Asia Superbike 1000

He began the season as the first rider to win the ASB1000 race in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. At the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, for the 2019 finale, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) closed the year on a high note with an imperious win to enter the history books as the first Asian Superbike Champion.   The ASB1000 action closed with an explosive final showdown with three riders still in the running at the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship finale in Thailand.   Zaqhwan Zaidi (Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA), who still had an outside chance of creating a monumental upset, led the 12-rider grid on pole position. The Malaysian claimed his third of the season in Race 1 and still had a mathematical chance of creating an upset provided that both the main title contenders (Azlan and Broc) failed to collect any points from the second race.   Beside Zaqhwan, the man with the best chance for the title, Azlan Shah lined up on P2 while Broc Parkes (Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN), still the championship leader after a disastrous Saturday, was a menacing presence on the second row.   Since the start of the ASB1000 class this season, the Chang International Circuit has turned out to be a happy hunting ground for the BMW. A confident Azlan darted into the lead at the start of the 13-lap race. Azlan was stalked by Zaqhwan in the first lap but a series of quick laps saw Azlan pulling ahead by 3.9 seconds by Lap 5. The Malaysian rider then produced a slew of inch-perfect defensive laps to keep his position at the front.   Behind Azlan, a bad start by Broc put his final campaign for the title on the back foot. On Lap 6, Broc was fifth on the track, trailing Azlan by a hefty 5.7 seconds, and it was becoming increasingly clear that Broc’s title hopes had evaporated.   Up in front, Azlan was in no mood to mess around. The BMW rider continued to plough through the remaining laps in perfect form until he stormed to his sixth win of the season with 20’57.034s. Zaqhwan was second across the line, five seconds behind Azlan followed by Thitipong Warokorn (Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team) in third.   In the final points tally, Azlan picked up his third Asian title with 238 points. Azlan was the 2013 and 2017 SuperSports 600cc champion. Broc ended the season in second with 225 points and Zaqhwan third with 211 points.   However, Broc’s determined racing had done enough to put Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN at the top of the team standings with 244 points. The nine points Broc collected allowed the Japanese team to deny the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team from taking yet another team title by three points.

The race to become the first FIM Asian ASB1000 champion has effectively narrowed to a shoot-out between Broc Parkes (Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN) and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team).   The drama in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship’s premiere class took an unprecedented turn when neither championship leader gained the psychological advantage of a pole position start. Instead, the coveted pole fell into the hands of Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi (Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA).   A solid start by Zaqhwan placed him nominally in control but Zaqhwan lost position to a rapidly charging Apiwat Wongthananon (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) at the end of the first lap. The two riders swapped places at the front until Zaqhwan was able to gain full control on Lap 5.   On the same lap, the title chase was turned on its head when Broc Parkes crashed out at the infamous Buriram last corner. The Australian rider rejoined the race in last place, a minute down from the rest of the group.   By Lap 7, Azlan had muscled his way past Thitipong Warokorn (Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team) and tucked into P3 behind Apiwat.   While Broc gamely tried to make up for lost ground, Zaqhwan was riding smooth and steady at the front of the group. The riders looked to be locked in position with Zaqhwan leading Apiwat and Azlan until the last lap when Apiwat crashed out of P2.   Zaqhwan went on to win the race with 20’56.778s. Azlan in second and Thitipong third made it a Honda-BMW-Kawasaki podium in Race 1.   Further down the group, Broc kept his title hopes alive when he picked up four points from P12.   With the gap between Broc and Azlan now narrowed to only three points, the stage is set for a showdown in the final race on Sunday.

Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi (Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA) is pulling out all the stops in his bid to defy the odds that are stacked against him in the ASB1000 title hunt. Zaqhwan, who still has an outside chance of becoming the first FIM Asian ASB1000 champion, has been working hard all weekend at the season finale to give himself every opportunity to turn the tables on championship leaders Broc Parkes (Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN) and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team).   Zaqhwan was easily the most hard working rider in the ASB1000 qualifier. The Honda rider was out on track for most of the qualifying session and got onto the top of the leader board after 20 minutes. He became the first ASB1000 rider this weekend to lap below 1’36 when he posted 1’35.954s.   The final six minutes of the qualifier was where all the action happened. With four minutes left on the board, Zaqhwan posted another flying lap to take pole with 1’35.714s.   Azlan muscled his way up to P2 with 1’35.960s while Apiwat Wongthananon (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) who had been consistent all weekend qualified for P3 with 1’36.132s. Championship leader Broc will head up the second row.

Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) is taking no prisoners at the final round of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand as he tops the times with 1’36.123s. As Azlan prepares to engage in the final battle for the first ASB1000 title, this has given the Malaysian a 0.310s advantage over second place Broc Parkes (Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN).   The fact that the Chang International Circuit was to be the host for the season finale has tipped the odds in Azlan’s favour. The Malaysian was virtually unchallenged at this 4.554km circuit at the previous meet in Round 3 when he converted pole position to a strong double win.   Azlan and Thai rider Apiwat Wongthananon (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) were the first two to get up to speed, displacing each other at the top. Broc, as usual, was marching to the rhythm of his own drums, not feeling the need to get involved in the early rush.   With 8 minutes of FP3 to go, Azlan logged his best time, 1’36.123s, and promptly dove into the pits for a conference with his BMW engineers. Sensing the opportunity, Broc put in a series of quick laps and managed to push Zaqhwan Zaidi (Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA) down to P3.   The three title contenders, Azlan, Broc and Zaqhwan, have locked out the provisional front row. Apiwat Wongthananon dropped to fourth with 1’36.597s. In P5, Thitipong Warokorn (Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team) poses as a substantial threat. Thai fans can expect to see Thitipong go all out for the win on his homeground. The Thai rider had missed Round 3 while he recovered from a back injury sustained as a wildcard during the World SSP.

A recent run-in with a careless driver will not stop Federico Sandi from making his second ARRC wildcard appearance in the final leg of the season at the Chang International Circuit.  Federico’s plans to continue his role as developmental rider for the Access Plus Racing DUCATI Philippines Essenza Team was almost derailed earlier this week. The massively talented and experienced Italian rider was out jogging around his local neighbourhood when he was hit by a car. Thankfully, further checks had found nothing broken although he will be slightly handicapped by a couple of stretched ligaments Federico came onto the ASian scene in the penultimate round at the Sepang International Circuit as part of the team’s on-going process to get the Ducati Panigale V4 R into podium shape. With his level of experience, the Italian was able to deliver the best result for the team so far, many times coming close to disrupting the title chase between the main protagonists of the 2019 season, Broc Parkes and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman.

The season finale of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Chang International Circuit this November 29 to December 1 will witness the final battle between Broc Parkes and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman to become the first Asian Superbike champion. The two riders have been locked in a tussle over the course of the past 12 races, with Broc’s consistent approach to winning a championship keeping him in the driving seat for most of the season. Both rivals representing the Yamaha and BMW camps respectively have scooped up seven podiums each. Broc has picked up three wins from Australia, Japan and China. He has also consistently finished within the top five in every race. The mercurial and unpredictable Azlan, on the other hand, holds five wins out of seven podiums but is handicapped by two DNF results from Round 1 and Round 5. In all this, Honda’s Zaqhwan Zaidi cannot be discounted yet. Trailing Broc by 46 points, the Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA rider still has an outside chance of creating an upset in Buriram. The final battle at the  4.554km Chang International Circuit may be tilted in Azlan’s favour. The ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team rider converted pole to double win during the previous race in Round 3. If Azlan were to repeat his double-victory feat, Broc must finish at least third in both races to win the title by a single point. Should he succeed, Broc will become the first Australian to win the Asian title. Spoilers who could potentially derail the title chase include Thai riders Thitipong Warokorn, Apiwat Wongthananon, and returning WSBK wildcard, Federico Sandi.

From the extreme heat at the Zhuhai International Circuit in August, to the extreme haze at the Sepang International Circuit in September, Malaysian rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman proved that he had what it takes to rise above the elements as he became the only rider form Round 6 to take home the double win. Azlan’s second race of the weekend got off to a conservative start when he paced in fourth on Lap 1 behind Thitipong Warokorn, Apiwat Wongthananon and championship leader Broc Parkes. The Malaysian rider was jolted out of his complacency when wildcard Federico Sandi made an overtaking attempt on Azlan on Lap 5. Fighting spirit triggered, Azlan went on a rampage on Lap 6 when he overtook Federico, Broc and Apiwat all in one lap. On Lap 7, Azlan snatched the reins from Thitipong to take full control of the race pace. Azlan’s familiarity with the Sepang International Circuit became a big advantage as he set the fastest lap of the race, 2’06.626s in the final lap. Azlan added a fifth win to his name with 23’29.755s. 1.255 seconds behind, Thitipong managed P2 with 23’31.010s and Apiwat Wongthananon finished third for the fourth time this year with 23’31.465s. The ASB1000 Race 2 podium saw an interesting mix of manufacturers with Azlan on the BMW, Thitipong with Kawasaki and Apiwat Wongthananon representing Yamaha.

Malaysian duo Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi (Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA) and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) dominated the first day of practice in the ASB1000 class as the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship returned to the Sepang Circuit for Round 6. Zaqhwan snared provisional pole with his fastest lap, 2’06.502s but is still a second short of breaking the lap record (2’05.505s) set by Thitipong Warokorn in the season opener. Azlan, on the other hand, had topped the timesheets in the first two practice sessions. He placed second fastest in the combined timesheets with 2’06.665s. Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Apiwat Wongthananon logged a creditable third quickest time of 2’06.833s followed by championship leader Broc Parkes in fourth with 2’06.919s. Ahmad Yudhistira from the Victor Racing Team came in fifth with 2’07.331s. Of note, wildcard Federico Sandi (Access Plus Racing Ducati Philippines Essenza Team) logged eighth fastest with 2’08.266s while Shahrulnizam Ramli posted a personal fastest lap of 2’11.896s in his first ARRC outing.

The penultimate leg of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship will be a crucial round for Malaysian rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi. Trailing Broc Parkes by 35 points, Zaqhwan will need strong results from his home round to keep his ASB1000 title hopes alive. In terms of performance, the Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA rider had been able to match his Australian rival’s pace in almost every round. Both riders had consistently finished within the top-five in the previous 10 races. An attack by the mechanical gremlins in the season opener set Zaqhwan’s campaign off on the back foot. He’s been fighting to make up for lost points since. “I’m feeling extremely confident going back to Sepang for the penultimate round. Our team engineers have made a lot of progress with our machine’s performance since that first race. Coupled with our constant training at the All Japan, I am optimistic that I will be able to convert homeground advantage into podium finishes,” said Zaqhwan who had scored two wins in the 2019 season so far. As long as Zaqhwan picks up 40 points from Sepang, the race to become the first Asian ASB1000 champion cannot end in Sepang. However, if Broc bags the maximum 50 points from the upcoming race, the chances of Zaqhwan adding a third Asian title to his resume will dwindle at the final round. “Like everyone else, my target is to claim the double win in Sepang. If I can achieve that target, we will be able to take the ASB1000 title to the final round in Buriram. Unlike many of the other riders on the ASB1000 grid, I cannot count on a team mate for race strategies to guard my flanks. As the sole rider in my team, I just need to go hard and go fast.”