Asia Superbike 1000

The expected thunderstorm forecasted in the 2020 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship season opener at the Sepang International Circuit held off long enough for the ASB1000 Race 2 to get underway. The dry conditions were much more to Markus Reiterberger’s liking. The German rider, back in his element, made short work of the ASB1000 Race 2 when he scored a lights-to-flag victory in a time of 25’29.725s. The drama in the ASB1000 class was served up in the battle for P2 and P3 played out between Apiwat Wongthananon, Broc Parkes, Anupab Sarmoon, Lorenzo Zanetti, Thitipong Warokorn, Yuki Ito, and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman. Apiwat was consistently strong throughout the 12-lap race. The YAMAHA Thailand Racing Team rider kept his cool even while under attack from Lorenzo Zanetti and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman. Access Plus Racing-Okada-Team’s Lorenzo Zanetti showed his mettle when he charged past Apiwat at the last corner of Lap 4. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman then stole the limelight from the Ducati test rider when he came storming up from eighth on Lap 1 to second on Lap 6. Azlan stayed in second from Lap 7 to Lap 11 when the Malaysian rider overcooked the south end of the track and crashed out from P2. One lap remaining, with Azlan out of the race, Apiwat was back in P2. The Thai rider held on to the position and claimed a double podium from the Sepang weekend with 25’37.139s. Lorenzo Zanetti hunkered down in P3, and would have staked out a first podium finish for Ducati in the ASB1000 class when he ran out of fuel in the final sprint from Turn 15 to the finish line. Broc Parkes neatly avoided a collision with the slowing Ducati, and scrambled across the finish line in third with 25’39.078s. Apiwat Wongthananon has come up tops from the season opening weekend. With two podiums under his belt, the Thai rider leads the ASB1000 class with 40 points. Markus Reiterberger trails in second with 38 points. Yuki Ito finished sixth in Race 2, and is now third in the title chase with 35 points. ASB1000: Top 5 Race 2 Results Markus Reiterberger (GER) (BMW)                   25’29.725s Apiwat Wongthananon (THA) (Yamaha)              25’37.139s Broc Parkes (AUS) (Yamaha)                               25’39.078s Lorenzo Zanetti (ITA) (Ducati)                            25’39.163s Thitipong Warokorn (THA) (Kawasaki)               25’39.956s ASB1000: Top 5 Standings After Round 1 Apiwat Wongthananon (THA) (Yamaha)           40 pts Markus Reiterberger (GER) (BMW)                   38 pts Yuki Ito (JPN) (Yamaha)                       35 pts Lorenzo Zanetti (ITA) (Ducati)                       24 pts Thitipong Warokorn (THA) (Kawasaki)              18 pts ASB1000: Top 5 Team Standings After Round 1 YAMAHA Thailand Racing Team                         56 pts ONEXOX BMW TKKR SAG Team                         54 pts YAMAHA Racing Team ASEAN                          51 pts KAWASAKI Thailand Racing Team                      33 pts VICTOR RACING TEAM                           32 pts

Markus Reiterberger may have been on a record breaking streak throughout the 2020 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship season opening weekend, but it was Yuki Ito who emerged triumphant as torrential rain swept through the Sepang International Circuit.   ONEXOX BMW TKKR SAG Team’s Markus Reiterberger continued on his record-breaking charge when he set another lap record, 2’04.762s in the ASB1000 qualifier. More than a second quicker than the rest of the field, Markus confirmed himself for pole in both Race 1 and Race 2.   However, the German rider’s race strategy was disrupted at the last minute when a torrential downpour broke over the Sepang International Circuit, just as the ASB1000 Race 1 was scheduled to start. The thunderstorm caused a delay of almost 45 minutes, but stopped long enough for the full race to take place.   Markus peeled off from pole position but soon lost the lead to Yuki Ito from YAMAHA Racing Team ASEAN. Supremely confident and silky smooth in the wet, Yuki carved up a 3 second lead within the span of a single lap.   Behind the Japanese rider, Markus lost P2 to Broc Parkes and then ran wide on Lap 3, dropping down to P5 as Apiwat Wongthananon and Anupab Sarmoon went racing past.   By the midpoint of the race, Ito was absolutely in his element, lapping almost a second quicker than the rest of the grid. As the chequered flag came down on Lap 12, Ito clinched the first ASB1000 win of his career with 28’16.971s.   The YAMAHA Racing Team ASEAN was on course for a 1-2 finish until Lap 11 when Broc Parkes high sided at Turn 12. The crash caused significant damage to the Australian rider’s handlebars and prevented him from returning to the track.   Broc’s crash left the field wide open for Apiwat Wongthananon and comeback kid Anupab Sarmoon to deliver two podium spots to the YAMAHA Thailand Racing Team. Apiwat Wongthananon finished second with 28’24.580s, 7.6 seconds behind marquee-mate Ito. Anupab enjoyed a successful ARRC comeback in third with 28’39.751s.   Markus Reiterberger missed out on the podium in fourth place (28’44.981s). With much of the team’s set up done in the dry, the BMW rider faced problems with his rear grip in the wet.  Lorenzo Zanetti took Access Plus Racing-Okada-Team’s Ducati to fifth with 28’49.555s.   Further down the field, Kawasaki’s Thitipong Warokorn would be glad to see the day come to an end. Thitipong crashed out during the qualifying session, caught off-guard by underground water seeping onto the tarmac at Turn 4. The KAWASAKI Thailand Racing Team raced the clock to get his bike back in race-shape but the rain brought more challenges. Thitipong finished in ninth ahead of his team mate Ryosuke Iwato.   ASB1000: Top 5 Qualifying Results   Markus Reiterberger (GER) (BMW)                   2’04.762s Broc Parkes (AUS) (Yamaha)                               2’06.050s Apiwat Wongthananon (THA) (Yamaha)              2’06.075s Yuki Ito (JPN) (Yamaha)                                     2’06.254s Lorenzo Zanetti (ITA) (Ducati)                            2’06.292s     ASB1000: Top 5 Race 1 Results   Yuki Ito (JPN) (Yamaha)                                     28’16.971s Apiwat Wongthananon (THA) (Yamaha)              28’24.580s Anupab Sarmoon (THA) (Yamaha)                     28’39.751s Markus Reiterberger (GER) (BMW)                   28’44.981s Lorenzo Zanetti (ITA) (Ducati)                            28’49.555s  

Markus Reiterberger continues to push the envelope in the ASB1000 as he followed up on his record-breaking run during the pre-season with yet another lap record for the class. The ONEXOX BMW TKKR SAG Team rider set the bar high in Practice 1 when he lapped 2’04.950s, a new lap record for the class at the 5.5km Sepang International Circuit.   0.814 seconds off the German’s pace, Apiwat Wongthananon was the quickest of the Yamahas, setting 2’05.764s in Practice 3. Broc Parkes posted third fastest of the day with 2’05.928s followed by Lorenzo Zanetti on the Ducati with 2’05.942s.   Thitipong Warokorn missed out on the opportunity to put in quick laps when he crashed out early in Practice 3. The Thai Kawasaki rider was fifth fastest in the day with 2’06.320s.   Defending champion Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman is still fighting the mechanical gremlins. The Malaysian rider was seventh fastest after the first day of practice. Azlan’s best time was clocked at 2’06.760s.     ASB1000: Top 5 Practice Results 2020 Lap Record: 2’04.950s – Markus Reiterberger (GER) (BMW)   Markus Reiterberger (GER) (BMW)                   2’04.950s Apiwat Wongthananon (THA) (Yamaha)              2’05.764s Broc Parkes (AUS) (Yamaha)                               2’05.928s Lorenzo Zanetti (ITA) (Ducati)                            2’05.942s Thitipong Warokorn (THA) (Kawasaki)               2’06.320s

ASB1000 defending champion Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman is under no illusion about just how challenging the year ahead is going to be. The Malaysian rider who entered the history books as the first ASB1000 champion in 2019, has renewed his partnership with the ONEXOX BMW TKKR SAG Team for the 2020 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Even as Azlan prepares to don the green-and-black of TKKR for one more season, there had been many changes within the team’s structure and also in the ASB1000 class itself. Azlan’s success in 2019 had brought BMW factory support to the ONEXOX BMW TKKR SAG Team. Along with the factory support comes a team mate, WSBK rider Markus Reiterberger who will certainly be arriving with his eyes on the main prize. “I’m very sure the 2020 season will be a fight from start to finish. Look at the quality of bikes and riders listed in the Entry List. We have WSBK riders like Markus and Lorenzo Zanetti entering the Asian race. Domestically, my compatriot Zaqhwan Zaidi will be competing astride the latest Honda CBR1000RR R Fireblade,” said Azlan. In fact, nearly half the 15-rider ASB1000 grid will be competing on the latest bike models. Zaqhwan’s team mate Gerry Salim will also be similarly equipped. Riders from the factory Yamahas – Broc Parkes, Yuki Ito, Apiwat Wongthananon and Anupab Sarmoon will take to the tarmac with the 2020 Yamaha YZF-R1M. For Team BMW, Azlan and his team mate Markus will be competing on the 2020 BMW S1000 RR. Azlan will need to bank on his strong track record at the 5.5km Sepang International Circuit to keep his winning edge. The BMW rider had won three out of four ASB1000 races held in Sepang to date.

Access Plus Racing-Okada Manila has confirmed that Lorenzo Zanetti will join their ASB1000 lineup this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. The Ducati test rider was called as a stand in for Federico Sandi who’ll be unavailable during the Asia Road Racing Championship’s (ARRC) season opener on March 6 to 8. The Italian is a test rider for Ducati and contributed to the development of Panigale V4R for competition, thus making him a fitting substitute for Sandi. He brings with him over two decades’ worth of experience, with six seasons in the 125GP World Championship and nine in the Superbike World Championship where he landed 16 career podium finishes. With his vast knowledge on the Panigale V4R, Zanetti aims to provide reliable feedback to the team’s technicians. He also looks forward to bring the fight to the front on his ARRC debut with teammate Timothy Joseph “TJ” Alberto. The Asia Road Racing Championship’s 2020 calendar kicks off with a Pre-Season Test from March 2 to 4 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. The first of seven rounds then follows from March 6 to 8 on the same venue. Lorenzo Zanetti: “It’s a pleasure to join the first round of ARRC this 2020 with Access Plus Racing. When the team and Ducati offered me this opportunity, I immediately accepted the offer. Although it’s not easy to come to the series just for one race, I believe that it’s possible to fight for a good position with help from Ducati. Thank you to the team for allowing me to race with them in Malaysia.” Access Plus Racing-Okada Manila is sponsored by Okada Manila, Essenza, Macbeth, Öhlins Philippines, AELLA, Lv8, and Standard Insurance, with Ducati Philippines for the team’s entry in ASB1000. For more info and the latest updates about the team, follow www.facebook.com/AccessPlusRacingPH/ on Facebook and riders www.facebook.com/TjAlberto7, www.facebook.com/Fedesandi23, and https://www.facebook.com/lorenzozanettiofficial/. [Photo courtesy of Ducati]