Supersports 600

While Peerapong Boonlert will be enjoying a celebratory race during the season finale at the Chang International Circuit, for two other riders, the final round will be one of fond farewells. It will be the final SuperSports 600cc race for Indonesian rider Andi Farid Izdihar and Malaysian Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin. Both riders will be heading to the Moto2 class of the MotoGP for the 2020 season. Honda rider Andi Farid Izdihar has been called up to replace Dimas Ekky Pratama in the Idemitsu Honda Team Asia Moto2 line up. Kasma Daniel will fill the Moto2 slot left vacant by Tetsuta Nagashima in the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team. We wish both riders all the best in the next chapter of their careers.

The final round of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship will be a celebratory race for newly minted SuperSports 600cc champion Peerapong Boonlert and the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team. A season of unparalleled racing has netted 12 consecutive podium finishes. Peerapong and his team reached the pinnacle of the 600cc class with one round to spare.  Peerapong also equaled Katsuaki Fujiwara’s 2011 8-win achievement. Come the final round, the Thai rider will be looking to surpass that number and create a new record of his own. Peerapong credits his father, Surapong Boonlert as the person who had moulded his career to date. Unknown to many, Surapong Boonlert was himself a two-times Asian Champion during the 2-stroke era. Surapong won the Underbone 110cc title in 1999 and the Underbone 125cc title in 2000. At that time, Peerapong was only a year old but as the old saying goes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Even with the 2019 FIM Asian SuperSports 600cc title firmly in hand, there was no slacking off for Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Peerapong Boonlert. Just a day after lifting the 600cc crown, Peerapong was back in dominating form as he clinched his eighth win of the season with 21’50.449s Race 2 flagged off with poleman Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin in the lead. But Peerapong quickly showed that he was not about to sit back and relax. Kasma lost the lead to Peerapong within a lap and came under pressure from Mohd Ramdan Rosli. As Lap 4 came around, the three riders quickly settled into race formation. The battle between Ahmad Afif Amran, Rheza Danica Ahrens and Passawit Thitivararak for P7 was the highlight until the final lap. Kasma finally made his move on Peerapong on Lap 9, but had left it too late even though he was able to close in on his Thai rival. The two Yamaha riders were neck-to-neck down the back straight but a smart bit of racing from Peerapong saw the Thai rider diving into the last corner first, held his line and pipped Kasma to the finish line by 0.032s. Peerapong’s latest feat also earned him bragging rights for the highest number of wins in a season, equaling the record set by Katsuaki Fujiwara in 2011 when the Japanese ace rider won the 600cc title. Should Peerapong pick up more wins in the final round, he will set a new record for the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Kasma confirmed his second overall position on the 600cc standings when he finished second in the race with 21’50.481s. Ramdan Rosli nabbed another podium in third place with 21’50.925s.

The SuperSports 600cc title chase has come to a premature end with Peerapong Boonlert taking the crown at the Sepang International Circuit. The Yamaha Thailand Racing Team rider had been particularly low profile the entire weekend even as a determined Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin dominated the practice and qualifying sessions. Kasma not only set the pace in the first day of practice, but also lodged a new SuperSports 600cc lap record of 2’09.712s in the qualifying session. Team play from the Hong Leong Yamaha Malaysia camp was very much in evidence during the 30-minute qualifier. Kasma towed team mate Ahmad Afif Amran around the 5.5km Sepang Circuit, resulting in Afif’s first front row start of the season in P2. Imperious Peerapong was content to start the race from P3. While the front runners hogged the limelight, Mohd Ramdan Rosli had quietly inserted himself in to the second row. A quick start shot the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team rider into the holeshot on Lap 1 but he lost his position to Kasma and Peerapong on Lap 2. Ramdan kept his cool and strategically made his move on the penultimate lap. While Kasma was engrossed with Peerapong, Ramdan slipped past his defenses at the last corner to bag his first win of the season with 21’55.025s. Mohd Ramdan Rosli’s strong desire to win his first SuperSports 600cc race of the season had ended the title chase in the class. Kasma needed to win in order to keep his title hopes alive. When Ramdan relegated his compatriot to second, Peerapong’s third place finish was good enough to seal the deal. “I just wanted to win. I had no interest in helping Kasma nor Peerapong in any way,” said Ramdan after the race. Peerapong now holds 239 points at the top of the ladder, 76 points in front of Kasma. With only three races to go, Peerapong has been declared as the 2019 Asian SuperSports 600cc champion.

Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin looks to be riding high on homeground as the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship returns to the Sepang International Circuit for Round 6. Over the course of the season, Kasma’s race craft had matured. At the season opener (also in Sepang), Kasma was always one step behind Peerapong Boonlert. But in Round 6, Kasma had not only placed himself at the top of the timing sheets from the first day of practice, but also improved his best lap by a full second. The Hong Leong Yamaha Malaysia rider’s best time went from 2’11.189s in Round 1 to 2’10.113s in Round 6. Kasma was one of three riders to lap below the 2’10s mark. Azroy Hakeem Anuar from Musashi Boon Siew Honda Racing clocked second quickest with 2’10.753s followed by Astra Honda Racing Team’s Andi Farid Izdihar third with 2’10.959s. Championship leader Peerapong Boonlert can take it easy in the final two rounds of the championship. He was fourth fastest after the first day with 2’11.196s. Mohd Ramdan Rosli from the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team was fifth fastest with 2’11.203s.

SIC Junior ZK Racing Team’s Adam Norrodin, a powerhouse on the team’s home turf, will not be racing in Round 6. The 21-year-old Malaysian has been called up to replace injured Khairul Idham Pawi in team PETRONAS Sprinta Racing’s Moto2 line-up. Adam will be the fourth replacement for Khairul’s ride. Other previous replacement riders included Mattia Pasini, Jonas Folger and Bradley Smith. Adam’s spot on the SuperSports 600cc grid will be filled by the team’s upcoming junior rider, Muhammad Izam Ikmal.

Nothing short of a disaster could prevent Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Peerapong Boonlert from lifting the SuperSports 600cc title at the penultimate leg of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Sepang. An 80-point margin at the front of the pack has given Peerapong an almost unassailable advantage. Even if his closest competitor, Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin were to win both Race 1 and Race 2 on homeground, Peerapong will only need top five finishes in both races to seal the deal.

After a number of near-misses all season long, Malaysian rider Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin has finally claimed his first SuperSports 600cc win in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Following his defeat by the hands of fellow Malaysian Adam Norrodin in Race 1, a very determined Kasma made his way to pole position for a second shot at glory in Race 2. This time, a brilliant start put him in the lead with Adam, Azroy Hakeem, Andi Farid Izdihar, Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi and Peerapong Boonlert hot on his tail. Championship leader Peerapong looked to have missed a gear at the start of the race and was only in P7 at the end of the first lap. However, the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team rider needed only two laps to put himself back in the top three. Meanwhile, Andi Farid Izdihar had low-sided out of the race. Peerapong managed to overtake Adam on Lap 8 and briefly got into the lead on Lap 9 and 10. However, Kasma was not about to sit back and allow his Thai rival to claim his eighth win of the season. On Lap 11, Kasma regained the lead, braced against more attacks from his rivals. Not surprisingly, Adam got the power down in the final lap and succeeded in pushing Peerapong down to P3. Once again, Adam pulled off an overtaking move against Kasma at Turn 13. But this time, Kasma was ready for him. The Hong Leong Yamaha Malaysia rider out-braked Adam into the last corner, clung on to the inside line with no quarters given, and claimed his first SuperSports 600cc win with 19’42.945s SIC Junior ZK Racing’s Adam had to settle for P2 with 19’43.020s For the first time in the 2019 season, Peerapong Boonlert did not pick up a single win from the Zhuhai weekend. His string of podium finishes, however, remain unbroken. Peerapong takes P3 with 19’43.094s. The SuperSports 600cc title hunt may end at the penultimate round at the Sepang International Circuit next month. Peerapong, with 223 points in the bag, has an 80-point margin over Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin. Adam Norrodin is third overall with 125 points.

When Malaysian rider Adam Norrodin was first confirmed for the SuperSports 600cc class of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, there were a lot of high expectations placed on his shoulders. As a former Moto3 rider, Adam was immediately one of the favourites to win the 600cc title this year. As the season progressed, the quiet and unassuming rider tended to fade into the background, oftentimes overshadowed by Peerapong Boonlert’s unparalleled results and by Kasma Daniel’s showy riding style. At the Zhuhai International Circuit for Round 5 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Adam Norrodin finally revealed his true colours. The SIC Junior ZK Racing rider started the 12-lap race from the second row after qualifying P5 with 1’38.028s. Pole position went to Kasma who was clearly more comfortable with the stop-and-go nature of the Zhuhai International Circuit in spite of the searing temperatures. However, even as Kasma got the power down to lead into Lap 1, Adam was able to make sure that he stayed in touch with the leading group. While Kasma was busy engaged with Peerapong Boonlert and Ramdan Rosli, Adam was quietly making his way up the field. By Lap 7, the determined young rider had already overtaken championship leader Peerapong and Ramdan and was in position to challenge Kasma. Just when it looked as if the riders had settled into their race pace, Adam had one last surprise up his sleeve. The SIC Junior ZK Racing rider pulled off a perfectly-executed overtaking move on Kasma at the last corner, and successfully pipped his compatriot to the finish line by 0.087s. Adam logged his first ARRC win with a time of 19’38.917s, relegating Kasma to second with 19’39.004s. For the second time this season, championship leader Peerapong Boonlert had to settle for third.

Malaysian rider Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin has succeeded in out-pacing Peerapong Boonlert as the SuperSports 600cc riders went out for their first day of practice at Round 5 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Zhuhai. The Hong Leong Yamaha Malaysia rider set the pace in the SuperSports 600cc class with 1’37.551s, effectively breaking the 8-year-old record of 1’37.644s set by Mohd Zamri Baba in 2011. However, Kasma will not be able to rest on his laurels. Championship leader Peerapong Boonlert (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) is only half a second slower, with 1’38.126s. Meanwhile ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team’s Ramdan Rosli came home third fastest on the combined timesheets with 1’38.437s.