2017

The race to become the 2017 SuperSports 600cc champion intensified after an interesting first day of practice as Round 6 of the Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship gets underway at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand.   After clocking fastest in the first practice session with 1’39.957, championship leader Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi crashed on his first lap out in the afternoon practice session. The damage to the bike resulted in Zaqhwan sitting out FP2. The Malaysian was certified fit to race by the track doctors and will be back on track for the qualifier.   In Zaqhwan’s absence, wildcard Apiwat Wongthananon stole the show astride his 2017 model Yamaha R6 when he posted quickest with 1’39.294s. Apiwat’s team mate, Chalermpol Polamai was second fastest with 1’39.707s and Anthony West third with 1’39.827s.   The results from Day 1 so far had lived up to expectations that the title race will take place off the podium. Yuki Ito was the fastest among the five title contenders. The Yamaha Racing rider was fourth fastest with 1’39.836s.   Zaqhwan’s time from FP1 placed him sixth on the combined timesheets. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman was seventh fastest with 1’39.965s followed by his team mate Ahmad Yudhistira ninth with 1’40.146s.   SuperSports 600cc – Title Contenders Round 2 and Round 6 Laptimes Comparison:   Rd 2 FP1 Rd 6 FP1 Rd 2 FP2 Rd 6 FP2 Zaqhwan 1’42.173 1’39.957 1’40.059 – Ito 1’41.366 1’40.588 1’40.927 1’39.836 Hada 1’41.327 1’40.791 1’40.829 1’40.537 Azlan 1’40.644 1’40.158 1’40.415 1’39.965 Yudhis 1’40.440 1’40.666 1’41.003 1’40.146   In general, most of the riders had improved on their laptimes from Round 2 but the lap record set by Decha Kraisart, 1’38.641s, remains unbroken.

A season of twists and turns in the SuperSports 600cc class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship and suddenly, Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi finds himself back in the championship lead again. Zaqhwan, who is also the defending champion of the class, did not look particularly strong at the start of the season. Instead, it was Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman who became the hot favourite for the title. But Azlan was unable to sustain his winning momentum beyond Round 2. He crashed and injured himself twice during the season. Meanwhile, Zaqhwan’s performance peaked with two race wins out of five podiums. As Zaqhwan and his peers head to the Chang International Circuit for the final round, the MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider leads the pack with 138 points. This is not the first time in Zaqhwan’s career when circumstances outside of his control had turned matters in his favour. In 2014, Zaqhwan won the SuperSports 600cc title by one point ahead of Yuki Ito. Ito was a strong contender for the title that year. But at the last lap of the final round, Zaqhwan’s team mate Mohd Zamri Baba crowded Ito off the racing line and ushered Zaqhwan into the winning position.     In 2016, the SuperSports 600cc title was a toss-up between Tomoyoshi Koyama and Zaqhwan. The title chase had narrowed down to the two riders and whichever one finished ahead of the other, would be the winner. Koyama had been the stronger of the two during the race weekend. Nobody would have guessed that the Japanese rider would fail to finish the race due to an engine malfunction.     As the countdown begins for the finale at the Chang International Circuit, the question remains: will Zaqhwan’s luck hold for a third time?

Since Yuki Ito’s full season ARRC debut in 2013, the 26-year-old had frequently been considered as one of the potential riders who could lift the SuperSports 600cc crown. He came close to reaching that target in 2014 when he missed out on the title by only one point. 2016, in particular, was a year to forget. Bogged down by persistent mechanical issues, the Yamaha Racing rider struggled to match results to his full potential. Dogged persistence and sheer determination from both the rider and his engineering crew had made a comeback possible in 2017. The bad news is, Ito’s results had not been consistent this season. However, a performance graph with peaks and valleys is infinitely preferable to a flatline at the bottom of the chart. The good news is, consistency was a rarity among the front runners in the 2018 title fight. Everyone suffered from their own issues ranging from mechanical failure to injuries and unforced human errors. With four podiums and a race win under his belt, Ito rocketed up the SuperSports 600cc ladder. As the clock ticks down to the season finale at the Chang International Circuit, the Yamaha Racing rider is trailing championship leader Zaqhwan Zaidi by only 4 points and shares second overall with Taiga Hada. YUKI ITO Rank after Rd 5: 2 Points: 134 points 2017 Pole: 0 2017 Podium: 5 (50%) 2017 Win: 1 (10%)