2017 Round5

EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING

2017, 2017 Round5, Asia Production 250, Latest News /

ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM IS AP250 TEAM CHAMPION Round 5 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai, India would be the one round that Indonesian rider Gerry Salim would be eager to forget. Gerry flew to Chennai with the expectations of taking home the Asia Production 250cc title. But nobody would ever expect that Gerry would crash not just once, but twice, during the Race 1 formation lap. After that bitter experience, a cautious Gerry forewent another podium finish in Race 2. But every cloud has a silver lining. The rider’s championship will be prolonged to the final round in Buriram, Thailand. However, the title chase among the Asia Production 250cc teams is officially over. The Astra Honda Racing Team, through the strong performances of its stable of riders, has picked up seven wins, eight podium finishes and 216 points. This places the Astra Honda Racing Team 68 points in front of their closest competitor, the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team. With only one round and 50 championship points left on the table, the Astra Honda Racing Team is now confirmed as the Team Award winner in the Asia Production 250cc class. Since the Asia Production 250cc class introduction in 2015, the Asian trophy has gone full circle. The first title was won by Takhiro Yamamoto astride a Kawasaki. Yamaha Thailand Racing Team took the 2016 crown through Apiwat Wongthananon. This season, the Team Award trophy will be heading to Indonesia with the Astra Honda Racing Team.w

EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING Read More »

UMA RACING CONFIRMED AS THE BEST UNDERBONE TEAM IN ASIA

2017, 2017 Round5, Latest News, Underbone 150 /

Only one round to go before the end of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship season, but team UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor had cemented their position as the best Underbone team in Asia.  While the title chase is still on among the top riders in the Underbone 150cc category, team UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor had managed to amass 189 points after five rounds. The 60-point margin between them and arch-rival team SCK Rapido Hi Rev Honda Racing will ensure that the Team Award trophy of the Underbone class will stay in the hands of the Malaysia-based outfit. Team UMA Racing raised eyebrows at the beginning of the season with their decision to field two rookie riders in the highly competitive Underbone class. Instead of their top-flight performers in the domestic championship – Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin and Ahmad Fazli Sham – the team opted for a rookie combination. Even though Mohd Akid Aziz and Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues had already begun making waves in the Malaysian domestic championship, it was unusual for a team to race without a lead rider. However, team UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor’s faith in their two young proteges paid off in spades when they began raking in one podium finish after another. Double podiums were the norm in 2017. Their worst result came from Race 1 of the second round in Buriram when Akid suffered a DNF and Haziq was only able to finish sixth. This will not be UMA Racing’s only achievement this year. The team is also enjoying tremendous success in the PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship. There, racing as PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Maju Motor, the team had been virtually peerless in the CP150 and CP115 category. 

UMA RACING CONFIRMED AS THE BEST UNDERBONE TEAM IN ASIA Read More »

PERFECT RACE, PERFECT COMEBACK BY YUKI ITO

2017, 2017 Round5, Latest News, Supersports 600 /

He spent the entire 2016 almost sunk in obscurity, struggling to whip his campaign into shape. Sheer determination, perseverance and willpower has finally brought team Yamaha Racing rider Yuki Ito back to the top step of the podium. Competing at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai, India, Yuki Ito’s bid for the 2017 crown took a turn for the better when he was finally able to ride to his true potential. The premiere class, the highlights of the day’s racing, took place after a heavy drizzle during the Asia Production 250cc category. The drying track left the SuperSports 600cc teams and riders in a quandary with regards to their tyre choice. The track surface was not wet enough for the rain tyres. But with the track temperature measured at only 37 degrees Celcius, most teams were torn between the choice of the hard and medium compound slicks. In the end, the entire grid opted for dry tyres, with the majority of the front runners racing on hard front and rear. The SuperSports 600cc race was further shortened from its original 16 laps to 14 laps. The starting grid itself underwent a small change. Pole sitter Keminth Kubo opted out of Race 2. The Yamaha Racing rider suffered a big crash in the last lap of Race 1. Although given the green light to get back onto the grid, team Yamaha Racing decided that it would be wiser to rest the rider. Kubo’s absence from the starting grid meant all the other riders moved up one spot. Team MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda’s Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi settled in on pole position. Zaqhwan was unable to capitalize on his prime starting position. He lost the holeshot to a charging and more aggressive Taiga Hada. However, it was the experienced campaigner Chalermpol Polamai who jumped into the lead on Lap 1 when Hada hit a wet patch and ran wide.  More disaster was in store for championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman. Still in the championship lead but still injured, Azlan was up to eighth position after starting from the back of the grid. Unfortunately, the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing rider took another spill in Lap 1. The Kawasaki rider managed to get back into the race, but was never able to regain his position within the top 10. Up ahead, Chalermpol Polamai had lost ground. On Lap 3, Zaqhwan Zaidi rode to the front with Yuki Ito in tow. Ratthapong Wilairot put in a highly impressive performance in the opening laps of the race when he got as high as third position. However, in chasing after Ito, Wilairot rode beyond his limits and crashed out of third place on Lap 7. A lap later, Taiga Hada made up for lost ground and came within sight of the leading duo. However, Ito was solely focused on the rider ahead of him – his Honda rival, Zaqhwan. The Yamaha rider was consistently a shade faster than Zaqhwan in every lap, yet held back from overtaking until Lap 11. It was a well thought-out strategy that worked perfectly. Zaqhwan’s tyre had been completely worn by the final two laps, and the MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider had no response for Ito’s move. Ito immediately set about creating a gap ahead of Zaqhwan, and eventually ended his inch-perfect race in first place with 23’55.967s. Zaqhwan crossed the finish line in second place with 23’56.832s, 0.865s behind. Taiga Hada completed a solo ride in third place with 24’04.372s. Just off the podium, Teppei Nagoe repeated his fourth place finishing in Race 2. Yamaha Thailand’s power duo Decha Kraisart and Chalermpol Polamai finished in fifth and sixth positions. Team AP Honda Racing Thailand’s replacement rider Sittisak Onchawiang gave good account of himself in seventh followed by Sena Yamada, Ahmad Yudhistira and Noriyuki Haga who rounded out the top ten. Further down the finishing order, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman limped home in 12th position, picking up four valuable championship points to keep his title hopes alive. The Madras Motor Race Track had proven to be an effective game-changer in the race to become the 2017 SuperSports 600cc champion. As the Asia Road Racing Championship heads to a final showdown at the Chang International Circuit in December, there are five riders in contention for the crown. Zaqhwan now leads with 138 points. Yuki Ito and Taiga Hada share the second spot with 134 points apiece. Azlan Shah is fourth with 128 points and Ahmad Yudhistira is still in with a chance, holding 110 points to his name. From a team perspective, team Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing’s bid to win the Team Award is also under threat. They suffered their worst results at the Madras Motor Race Track and their lead in the team standings have been whittled down to a 9-point margin. The Kawasaki outfit holds 155 points while five times team champion MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing has strengthened its position with 146 points. Team RAMA Honda by NTS T.Pro Ten10 is also in contention, the Japanese-Indian racing team shares third overall position with Yamaha Racing. Both teams have amassed 140 points to date.

PERFECT RACE, PERFECT COMEBACK BY YUKI ITO Read More »

A RACE OF FIRSTS FOR GALANG

2017, 2017 Round5, Asia Production 250, Latest News /

Race 2 of the Asia Production 250cc was a race of many firsts. A first win for Galang Hendra Pratama, a first win for team Yamaha Racing Indonesia, and a first win of the season for the Yamaha marquee in the 250cc class. A heavy drizzle at the start of Race 2 had the mechanics frantically changing to wet tyres on the starting grid. The original 12-lap race was further shortened to 10-laps. Galang Hendra Pratama jumped into the holeshot but the 25-rider grid spent two tentative opening laps trying to get a better feel of the track conditions. The race soon settled into a consistent formation. Galang held the lead followed by Tomoyoshi Koyama and Anupab Sarmoon. On Lap 4, Anupab showed signs of being in trouble. He lost third position to Takehiro Yamamoto and then went further down the field when he was overtaken by Mukhlada Sarapuech. At the midway point of the race, Galang, Koyama and Yamamoto were entrenched in first, second and third consecutively. The battle for P4, on the other hand, became more competitive with each passing lap. Thailand’s Mukhlada was engrossed in a four-way fight against Anupab Sarmoon, Andy Muhammad Fadly and Gerry Salim. The 250cc championship leader had opted to ride safe in Race 2. Race 1 on Saturday had been disastrous for Gerry who crashed twice during the formation lap. Gerry had a chance to overtake Kawasaki rider Fadly on Lap 8 but uncharacteristically for the usually aggressive Gerry, he refrained from jumping at the opportunity. The Astra Honda Racing Team rider waited until the last lap before he made his move. Within a few corners, Gerry had successfully gone past Fadly and Mukhlada. Up in front, Galang Hendra Pratama cruised to the finish line in first place with 19’47.359s. Tomoyoshi Koyama finished the race in second with 19’48.264s and Takehiro Yamamoto was similarly unchallenged in third place with 19’56.097s. Anupab Sarmoon managed to squeeze his way back into fourth position while Gerry Salim took fifth place. The unexpected turn of events had barely made a dent to Gerry’s comfortable margin at the top end of the championship standings. It had merely prolonged the title chase. Gerry’s haul, 186 points, puts him 38 points in front of Anupab Sarmoon. All he needs to seal the deal in the final round is to race for another 13 points. Meanwhile, Anupab himself is under threat from Tomoyoshi Koyama. Koyama is third overall with 147 points.

A RACE OF FIRSTS FOR GALANG Read More »

ALL-MALAYSIAN PODIUM IN RACE 2

2017, 2017 Round5, Latest News, Underbone 150 /

The Madras Motor Race Track must be rapidly becoming a favourite hunting ground for the Malaysian riders in the Underbone 150cc category. Race 2 resulted in another all-Malaysian podium, this time with team Yuzy Honda Vietnam Racing Team’s Azroy Hakeem Anuar in the lead. Of the three open-make classes that comprised Round 5 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, the Underbone 150cc Race 2 was the only one that was not affected by adverse weather. Azroy got off to a flying start and stormed into the lead with the rest of the riders hard on his heels. The Honda rider wasted no time getting into race rhythm and was even able to create a small gap ahead of the chasing pack. The group thinned out on Lap 2 when defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana took a heavy tumble, taking Race 1 winner Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam into the gravel pits with him. Luckily, both riders were not seriously injured in the incident. At the midway point, the top five comprising of Azroy, Mohd Helmi Azman, Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues, Mohd Akid Aziz and Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa had pulled away. As the lapboard counted down to the end of the race, Azroy was beginning to feel the pressure from Akid Aziz. On Lap 7, Azroy lost the lead momentarily to Akid but was able to take it back at Turn 6. In the heat of the battle on Lap 8, Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa crashed into the tyre wall before the last corner. Amirul’s crash brought out the red flag. Results were taken from the previous lap, Lap 7, which placed Azroy Hakeem Anuar on the top step of the podium with a time of 13’29.043s. UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor duo Mohd Akid Aziz and Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues finished second and third with race times of 13’29.175s and 13’29.598s respectively. Mohd Helmi Azman completed the race in fourth place while Anggi Setiawan was fifth. The outcome from Round 5 has Akid closing in on the Underbone 150cc podium. With 164 points to his name, Akid holds a 44-point margin in front of defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana. Should Wahyu win both races in the final round, Akid will only need an additional seven points to win the title. Should he succeed, Akid will end an 8-year title drought for the Malaysian contingent in the Underbone category. Rider’s battle aside, the consistent performance from both UMA Racing riders have won the Team Award crown for UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor. Their combined results had given the Malaysian outfit 189 points. The team holds a 60-point lead ahead of SCK Rapido Hi Rev Honda Racing.

ALL-MALAYSIAN PODIUM IN RACE 2 Read More »

WINDS OF CHANGE FROM THE MADRAS MOTOR RACE TRACK

2017, 2017 Round5, Asia Production 250, Latest News, Supersports 600, Underbone 150 /

Just when it seemed like the title chase in the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship had settled into a predictable pattern, Round 5 at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai, India brought an unexpected twist to the championship story. The 3.7km circuit was particularly unkind to the championship leaders. The outcome from Race 1 resulted in a big change on the three championship ladders.   SuperSports 600cc: Zaqhwan reignites title dreams In the SuperSports 600cc, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman’s title campaign took a turn for the worse when he high sided at the end ofFriday’s third free practice session. Hobbled by injury on his left leg, the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing rider was unable to produce quick laps in the qualifying session on Saturday morning and was forced to start the race from the back of the grid. Up in front, Keminth Kubo from team Yamaha Racing stunned the grid when he clocked 1’40.920s to qualify for his first pole position in the SuperSports 600cc category. Beside the Thai rider on the front row, defending champion Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi and title hopeful Taiga Hada lined up second and third on the grid respectively. However, Zaqhwan’s depth of experience clearly showed at the start of the race. The MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider brushed aside pole-sitter Kubo and charged into the holeshot with Taiga Hada hot on his tail. Unfazed by the competition behind him, Zaqhwan proceeded to dictate the race pace at the front of the pack. Despite track temperatures soaring up to 63 degrees, the Malaysian rider looked cool and comfortable. Behind the MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing rider, Chalermpol Polamai was the first casualty of the heated track conditions. The seasoned Thai rider low-sided out of the first lap, probably due to lack of grip from his cold tyres. Behind Zaqhwan, Taiga Hada opted for a safe strategy, preferring to follow the Malaysian around the track as opposed to an all-out 16-lap battle. Hada’s decision to play it safe almost cost him the second place when Yuki Ito came storming in from third position. The last-lap tussle between the two Japanese riders allowed Zaqhwan to run away at the front. Zaqhwan picked up his second win of the season with 27’20.721s. Hada successfully defended his second place with 27’21.347, and kept Ito in third place with 27’21.710s. Poleman Keminth Kubo would have netted his best finishing position of the season if not for an unfortunate crash mere meters away from the finishing line. Kubo performed well throughout the 16-lap race as he stayed consistently within the top four. However, the Thai rider lost control in the final sprint to the finish line. Kubo’s crash brought out the red flag. This brought Teppei Nagoe up to fourth position – also his best finishing to date in the SuperSports 600cc class. Ratthapong Wilairot finished fifth ahead of Noriyuki Haga. The Kawasakis had always struggled at the Madras Motor Race Track, the bike being a difficult beast to tame on the twisty circuit. Ahmad Yudhistira finished the race in seventh. Irfan Ardiansyah, back in racing gear after having recovered from his crash earlier this season, took eighth place ahead of Sena Yamada. While the drama unfolded at the front of the grid, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman gritted his teeth through 16 painful laps to finish an amazing tenth place. He picked up enough points to stay in the lead, holding 124 points to Zaqhwan and Hada who are now level in second overall with 118 points. After a spectacular start at the Johor Circuit in Pasir Gudang, Azlan had been suffering a series of bad luck in the second half of the season. He crashed in Suzuka and the resulting hand injury badly affected his race results from Round 3 and Round 4. Just when it seemed like Azlan would be able to turn his fortunes around, his spate of bad luck continued in India. His injury is not expected to recover overnight. Therefore, a new championship leader may emerge from Race 2 on Sunday.   Asia Production 250cc: It’s not over yet In the Asia Production 250cc class, championship leader Gerry Salim also suffered from a bad Race 1. At the start of the race weekend, Gerry looked like a shoo-in to seal the 250cc title by the first race. Even when he lost the pole position to compatriot Galang Hendra Pratama, it seemed certain that the 250cc title chase would end on Saturday. Instead, inexplicably, Gerry suddenly crashed out of the Race 1 during the warm-up lap. He took a sudden low side but refused to let go of the throttle. The Astra Honda Racing Team rider was able to get back on the bike, only to find that his throttle had jammed up. Two laps later, still on the warm-up lap, Gerry took another spill. The race started without Gerry Salim. Front row riders Galang Hendra Pratama, Tomoyoshi Koyama and Rey Ratukore fought to gain early control of the 25-rider group.  Koyama really proved his mettle at the difficult Madras Motor Race Track. Having fought his way into the lead, the seasoned Japanese rider held on to his position despite repeated overtaking attempts by Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Anupab Sarmoon. Koyama picked up his first AP250 win with a time of 22’07.059s. Anupab finished second with 22’07.176s, 0.117s adrift of Koyama. Pole sitter Galang Hendra Pratama took third place with 22’11.328s. Mukhlada Sarapuech and Rey Ratukore finished fourth and fifth respectively while the rest of the top ten positions were taken up by Rheza Danica Ahrens, Vorapong Malahuan, Andy Muhammad Fadly, Takehiro Yamamoto and Imanuel Putra Pratna. Championship leader Gerry Salim did manage to get back into the race after a quick dash into the pits. However, Gerry was only able to finish 22nd. For the second time this season, Gerry did not pick up any points from the race.  He is still the title chase leader. However, second placed Anupab Sarmoon had narrowed the gap

WINDS OF CHANGE FROM THE MADRAS MOTOR RACE TRACK Read More »

NEW MMRT LAP RECORD BY DECHA KRAISART

2017, 2017 Round5, Latest News, Supersports 600 /

Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Decha Kraisart has logged a new track record at the Madras Motor Race Track, host to Round 5 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.  Lapping home in the third free practice with 1’41.305s, Decha smashed the previous 2013 record by 1.5 seconds. The last record, held by Malaysian rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, was posted at 1’42.785s. Decha, who stands sixth overall on the championship ladder after eight races, still holds a mathematical chance of staging an upset in the final stages of the title chase. However, the seasoned Thai campaigner will have his work cut out for him with both defending champion Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi and current championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman hot on his tail. Zaqhwan posted second fastest with 1’41.501s while Azlan ended the day third fastest with 1’41.801s. Strong performances from Ahmad Yudhistira and Ratthapong Wilairot placed them fourth and fifth fastest respectively. Yuki Ito, Keminth Kubo, Sittisak Onchawiang, Chalermpol Polamai and Teppei Nagoe completed the top 10.

NEW MMRT LAP RECORD BY DECHA KRAISART Read More »

INDONESIAN RIDERS ON SONG IN CHENNAI

2017, 2017 Round5, Asia Production 250, Latest News /

Gerry Salim may not be the only standout Indonesian talent in the Asia Production 250cc class for much longer. As Round 5 of the 2017 season opened at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai, India, the top four fastest times of the class were clocked by members of the Indonesian contingent. Galang Hendra Pratama topped the timesheets with 1’50.112s. The Yamaha Racing Indonesia rider showed every indication that he has pulled out all the stops to put a crimp into Gerry Salim’s plans of ending the 250cc title chase with one round to spare. However, the championship leader from the Astra Honda Racing Team was certainly not resting on his laurels. Gerry clocked 1’50.237s, trailing his Yamaha rival by only 0.125s.  Behind the leading duo, their team mates Rey Ratukore and Rheza Danica Ahrens duplicated the same Yamaha-Honda one-two tango. Rey of team Yamaha Racing Indonesia posted 1’50.267s while Rheza posted fourth fastest with 1’50.382s. The results from the first day of practice showed every indication of a frantic qualifying session and an equally intense Race 1 ahead. The top eight riders on the grid lapped within the same second as the fastest rider. These included Thai trio Anupab Sarmoon, Muklada Sarapuech and Vorapong Malahuan, as well as 2015 AP250 Champion Takehiro Yamamoto. Tomoyoshi Koyama and Peerapong Boonlert rounded out the top ten with 1’51.057s and 1’51.129s respectively. Local rider, Sethu Rajiv was 17th fastest with 1’53.076s.

INDONESIAN RIDERS ON SONG IN CHENNAI Read More »

FAKHRUSY BACK ON TOP OF THE TIMESHEETS

2017, 2017 Round5, Latest News, Underbone 150 /

The 3.717km Madras Motor Race Track seems to agree with lanky Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam’s style of riding. After a topsy turvy season to date, Fakhrusy is back at the top of the timesheets after an impressive showing during the Underbone 150cc SuperPole. The SCK Rapido Hi Rev Honda Racing rider chalked 1’54.212s and earned the right to park his bike on pole position for both Race 1 and Race 2. Fellow Honda rider Azroy Hakeem Anuar finished just a step behind with 1’54.810s. Championship leader Mohd Akid Aziz made it to the front row with a time of 1’55.414s. Double podium winner Mohd Helmi Azman qualified fourth on the grid with 1’56.197s. Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues, fifth fastest with 1’56.204s will join Helmi on the second row. Defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana will start the race from sixth on the grid after posting 1’56.684s during his solo run.

FAKHRUSY BACK ON TOP OF THE TIMESHEETS Read More »