2017

As the curtains come down on the 2017 season of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman triumphed over a season of blood, sweat and tears to lift the second SuperSports 600cc title of his career.   The Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing rider overcame the disadvantage of multiple crashes, and rode through the pain to craft a final magnificent comeback. He was 10 points adrift of championship leader Zaqhwan Zaidi at the start of the season finale but boosted his chances with a fifth place finish in Race 1.   As the riders lined up for Race 2, the final race of the 2017 season, Azlan had cut the margin to half, trailing Zaqhwan by only five points.   Polesitter Apiwat Wongthananon of team Yamaha Thailand Racing improved on his race start and quickly established a lead at the front of the pack. With Apiwat racing like a blue streak at the front of the group, Azlan was left fighting for third place against Chalermpol Polamai, Anthony West and Thitipong Warokorn. He maintained a third place position for the majority of the race but dropped to fourth when he was overtaken by Chalermpol on Lap 14.   But the cohesiveness of the Kawasaki strategy came together in a big way for Azlan. While Ahmad Yudhistira worked to hassle Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi in midfield, marquee-mate Thitipong Warokorn acted as an able rear guard for Azlan in the second pack.   A last lap push brought Azlan flying past Chalermpol at the closing minutes of the final race and he succeeded in claiming the third spot on the podium in 29’59.060s. Azlan was 5.9 seconds adrift of Apiwat who clinched the double victory in 29’53.158s. Anthony West finished second in the race.   “Our team worked really through the night to prepare a third engine for me. My thanks to them for not giving up. It was really a tough situation to overcome. I just knew that I had to finish as high as possible. At the same time, I had to save my tyres for the end of the race. Luckily, the strategy worked and I was able to overtake Chalermpol at the final lap,” said Azlan who shed tears of happiness when he realized that he had won the title with 155 points. The last time Kawasaki had won the Asian title was in 2011 through Katsuaki Fujiwara.   Azlan’s closest rival for the title, Zaqhwan (MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda), was seventh across the chequered flag. Consequently, he dropped to second overall with 153 points. Taiga Hada (RAMA Honda by NTS T.Pro Ten10) finished eighth in the race and completed his third SuperSports 600cc season third on the championship rung with 149 points. Yamaha Racing’s Yuki Ito was ninth across the finish line and dropped to fourth overall with 141 points.   Azlan’s win also confirmed team Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing as the 2017 SuperSports 600cc Team Champion with 182 points.

Apiwat Wongthananon handed the Yamaha Racing Thailand team their second victory of the year when he pipped Anthony West to the finish line in the SuperSports 600cc Race 1 at the season finale. 23-year-old Apiwat, who was also Asia Production 250cc and BRIC Superbike Champion in 2016, was virtually unstoppable as Round 6 of the Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship got underway at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand.   After topping the timesheets multiple times during the free practice and qualifying sessions, Apiwat put on a solid performance at the front of the SuperSports 600cc group. The upcoming Thai rider coolly absorbed the pressure coming at him from all directions, especially from his Kawasaki rival Thitipong Warokorn.   The Thai riders had put up such a formidable defense at the top end of the grid that the only rider who had been able to penetrate into the top four was Australian Anthony West. The Akeno Speed rider made a serious bid for the win on Lap 17, only to be checked by Apiwat who used his superior speed to race to the finish line with a time of 29’58.173s.   West had to settle for second with 29’58.353s. Former Moto2 rider, Thitipong Warokorn crossed the chequered flag in third place with 29’58.488s.   Team Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing’s Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman was the best performer among the five title contenders. He finished fifth behind Chalermpol Polamai. With the exception of Azlan, Race 1 had been a bad round for the championship leaders. Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi, visibly struggling to find pace the entire weekend, finished 10th and picked up enough points to stay at the top of the standings with 144 points. Taiga Hada finished ninth and has moved up the standings to second overall with 141 points. Azlan’s fifth place moved him up the ladder with 139 points to his name while Yuki Ito crashed out at Turn 1 on Lap 14. The Yamaha Racing rider had dropped to fourth overall with 134 points. Despite finishing seventh, Ahmad Yudhistira had dropped out of the title chase. With 119 points in hand, Yudhistira is a full 25 points behind the championship leader.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Yamaha Thailand Racing Team riders are certainly rocking their brand new 2017 model Yamaha R6. Wildcard rider, Apiwat Wongthananon, back after a season racing Moto3 bikes in the Spanish National Championship, is aiming to wow his local crowd with a convincing victory at the Chang International Circuit.   Apiwat, who was 2016 Asia Production 250cc champion, showcased his abilities to perfection when he topped the SuperSports 600cc qualifying with 1’38.770s. Apiwat will lead the front row consisting of Chalermpol Polamai and Anthony West.   Meanwhile, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman was the fastest among the five title contenders. The Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing rider posted 1’39.223s during the qualifier and will start both Race 1 and Race 2 from fourth on the grid.   The two championship leaders Yuki Ito and Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi were seventh and eighth fastest respectively with 1’39.588s and 1’39.794s. Young Taiga Hada will start from tenth on the grid after he posted 1’40.070s as his best time.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text] SuperSports 600cc – TOP SPEED COMPARISON FP1 FP2 FP3 QP Zaqhwan 244.1 – 243.0 246.3 Ito 249.7 254.4 248.5 252.0 Hada 246.8 249.7 249.1 248.0 Azlan 252.0 251.4 252.0 253.8 Yudhi 250.8 254.4 254.4 252.0 [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As of the Qualifying Practice, Azlan looks to have the advantage in terms of laptimes and top speed.   Yuki Ito and Ahmad Yudhistira posted the fastest top speed of their class – 254.4km/hr while Zaqhwan looks to be disadvantaged at the long straights.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]