Asia Superbike 1000

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.”

Aussie rider Broc Parkes capped off a successful weekend for Yamaha when he asserted his domination in the ASB1000 with a third win of the season at the Zhuhai International Circuit. A better start from pole position as compared to Race 1 placed the Aussie in P3 at the start of the race. The Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN rider paced himself while allowing Malaysians Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman to dictate the early pace. Broc’s hunt began in earnest on Lap 3 when he overtook Azlan at Turn 13. As the ASB1000 race hits the midway point, Broc sped past Zaqhwan and proceeded to break away from the front group. A lap later, the Australian rider had extended his lead by almost a second while Zaqhwan bottled up the rest of the field. While Azlan, Zaqhwan, Thitipong Warokorn and Yuki Ito scrambled to fight for P2, Broc raced unchallenged to the finish line with 20’37.537s. An unforced error by Zaqhwan on the final lap saw him losing two positions. Azlan Shah and Yuki Ito completed the podium circle in second and third places respectively. Broc’s latest win puts him 35 points clear at the top of the ASB1000 ladder. The Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN rider will head to Sepang for Round 6 with 188 points in his pocket. Zaqhwan is still second on the standings with 153 points while Azlan closes in at third overall with 143 points.

Malaysian rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi clinched his second ASB1000 win of the season at Race 1 in Round 5 at the Zhuhai International Circuit. The Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA rider had displayed the best pace over the course of the practice sessions, but found his pole position taken over by Aussie rider Broc Parkes during the qualifier. Broc earned the right to park his bike on pole position with 1’33.994s. However, a front row start from P2 was all Zaqhwan needed to take control of the ASB1000 Race 1 from lights to flag. A terrific start from the Honda rider sent him straight into the lead. Polesitter Broc did not have the best of starts, dropping to P4 at the end of Lap 1. Zaqhwan put up a masterful display of defensive riding as he controlled the race pace from the front and ended the 13-lap race with 20’38.147s Behind Zaqhwan, Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN’s Yuki Ito was also a constant presence in P2. Ito successfully clinched P2 with 20’39.032s. Thitipong Warokorn enjoyed a dream comeback in third with 20’40.430s. Championship leader Broc Parkes ended his race just off the podium in fourth. The Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN rider has managed to secure his lead on top of the standings. Broc now holds 163 points. Zaqhwan’s latest win has pushed him up the standings to second overall with 140 points. Meanwhile, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman dropped to third overall after he low-sided out of the race on Lap 3.

With ambient temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius and track temperature hitting the high 60s, Round 5 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Zhuhai International Circuit is looking to be a sizzling hot affair. As the ASB1000 riders hit the 4.3km Zhuhai track for the very first time, many of the riders have found the circuit to be highly challenging. Malaysian rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi (Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA) laid down the first marker in the premiere class by clocking 1’34.482s at the top of the combined practice results. Zaqhwan is only 0.048s faster than championship leader, Broc Parkes. The Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN rider was second fastest in the practice sessions with 1’34.530s. The Aussie rider is joined by his team mate, Yuki Ito, who came in third fastest with 1’34.539s. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, now officially backed by BMW, was fourth fastest with 1’35.179s. Yamaha Man Lee Tat Racing Team’s wildcard, Li Zheng Peng, leads the Chinese charge in the ASB1000. He clocked fifth with 1’35.297s. Thitipong Warokorn, newly returning to the battle after recovering from a crash earlier this year, put up a commendable P6 finish with 1’35.297s.

Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman’s impressive run at the top of the ASB1000 has brought home BMW Motorrad’s official support for the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team. This factory support is expected to elevate Azlan and team’s competitiveness as they head into the second half of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. “The support from BMW Motorrad is certainly good news for us. After running the first three rounds as a private team without factory support, we believe that this can only make us even more competitive,” said Azlan who is currently second overall in the ASB1000 class. “The start of the season was very tough for us. Our bikes had arrived in Malaysia just in time for the pre-season test at the Sepang Circuit, which preceded the season opener by only a few days. In spite of the short lead time we had for preparation, our engineers had been able to produce a race winning bike for me,” he elaborated. Azlan created history in Round 1 as the first winner of the ASB1000. Azlan’s results continued to stay consistent as the 2019 season unfolded. He picked up a double win in Round 3 at the Chang International Circuit. The ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team has been successfully competing against a number of factory outfits in the ASB1000 class of the ARRC. These include two Yamaha factory teams (Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN and Yamaha Thailand Racing Team); one official Honda entry (Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA); and one Kawasaki team (Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team). Ducati’s presence is also maintained in the ASB1000 through the Access Plus Racing Ducati Philippines Essenza Team. The ASB1000 class has been steadily gaining momentum, generating immense interest from Asian teams and riders who compete for the limited wildcard slots at every stop.

Thai Superbike rider Thitipong Warokorn is finally back in action and is set to re-join the ASB1000 at Round 5 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Zhuhai, China. The Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team rider who started the inaugural ASB1000 campaign with a double podium at Round 1, had been out of commission for the better part of the year. Soon after the ARRC 2019 season opener in Sepang, Thitipong put in a wildcard stint at the Thai round of the WSBK. A high side crash resulted in back injuries. Thitipong was expected to be out for the rest of the season, but the Thai rider was determined to beat the odds. Months of intense physical therapy has Thitipong back in racing form again. He has missed three rounds of the ARRC this year, and has dropped to 10th overall in the rankings. As Thitipong resumes his partnership with Chaiwichit Nisakul, Australian rider Bryan Staring will not be heading to China for Round 5. Bryan has done a sterling job playing stopgap for Thitipong. Thanks to the Aussie’s efforts, the Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team is still in the running for the ASB1000 Team Awards, currently standings third overall with 120 points. Meanwhile, up at the top of the standings, four of the top ASB1000 contenders will be flying to China amped up after a stint in the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours. Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN’s Broc Parkes, who also races for YART Yamaha in the World Endurance Championships, looks to be well on his way to becoming the first Australian rider to win the Asian title. Broc has netted 150 points after four rounds, and leads the ASB1000 by 27 points. Malaysian riders Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and Zaqhwan Zaidi are second and third on the ladder with 123 points and 115 points respectively. The two Malaysians are expected to be strong contenders for the Zhuhai podium. Apiwat Wongthananon, fourth overall in the ASB1000, had also completed his first ride in the Suzuka 8 Hours. The Zhuhai leg of the season will have 19 bikes on the ASB1000 grid. Six wildcards have been confirmed including Canadian Robert Daniel Kruger with Titanic Kawasaki; Chinese riders Li Zheng Peng (Yamaha Man Lee Tat Racing Team), Huang Shi Zao (China Yamaha Maxpeedingrods Racing Team) and Chen Peng Yuan (DML 97 Racing Team); Japanese Masahiro Shinjo from Speedmaster Racing & RS-Itoh; as well as Australian Mark Aitchison from team YSS China.

On an afternoon interrupted by torrential rain, Shinichi Nakatomi, no stranger to ARRC and especially to Suzuka, scored a brilliant win in race two on a wet track. Nakatomi had been unable to find the right set-up for the dry race one on Saturday, but revelled in the conditions that Suzuka served up on Sunday. From the start Zaqhwan got away well, but was quickly passed by Yamaha Thailand’s Ratthapong Wilairot, then Nakatomi, who shot through after starting from ninth on the grid, Broc Parkes and Yuki Ito. Azlan Shah got a poor start, and finished lap one in eighth.  Apiwat Wongthananon, who had started from the outside of the front row, also fell back from the start. Ratthapong held the lead until lap three, when Nakatomi got through. Yuki Ito, riding with a strapped up broken ankle from a crash on Friday, displaced the Thai for third. At mid distance Broc was four bike lengths back in fourth, but gradually reeled in and passed Ratthapong. Meanwhile Nakatomi was passed briefly by Ito, but regained his place and stretched his lead by a few tenths a lap, displaying confidence in his bike and his tyres by sliding through some of the turns.  With two laps left, Broc closed on his injured team-mate, who resisted until turn 15 on final time around, when the Australian got good drive out of the spoon curve and went past. Ito stayed close, but was unable to stop Broc from taking second, two seconds behind a jubilant Nakatomi. Ratthapong came through in fourth, five seconds further back and with a similar margin between himself and fifth-placed Zaqhwan. Azlan got past Apiwat and Yudhistira to finish sixth. Apiwat won a four way battle for eighth ahead of Kazuma Tsuda, Chaiwichit Nisakul and Bryan Staring. With 45 points from his weekend’s work, Broc Parkes extends his points total to 150, now 27 clear of Azlan Shah, who earned himself 26 points in Suzuka. Zaqhwan lies third on 115.