /

For the first time this season, Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama topped the Asia Production 250cc timesheets. To sweeten the deal, the Yamaha Racing Indonesia rider also created a new lap record at the 3.964km Sentul Circuit where Round 4 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is taking place. Having been outshone by high profile rivals Takehiro Yamamoto and Apiwat Wongthananon for the first half of the season, Galang rocketed into the lead when he clocked 1’44.229s during the second practice session and effectively erased Yamamoto’s lap record by almost a full second. “We had an engine problem during the first practice. We’re still not sure what the problem is, so the team decided to change the engine entirely rather than waste more time on diagnosis. It proved to be the right decision as the bike performed perfectly in the second session. This has boost my confidence level and I hope to continue this momentum into the qualifying session and the two races,” said Galang. Defending champion Yamamoto ended the day as the second fastest rider with 1’44.822s while the championship leader Apiwat Wongthananon was third fastest with 1’45.204s. Galang’s team mate Rey Ratukore also made it into the top five when he posted the fourth fastest time of 1’45.634s. Thailand’s Anupab Sarmoon was fifth fastest.

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