Supersports 600

It may be early days yet in the 2019 season of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, but Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Peerapong Boonlert has already scored a hattrick of wins in the SuperSports 600cc class.   Officially in his first full season in the intermediate class after spending a number of seasons in the AP250, Peerapong looked increasingly comfortable on board the Yamaha R6.   Despite losing the pole position to replacement rider Ibrahim Norrodin during the qualifying, Peerapong won a lights-to-flag race with a time of 19’39.440s, 3.913s ahead of the chasing group.   The bulk of the drama in the SuperSports 600cc Race 1 came from the battle for P2 between Ibrahim Norrodin, Helmi Azman, Azroy Hakeem Anuar and Javier Orellana.   Most impressive was Victor Racing Team’s Javier Orellana. The Spaniard had a bad crash early in the weekend and, as a result, missed out on much of the practice sessions. The lack of track time took nothing away from Javier’s competitiveness. Javier brought his Yamaha to second at the finish line with 19’43.353s.   Further down the results sheet, team Musashi Boon Siew Honda’s Azroy Hakeem Anuar took full advantage of poleman Ibrahim Norrodin’s lack of experience to score a third place finish with 19’43.926s.

Young Ibrahim Norrodin has turned out to be a fantastic replacement for elder brother Adam Norrodin at Round 2 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Australia this weekend. Racing in the SuperSports 600cc category for the first time, Ibrahim performed spectacularly when his best lap, 1’56.580s, not only netted him the pole position for the 600cc class but also set a new lap record at the 4.95km The Bend Motorsport Park circuit in South Australia.   The 19-year-old SIC Junior ZK Racing team rider upstaged championship leader Peerapong Boonlert who was second quickest with 1’56.904s. Ibrahim crashed out in the final minutes of the 600cc qualifier but was lucky that Peerapong had not had enough time to respond to the opportunity.   Fellow Malaysian Azroy Hakeem Anuar from the Musashi Boon Siew Honda Racing Team also made it to the front row when he posted third with 1’57.391s.

Yamaha Thailand Racing Team rider Peerapong Boonlert is clearly in a class of his own. Peerapong locked down the quickest time of the day in the SuperSports 600cc with 1’57.958s in his bid to extend his championship lead.   “It’s been a great first day back on track for me. I’m really happy with my results from the first two sessions. My condition is good, and my team has had my bike working perfectly. I hope we continue to stay in form as the weekend progresses,” said Peerapong.   Behind Peerapong, series newcomer Ibrahim Norrodin got his ARRC debut off to a great start when he clocked second fastest in class with 1’58.425s. Ibrahim is sitting in for elder brother Adam Norrodin.   Musashi Boon Siew Honda Racing team mates Azroy Hakeem Anuar and Helmi Azman logged 1’58.482s and 1’58.687s each to land on provisional P3 and P4 on the combined timesheets.   2018 Asia Production 250cc champion Rheza Danica Ahrens displayed a big improvement as he gets settled on the CBR600. Rheza posted the fifth fastest time of the day with 1’59.609s.   Andi Farid Izdihar, Javier Malloy, Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi, Passawit Thitivararak and Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam made it into the top ten.   Finally, Underbone specialist Mohd Akid Aziz is still trying to adapt to the Yamaha R6. Akid is replacing Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin in the Hong Leong Yamaha Malaysia team this weekend, and he ended the first day almost five seconds off the front runners.

Round 2 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship will be Peerapong Boonlert’s best chance to get ahead in the SuperSports 600cc title chase. The Yamaha Thailand Racing Team rider had had a dream start to his SuperSports 600cc debut with a double win at the Sepang International Circuit in Round 1. With 50 points in the bag as he heads to The Bend Motorsport Park for Round 2, Peerapong would be delighted to find that two of his closest competitors, Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin and Adam Norrodin will not be at the Australian round. Due to a schedule clash, the two Malaysians who are currently second and third respectively in the 600cc rankings, will be racing in the CEV instead. This scenario puts Honda riders Mohd Helmi Azman, Azroy Hakeem Anuar and Andi Farid Izdihar on the hot seat as they strategize to check Peerapong’s winning streak. Should Peerapong manage to increase his lead with more podium finishes at The Bend, he would have a big advantage at the subsequent Round 3 which will be held on his home track at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand.

Mohd Akid Aziz and Ibrahim Norrodin will be making a guest appearance in the SuperSports 600cc class. The will be their first entry into the 600cc class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Representing two different teams, Akid and Ibrahim will be filling in for Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin and Adam Norrodin respectively. Akid is no stranger to the ARRC competition. He had won the Underbone 150cc title in 2016 and is presently eighth in the standings for the Underbone class. As the UB150 will not be racing at The Bend Motorsport Park, this has worked out well for the 21-year-old Malaysian. “I’m looking forward to my first 600cc race this weekend. It is the perfect opportunity for me to prove myself in the hopes of securing a 600cc ride in the future,” said Akid. On the other hand, this will be Ibrahim Norrodin’s official ARRC debut. The 19-year-old is the younger brother to Adam. While the elder Adam has been making headlines in his Moto3 career, Ibrahim had also proven his racing chops when he clinched the 2017 KTM Asia RC Cup title.

Peerapong Boonlert is the biggest winner from Round 1 of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Sepang Circuit. The Thai rider was virtually in a class of his own as he effortlessly snapped up a double win in the SuperSports 600cc class. A late start was no handicap for Peerapong when he dove past a late-breaking Kasma Daniel at Turn 1 to tuck in behind the leading pole sitter, Adam Norrodin. WhenAdam ran out onto the grass at Turn 4, Peerapong placed himself right on the sharp end of the 600cc grid. The Yamaha Thailand Racing Team rider rode virtually unchallenged at the head of the 14-rider group. After 10 flawless laps, Peerapong checked in with his secondwin with 21’57.152s. The bulk of the 600cc action happened within the second group with Indonesian Andi Farid Izdihar holding his own against Malaysians Helmi Azman and KasmaDaniel Kasmayudin. Adam Norrodin joined the 3-way battle in the closing laps of the race and sparked off an intense final two-lap scramble for the last two spots on the podium. Andi Farid from the Astra Honda Racing Team held off his Malaysian rivals long enough to finish the race in second place with 21’59.138s. A nifty move by KasmaDaniel Kasmayuddin gave him the last podium spot with 21’59.471s. Peerapong Boonlert leaves the Sepang Circuit with the maximum 50 points in his pocket. Kasma is second overall with 36 points and Adam Norrodin third with 29 points.

2018 SuperSports 600cc team winner, Yamaha Thailand Racing Team, has started their title defense on a strong note. The team’s ace rider, Peerapong Boonlertdelivered an impressive performance in Race 1. Peerapong qualified for second on the grid after crashing out at the final minutes of the morning’s qualifier. Pole position went to Adam Norrodin from the host track, SIC Junior ZK Racing Team. However, a slow start from Adam allowed Peerapong the opportunity to race into the holeshot. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin was also able to push past Adam to take second spot at the opening lap. With the lead firmly in hand, Peerapong stayed at the front for the entire 10 lap race. He eventually crossed the finish line with 21’53.239s, 1.255 seconds ahead ofsecond placed Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin. Behind the leading duo, Adam managed to fight his way up the field to grab the last spot on the podium with 21’58.189s. The SuperSports 600cc class suffered a number of big crashes. Fakhrusy Syakirin dropped off the radar in the first lap, followed soon by Passawit Thitivararak. TroyAlberto had a scary high side on Lap 1 while Astra Honda Racing Team’s Andi Farid Izdihar also retired from the race after four laps.

Australian rider Broc Parkes has just snared provisional pole for Round 1 in the ASB1000 class of the 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. The Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN rider clocked 2’05.608s in the third free practice session. Malaysian rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman is expected to give Parkes a run for his money. The ONEXOX TKKR SAG Racing Team rider brought his BMW S1000RR to within 0.80s of Parkes’s best time. At 2’05.688s, Azlan was the second fastest ASB1000 rider. Thitipong Warokorn from the Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team outfit stayed consistent in third fastest with 2’06.333s. Apiwat Wongthananon, from the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team, also finished a creditable fourth with 2’06.387s. Ahmad Yudhistira, the sole Indonesian on the ASB1000 grid, brought his stock standard R1 to fifth fastest with 2’06.448s, an incredible feat. TJ Alberto from the Philippines bettered his time to 2’08.227s. A number of injuries had resulted in a change to the rider make up of the ASB1000 grid. Patrick Li and Hafiq Azmi will be replaced by K. Rajini Krishnan and Farid Badrul Hisahm respectively. Both riders crashed out during the pre-season test.

An unexpected battle between SuperSports 600cc newcomers Peerapong Boonlert and Muhamad Adam Mohd Norrodin is on the cards as the clock ticks down to the first two races of the season at the Sepang Circuit this weekend. Thai rider Peerapong Boonlert, newly arrived in the sophomore class after spending two years in the Asia Production 250cc category, is also a 2-times Suzuka 4 Hour Champion. The Yamaha Thailand Racing Team rider checked in as the fastest rider of the group with 2’10.610s. 0.324s behind, Malaysian rider Muhamad Adam Mohd Norrodin is living it up on his team’s home track. Adam, who races under the SIC Junior ZK Racing team colours, was a Moto3 rider for three seasons. The 21-year-old Malaysian racing star clocked 2’10.934s as the second fastest 600cc rider of the day. Behind the two leaders, nine other riders managed to lap within 2’11s. Mohd Ramdan Rosli was the third fastest of the day with 2’11.027s followed by AzroyHakeem Anuar fourth with 2’11.168s and Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin fifth with 2’11.189s. Mohd Helmi Azman, now carrying the trademark Musashi number 634, seems to be feeling the weight of expectations. After lapping at the top of the timesheets during the pre-season test, the Malaysian rider dropped to sixth fastest with 2’11.254s. The best performing Indonesian rider on the 14-rider grid was Andi Farid Izdihar from the Astra Honda Racing Team, seventh with 2’11.314s. Ahmad Afif Amran, Passawit Thitiravararak and Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi also made it into the top 10.