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SUPERSPORTS 600cc: WHAT’S NEW IN 2017

2017, 2017 Round1, Latest News, Supersports 600 /

Getting up to speed with the changes in the paddock as Round 1 flags off at the Johor Circuit on April 1 and 2, 2017.   1.MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing The Malaysian outfit will be going for its 6th consecutive SuperSports 600cc Team Title this season. Yuki Takahashi has exited the team as he will be more focused on the MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship this year. Defending champion Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi will be the senior rider of the team, and will partner with 2014 Asia Dream Cup runner-up Teppei Nagoe.   2. Manual Tech Kawasaki Racing The Manual Tech Kawasaki Racing will put Indonesian rider Ahmad Yudhistira with Malaysian rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman.   3. Yamaha Racing Team The Yamaha Racing Team’s 2017 line-up will comprise of Japanese rider Yuki Ito and Thai newcomer Keminth Kubo.   4. RAMA Honda Racing by NTS T.Pro Ten10 Team NTS T.Pro racing undergoes a rebranding. The RAMA Honda Racing by NTS T.Pro Ten10 team will feature Japanese riders TaigaHada, Sena Yamada and India’s Sarath Kumar.   5. AP Honda Racing Thailand Ratthapong Wilairot will continue his SuperSports 600cc campaign in team AP Honda Racing Thailand livery. Ratthapong will be joined by seasoned Japanese campaigner Tatsuya Yamaguchi. Former MotoGP and WSBK rider Makoto Tamada had been appointed as head coach for the AP Honda team. He will be assisted by former Moto2 rider Ratthapark Wilairot.   6. Yamaha Thailand Racing Yamaha Thailand Racing has confirmed that both Decha Kraisart (2007 and 2010 SuperSports 600cc Champion) and Chalermpol Polamai (2009 SuperSports 600cc Champion) will be racing full season in the SuperSports 600cc category. This is one of the most senior rider combinations in the 2017 grid.

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ASIA PRODUCTION 250cc: WHAT’S NEW IN 2017

2017, 2017 Round1, Asia Production 250, Latest News /

Getting up to speed with the changes in the paddock as Round 1 flags off at the Johor Circuit on April 1 and 2, 2017. 1. Missing on The Grid The AP250 class will be racing without a defending champion this year. Apiwat Wongthananon will be spending 2017 in Europe, racing in the Spanish CEV Championship. Similarly, Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin will take a hiatus from the ARRC to train in the CEV.   2. From the 600cc crew 2016 SuperSports 600cc competitors, Tomoyoshi Koyama, Gerry Salim, Mohd Fitri Ashraf Razali and Andy Muhammad Fadly will be racing in the Asia Production 250cc category.   3. Girl Power In Team One For All Former GP rider, Youichi Ui, has filled his team One For All with two female riders this season. They are Naoko Takasugi (Bike 750) from Japan, and Tran Thi Doan Trang (Bike 16) from Vietnam. With Muklada Sarapuech back in the ARRC, there will be three female riders in the AP250cc at Round 1.   4. Bui Duy Thong moves up Making his debut in the Underbone class last year, Vietnamese rider Bui Duy Thong has confirmed his move to the 250cc category this season.

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UNDERBONE 150cc: WHAT’S NEW IN 2017

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The Underbone 150cc is a new class, replacing the previous Underbone 130cc category that ran from 2012 to 2016.   1.Yamaha Racing Indonesia Wahyu Aji Trilaksana will embark on his title defense with team Yamaha Racing Indonesia. Should he succeed, he will be the first rider in the Underbone class to successfully retain his title despite a change in the technical specifications.   2. Yuzy Honda Vietnam Racing Former Malaysian GP rider Shahrol Yuzy will be collaborating with Honda Vietnam this season. Team Yuzy Honda Vietnam Racing’s role is to guide and expose upcoming Vietnamese riders as they make their international debut. For 2017, the team will field Vietnamese newcomer Cao Viet Nam alongside Malaysian rider Azroy Hakeem Anuar.   3. First Chinese Rider Round 1 of the ARRC will see an unexpected entry in the Underbone 150 class. Chinese rider Yuan Ji Bo will be the first from the People’s Republic of China to race in the Southeast Asian heritage class. Yuan has had substantive experience racing the 600cc bikes back home, but had elected to use the Underbone 150cc category as his debut platform to gain experience before considering a move to higher ccs.   4. UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor had elected for a double rookie combination in 2017. Seasoned campaigner Ahmad Fazli Sham had been refocused to the national championship. UMA Racing’s assault on the Underbone 150cc title will be undertaken by two teenage hotshots – Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues (16) and 2016 National Champion, Mohd Akid Aziz (19).   5. New Entry: ONEXOX TKKR Racing The Underbone 150cc will feature a new team entry this season – Malaysian outfit, ONEXOX TKKR Racing. New to the racing scene, the team had been highly active in the Malaysian Cub Prix Championship in 2016. This year, team TKKR expands their horizons to the Asian region with Norizman Ismail and Mohd Helmi Azman.

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PRE-SEASON : SAC CONCLUDE WITH THE GSX-R150 SHOWING HIGHER POTENTIAL THAN ITS PREDECESSOR

2017, 2017 Test, Latest News, Suzuki Asian Challenge /

  Two days of pre-season testing took place for the SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE (SAC) riders at Johor Circuit, Malaysia on March 15-16, 2017. This being the first time for the 2017 SAC riders to ride, the riders were all excited to hear that they will be using the new SUZUKI GSX-R150 for the season. 16 riders from 9 countries gathered at Johor Circuit, with 10 new riders and 6 returnees. Although some riders were familiar to the track, it was the first time for most of them to ride the track, and naturally the first time for all of them to ride the brand new GSX-R150. However, the riders and the GSX-R150 showed high potential right from the beginning, with two riders going faster than its predecessor, the SUZUKI Satria F150. Half of the field lapped their best below the 2’00.00 mark, proving the high level of the GSX-R150 and the riders. The season opener of the 2017 season is scheduled for April 1-2 at Johor Circuit, Malaysia.   Yukio Kagayama | General Manager “First of all, I would like to thank everyone that made it possible for us to bring SAC in its third season. We have changed our machine to the new SUZUKI GSX-R150. It’s a more sporty model than its predecessor, and more suited to run on a racetrack. I ran with the riders at this test to try new parts and base setups, and by running with them, it gave me a better knowledge of what each rider are capable of. I can use this information to coach the riders throughout the season, making them not only a faster rider, but a racer that may be accepted and respected in any where they race in the future. Now that the pre-season test is over, I am just looking forward for the season to start.”

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PRE-SEASON: DECHA INCHES CLOSE TO TRACK RECORD

2017, 2017 Test, Latest News, Supersports 600 /

While Malaysian rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi dominated the proceedings in the first day of pre-season tests for the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, it was Thai rider Decha Kraisart who came close to setting a new benchmark for the SuperSports 600cc class at the Johor Circuit. The Yamaha Thailand Racing rider found his rhythm in the closing sessions of the two-day practice and clocked the fastest time of the class, 01’31.051s. 36-year-old Decha, who was the SuperSports 600cc champion in 2007 and 2010, has shown no sign of slowing down. Having just won second place in the recent World SuperSports Championship race in Thailand as a wildcard last weekend, Decha is in the hunt for his third Asian trophy. Decha’s 2016 campaign got off to a slow start. At the Johor Circuit in Pasir Gudang last year, Decha suffered a DNF in Race 1 and only finished 12th in Race 2. But team Yamaha Thailand Racing had been able to overcome their problems in the second half of 2016. The Thai rider is hoping to score major points when the season kicks off on March 31. However, Decha’s best time only came close to the existing track record set by Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi (01’31.016s). As the pre-season test wrapped up, defending champion Zaqhwan posted the second fastest combined time of 01’31.381s followed by Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman with 01’31.441s. Decha’s team mate Chalermpol Polamai was fourth fastest with 01’31.871s while 18-year-old Japanese ace Taiga Hada rounded up the top five with 01’32.045s. Further down the field, Yamaha Racing’s Yuki Ito was sixth on the timesheets. Ito’s team mate, newcomer Keminth Kubo from Thailand, was eighth fastest with 01’32.515s. The best performing Indonesian contender, Ahmad Yudhistira, posted seventh fastest with 01’32.417s.

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PRE-SEASON: ANUPAB FILLS IN FOR APIWAT

2017, 2017 Test, Asia Production 250, Latest News /

Team Yamaha Thailand Racing followed up a strong performance in the SuperSports 600cc class with equally dominant results in the Asia Production 250cc category. With defending champion Apiwat Wongthananon jetting off for the Spanish Championship this season, Anupab Sarmoon proved himself an able replacement when he logged the fastest time of 01’43.469s. Anupab’s best time has become the new lap record for the Johor Circuit, smashing Apiwat’s previous laptime of 01’44.959s by more than a second. Indonesians Rheza Danica Ahrens and Gerry Salim, both from team Astra Honda Racing, clocked the second and third fastest time of the session astride their brand new Honda CBR250RR. Newcomer Rheza posted 01’43.536s ahead of Gerry’s 01’44.432s. Honda’s intent to win the AP250 title in 2017 was glaringly clear with as many as two SuperSports 600cc riders being moved to spearhead their challenge in the 250cc class. These were Tomoyoshi Koyama who narrowly missed out on the SuperSports 600cc title last year as well as Gerry Salim who delivered a stunning 600cc double win in Indonesia. Nevertheless, the Yamaha camp has been able to keep abreast of the developments. Anupab’s Yamaha Thailand Racing team mate Peerapong Loiboonpeng clocked fourth fastest with 01’44.432s while Galang Hendra Pratama representing Yamaha Racing Indonesia posted fifth fastest with 01’44.520s. 2015 AP250 Champion, Takehiro Yamamoto, who will be racing in team Sidrap Honda Ikazuchi colours this season, was sixth fastest with 01’44.534s.

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PRE-SEASON: AZHAR ABDUL JALIL LEADS THE 150cc CLASS

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In the all-new Underbone 150cc category, it was an all-Malaysian affair at the top end of the pre-season timesheets. Team RCB Motobatt Yamaha YY Pang duo Mohd Azhar Abdul Jalil and Tengku Amirul Haffiruddin led the proceedings with times of 01’48.907s and 01’49.127s respectively. Rookie rider Mohd Helmi Azman, representing incoming team TKKR Onexox Racing, was third fastest with 01’49.251s. While the Underbone category of the Asia Road Racing Championship had usually been an Indonesian-Malaysian affair, the battle this season had been given a new layer of depth as the rivalry between the Yamaha and Honda camps hot up. The Yamaha Y15ZR and the Honda RS150R represent two of the most popular motorcycle makes in the Asian market at the moment and the showdown between the two models have generated tremendous interest and excitement among fans in the continent. Yamaha looks to have the early advantage. As the pre-season test concludes at the Johor Circuit, the best performing Honda rider was Mohd Muzakkir Mohamed. The Hi-Rev Rapido SCK Honda Racing rider posted 01’49.413s. Surprisingly, the Indonesian riders were very far off the mark on the pre-season timesheets. The fastest Indonesian rider was Yamaha Yamalube KYT TJM Racetech’s Anggi Setiawan, 11th fastest with 01’50.392s. 2016 UB130 champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana was 12th fastest with 01’50.686s. The Indonesian national championships have been running the 150cc class for two years while the Malaysian national series, the Malaysian Cub Prix Championship, had just introduced the 150cc category this season. Given the depth of their experience, an all-Indonesian comeback can be expected in Round 1 at the same host venue on April 1 and 2, 2017.

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ZAQHWAN IN FIGHTING FORM

2017, 2017 Test, Latest News /

SuperSports 600cc defending champion Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi looks to be in fighting form as the new season of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship commences. At the official pre-season test at the Johor Circuit, the MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider clocked the fastest time from the first day of testing with a time of 01’32.313s. The 22-year-old double champion will be the lead rider in team MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda’s bid to win their sixth consecutive SuperSports 600cc team title. “My former team mate Yuki Takahashi has decided to focus on the All Japan Championship this season. I will be partnered with a 600cc debutant Teppei Nagoe. This will be the first time in which I am the lead rider in the SuperSports 600cc rider line-up. The first day of testing had progressed smoothly, but everyone is working at a measured pace. The 2016 lap record at the Johor Circuit remains intact. I think we can expect to see laptimes tumbling for the second day of practice,” said Zaqhwan. Behind Zaqhwan, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, now with Indonesian team Manual Tech Kawasaki Racing, posted the second fastest time of 01’32.402s. Third fastest with 01’32.819s was Yamaha Thailand Racing’s Decha Kraisart. In the Asia Production 250cc class, all eyes were on the official debut of the all new Honda CBR250RR. The new motorcycle had been expected to take the championship by storm. However, in the first day of practice, it was Kawasaki that emerged fastest when Manual Tech Kawasaki rider Andy Muhammad Fadly cracked the existing lap record with 01’44.797s. Team Astra Honda Racing’s Gerry Salim posted the second fastest time with 01’44.818s while Anupab Sarmoon of Yamaha Thailand Racing stepped up to the plate and delivered the third fastest time of 01’45.059s. Meanwhile, 19-year-old rookie Mohd Akid Aziz served up a surprise when he out-paced many of the senior riders in the new Underbone 150cc category. The 19-year-old stopped the clock at 01’50.546s.

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LONGER 600cc RACES

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The introduction of slick tyres into the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship has allowed for the race duration in the premiere SuperSports 600cc class to be extended. With effect from Round 2 at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand, the SuperSports 600cc race duration had been increased from 80km to 90km. This averages out to an extra two laps per race for the SuperSports 600cc riders. “The Dunlop KR149 and KR133 tyres are living up to their top billings,” said Ron Hogg, Director of Two Wheels Motor Racing. “At Buriram last month, the fastest lap of the race was clocked at the last lap for many of the top riders. This shows that the durability and performance of the new slick tyres are up to the task of an extended race distance.” The latest direction for the SuperSports 600cc had earned the thumbs up from the top riders. Here’s what they have to say: Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (Kawasaki, BikeART Racing Kawasaki) “I like it. A longer race means more room for rider and team strategy.” Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi (Honda, MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda) “It’s exhausting! Longer races equal more fighting.” Tomoyoshi Koyama (Honda, T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS with WoW) “I’m OK with the extra 2 laps. It’s more exciting for everyone.” Yuki Takahashi (Honda, MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda) “What extra two laps? I barely noticed them.” Dimas Ekky Pratama (Honda, Astra Honda) “It’s good for the riders. The teams will need to re-strategize, especially on fuel and tyre strategies.

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EXCITING CHANGES IN STORE

2016, Latest News, Supersports 600, Underbone 130, Underbone 150 /

Only two rounds into the 2016 season and the stakeholders in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship are already mulling exciting developments for the coming years. In a meeting held with the manufacturers and team owners, Two Wheels Motor Racing, the race promoters of the ARRC, have tabled two proposals for their consideration. Of immediate concern, the 2016 season would be the last season of the Underbone 130cc category. In keeping with market trends, the most likely race class to take its place would be the 150cc machines. This new class is expected to debut in 2017. “For fans of Underbone racing, the 150cc class will be even more exciting. The bikes are deemed as “Super Underbone” with liquid cool engines, 6-speed gearboxes as well as monoshock suspension,” said Ron Hogg, Director of Two Wheels Motor Racing “While the Underbone class is a heritage category for South East Asia, we need to keep abreast of market sentiments and technological developments. In the past, the regulations of the ARRC Underbone class was the benchmark for most underbone racing championships in Asia. The reason for this was to create a standard platform of racing in each country and thereby consistently bring up the level of racing to a common platform. After 21 seasons, that objective had been achieved and it is now time for the Underbone class of the ARRC to take up its role as the next step-up level for Asian riders. By heading in the direction of the 150cc class, it would become a natural next step for Asian champions graduating from their respective national championships,” Hogg explained. The next change will come in 2018 where the Superbike 1000cc class is now being considered as a replacement for the SuperSports 600cc category. “The Asia Road Racing Championship has raced 600cc as the premiere class since 2000. The reasons we had stuck to this class were many – running costs for teams, market trends, and most importantly, riders standard of racing. In the past, the pool of Asian talents were not yet big enough for us to make that jump into Superbikes. But now it is different. The standard of racing in all classes is very high. The only way to move forward is to take everyone to the ultimate platform – which is Superbike racing.” “This move will open the doors to a wider field of manufacturing competitors and thus creating strong competitive racing. The decision for this class (whether to remain at 600cc or move to 1000cc by 2018, will be made by the end of this year,” Hogg concluded.

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