Asia Superbike 1000

The ASB1000 class looks to have come of age as the riders settle into the new race class. Uncertain weather conditions at the start of Race 1 during the third leg of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Chang International Circuit, amped up the level of competition between the riders. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman lined up on pole after a strong showing in the morning’s qualifier. A great start pushed the BMW rider into the lead, but the Malaysian lost out to Thai contender Apiwat Wongthananon in the middle of the first lap. That marked the start of an on-going battle between the two riders while Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi, Yuki Ito and Broc Parkes fought a battle of their own for P3. The ASB1000 became a 5-man race on Lap 8. Apiwat had barely succeeded in taking over the lead, hotly chased by Azlan in second, Zaqhwan in third and Yuki Ito fourth. Even the Thai riders were not immune to the traps of the infamous Turn 12. Apiwat ran wide on Lap 10 and lost two spots as a consequence. As the chequered flag came down on Lap 13, Azlan stormed to the finish line with 21’07.540s followed by Zaqhwan Zaidi in second with 21’08.165s while Apiwat settled for third. Championship leader Broc Parkes finished fourth – enough to stay at the top of the standings with 85 points. Azlan Shah is now ranked second with 72 points, a single point ahead of Zaqhwan Zaidi.

Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman is leading the ASB1000 after the first day of free practice at Round 3 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Buriram, Thailand. The ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team rider shaved a full second off his laptimes to take provisional pole with 1’35.518s. Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi was second quickest after the first day with 1’36.274s. The Honda Asia Dream Racing with Showa rider had been dominant in the first two practice sessions, but crashed on his out-lap in FP3. Luckily for Zaqhwan, the crash did not result in any serious injury although the damage to the bike was quite significant. Apiwat Wongthananon clocked 1’36.416s, third fastest of the day, followed by championship leader Broc Parkes in fourth with 1’36.553s. Bryan Staring, back again as Thitipong Warokorn’s replacement, was eighth with 1’37.004s.

Access Plus Racing – Ducati Philippines – Essenza is ready to take the next step forward as the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship heads to the Chang International Circuit in Buriram for Round 3. The new Manila-based racing outfit has gotten their ARRC debut off to a good start, especially with young TJ Alberto at the helm. Come Buriram, TJ and his team mate Jonathan Serrapica will be hoping to convert the team’s pace into strong finishes. Since the last race meet at The Bend Motorsport Park, the team has poured a lot of effort into the development of their Ducati Panigale V4R. Unlike the previous legs where the team was hampered by a lack of data, TJ have at least had some experience at the Chang International Circuit, especially during the winter test at the end of 2018. Overall, the team’s outlook is very positive following improvements gained in Australia. With TJ now ranked 10th in the Asian series, the team looks ready for their next step forward. TJ Alberto, #77 Ducati: “The past few rounds have helped us clearly understand what is needed from the bike, technicians and riders to perform at their best. We were on the opposite end of the spectrum during the first round in Sepang and we have been learning after each race.” Toti Alberto, Team Principal: We’ve made strides as a team over the last few months. We now better understand the new Panigale V4R which we just received from Ducati Corsa right before the season began in Malaysia. Our progress so far have already allowed TJ and Jonathan to challenge for points and we’re looking forward to further improve on our results in Thailand.”

Two rounds into the inaugural season of the ASB1000 class has yielded four winners on board four different makes in four separate races. Malaysians Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi fired the first salvo at the season opener in Sepang. Azlan piloted his brand new BMW to the win in Race 1 while Honda rider Zaqhwan stormed his way through a rain-drenched Sepang circuit to clinch the second win. In Australia, Kawasaki took their turn at the top of the podium through replacement rider Bryan Staring’s impeccable performance in Race 1. In Race 2, Broc Parkes lived up to his top billings when he took his Yamaha R1 to its first ARRC win. Broc, who is racing for the Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, leads the ASB1000 class as they head to Round 3 at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand. The Yamaha stalwart holds a 21-point advantage over Zaqhwan Zaidi. Broc’s team mate, Yuki Ito has a strong track record at the Chang International Circuit and would be a threat to Zaqhwan’s position as he hunts for his first ASB1000 podium. After a strong start in Sepang, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman picked up two fifth places in Australia and has dropped down to fourth overall with 47 points. Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team’s replacement rider Bryan Staring came into the series with a bang. Bryan debut at fifth in the rankings with a win and a second place finish in Australia. The home team, Yamaha Thailand Racing Team, will be also be strategizing for a strong performance in Buriram. Over the past five years, the team had collected a whopping 32 podiums in Buriram. Apiwat Wongthananon and Ratthapong Wilairot will be under tremendous pressure to do well in front of their home fans. Amidst the big names, Ahmad Yudhistira has succeeded in bringing his near-standard Yamaha R1 to ninth overall in the standings while ARRC newcomer TJ Alberto from the Philippines maintained his position at tenth in the rankings.

Thanks to his incredible performance as a super-sub in the Australian round, Bryan Staring is back for another starring role in Buriram. With Thitipong Warokorn still in the recovery process to get back into racing form, it was only natural for the Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team to reach out to Bryan to fill the vacuum. The Australian rider won Race 1 at The Bend, and second in Race 2 – bringing home enough points to keep the Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team afloat at the top of the team standings.

Australian Broc Parkes ended his homecoming race at Round 2 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at The Bend Motorsport Park on a high note when he picked up his first ARRC win on the 4.95km circuit. Riding for the YAMAHA Racing Team ASEAN in the Asian series, the poleman went out on Race 2 with a different strategy after losing out to compatriot Bryan Staring in the previous race. A better start placed the R1 expert in the front group behind race leader Bryan and Apiwat Wongthananon. Broc passed Apiwat on Lap 5 and began to close in on the leading Kawasaki. The gap between the two Aussie riders continued to narrow until Broc, having had enough of following Bryan around the track, powered his way into the lead at Turn 17 on Lap 10. Broc kept his leading position to the chequered flag with a time of 22’54.902s. “Today, I decided not to punish my tyre too early. Even so, I had a couple of hairy moments in the last two laps. Nevertheless, I’m very pleased with my first win in the ARRC,” said Broc in a post-race interview. The weekend was also a tremendous success for second-placed Bryan Staring. The Kawasaki rider picked up four out of the five wins available at The Bend – one win in the ASB1000 Race 1 and all three race wins in the ASBK. Yuki Ito also closed a successful weekend with a double podium in third place. Broc Parkes has brought his points haul to 72 points. Malaysian Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi, who finished fourth in both races, is second overall with 51 points. While the Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN rider had taken control of the title chase, super-sub Bryan Staring had succeeded in his mission to keep Kawasaki Thailand Racing at the top of the team standings. The Thai outfit, led by the colourful Katsuaki Fujiwara, stands at the top of the team ladder with 85 points.

Bryan Staring succeeded in his mission to keep the points momentum going for the Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team. At The Bend Motorsport Park for Round 2 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Bryan stamped his dominance on the ASB1000 class which he won by 2.117 seconds. Bryan started the race from second on the grid. A blazing start sent the Kawasaki sub into the lead at Turn 1 while poleman Broc Parkes dropped to fourth on the first lap. Broc made a successful bid for the lead on Lap 2 but could not sustain his momentum beyond Lap 8 when Bryan came riding past. The Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team super-sub finished the 12-lap ASB1000 Race 1 with 22’50.710s. Later in the day, Bryan followed up on his ASB1000 win with another win at the ASBK Race 1. Broc had to be content in second with 22’52.827s, which gave him enough points to take over the points-lead in the ASB1000 class. Behind the two Australians, Yuki Ito triumphed over Zaqhwan Zaidi to clinch the last spot on the podium with 22’58.793s.

Australian rider Broc Parkes claimed his first ARRC pole in his homecoming race at The Bend Motorsport Park. Following a mediocre outing at the opening round in Sepang last month, Broc returned to the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship with a vengeance.   Broc has been quick to take control of the 4.95km The Bend Motorsport Park circuit and is looking good ahead of the races on pole position with 1’52.581s.   The Yamaha Racing Team Asean rider will line up alongside fellow Australian rider Bryan Staring. Bryan had been pulling a double shift at the Australian round this weekend and is one of the few riders who is racing in both the ASBK and the ARRC. The experienced Kawasaki rider is replacing injured championship leader Thitipong Warokorn. He posted 1’53.223s, the second fastest time in the ASB1000.   Meanwhile, Malaysian Zaqhwan Zaidi ran into trouble when his fastest lap was excluded from the final results for exceeding the track limits. This promoted Apiwat Wongthananon to third on the grid with 1’53.546s.   Yuki Ito will line up fourth on the grid while Zaqhwan dropped to the middle of the third row with 1’54.340s, ahead of compatriot Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman.   Ahmad Yudhistira brought his privateer Yamaha to seventh on the grid with 1’55.041s. Ratthapong Wilairot, Chaiwichit Nisakul and TJ Alberto made up the rest of the top-10.

Much as he did at the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship curtain raiser at Sepang, Yamaha Racing Team Asean’s Broc Parkes is off to yet another sizzling start in Round 2. The second leg of the Asian series is a homecoming race of sorts for the seasoned Australian rider. Though racing for the first time at The Bend Motorsports Park, Broc has been the quickest to get on pace. He set the benchmark for the ASB1000 with 1’53.855s.   Fellow Aussie rider Bryan Staring has shown himself to be a competitive replacement for championship leader Thitipong Warokorn. The Kawasaki rider clocked a very close second with 1’53.859s.   Malaysian rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi was third in the combined results with 1’54.315s followed by Ahmad Yudhistira fourth with 1’55.823s.   Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman is fighting off an injury this weekend. The ONEXOX TKKR SAG Racing Team rider suffered a broken rib from his previous engagement in the CEV. Azlan logged sixth fastest in the first day of practice with 1’56.072s.   Thai riders Apiwat Wongthananon, Ratthapong Wilairot and Chaiwichit Nisakul have placed themselves provisionally on Row 3 as they completed Day 1 in seventh, eighth and ninth respectively. Finally, wildcard Stephanie Redman, the sole female rider on the ASB1000 grid, put in an impressive first day in 10th place with 1’58.510s.

Round 1 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship drew to a dramatic end at the Sepang International Circuit. The weather, that had been sunny and dry all week long, took a turn for the worse just as the pit lane was about to open for the ASB1000 show closer. The rain made for an even more challenging race as none of the riders have had the opportunity to ride on the wet tyres at the Sepang Circuit. This was made even worse by the uneven rainfall around the 5.5km track. There was torrential downpour on the North Track while the South Track remained relatively dry. It was a tentative first lap as the more seasoned riders took their time gaining a better feel for the track conditions. Farid Badrul Hisham from the ONEXOX TKKR SAGRacing Team, on the other hand, had nothing to lose. Farid, who is riding as a replacement for injured Hafiq Azmi that weekend, finished sixth in Race 1. While the rest of the grid felt their way gingerly around the first two laps, Farid had pulled an 8 seconds lap at the front of the group. However, all that reckless riding around the drier parts of the track took a toll on his performance. Farid aquaplaned out of Lap 4 on Turn 4, followed soon by Ahmad Yudhistira. Farid’s crash left Yuki Ito in charge of the ASB1000 lead but he too had his fair share of problems. A broken shifter around Lap 7 adversely affected Ito’s race pace. As Ito’s focus shifted from winning the race to just finishing the race, Honda Asia Dream Racing With Showa’s Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi came riding past. Zaqhwan quickly pulled a lead at the front and took the win with 27’20.147s. 2019 championship leader Thitipong Warokorn netted the highest points haul from the weekend when he finished second with 27’23.706s while Yuki Ito settled for third place with 27’27.360s.