Supersports 600

Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Decha Kraisart has logged a new track record at the Madras Motor Race Track, host to Round 5 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.  Lapping home in the third free practice with 1’41.305s, Decha smashed the previous 2013 record by 1.5 seconds. The last record, held by Malaysian rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, was posted at 1’42.785s. Decha, who stands sixth overall on the championship ladder after eight races, still holds a mathematical chance of staging an upset in the final stages of the title chase. However, the seasoned Thai campaigner will have his work cut out for him with both defending champion Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi and current championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman hot on his tail. Zaqhwan posted second fastest with 1’41.501s while Azlan ended the day third fastest with 1’41.801s. Strong performances from Ahmad Yudhistira and Ratthapong Wilairot placed them fourth and fifth fastest respectively. Yuki Ito, Keminth Kubo, Sittisak Onchawiang, Chalermpol Polamai and Teppei Nagoe completed the top 10.

As the Madras Motor Race Track prepares to host the penultimate round of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, local boy Shankar Sarath Kumar is also dealing with the immense home ground pressure.  For the rider who is Chennai born and bred, the sky high expectations from his fans and supporters are understandable. He has logged almost 2,000 laps at the 3.717km circuit and has lost count of the number of wins that he had crafted in his home track. “I am very grateful for all the well wishes from Indian motorsports fans. I feel the pressure more intensely now that the race had been moved to the Madras Motor Race Track. Last year, in Delhi, there was not much of a home advantage because of the race was held in a distant part of the country. This time around, I will be racing in front of fans and family who will be praying hard that I finish on the podium,” said Sarath. “But what I hope everyone would understand is that the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is a whole different ballgame. The level of competition had increased tremendously since the last time the ARRC raced in Chennai back in 2013. I’m not making any excuses, but we will be racing against former GP and World Superbike riders. We need to look at this realistically. The level of competition now is world-class.” Nevertheless, the RAMA Honda by NTS T.Pro Ten10 rider hopes that the continued and unwavering support of the fans will spur him to achieve his best results to date.

Round 4 of the Asia Road Racing Championship closed with a dramatic, almost surreal Supersport 600 Race 2. The race ran in two parts. In front of a packed grandstand, MUSASHI Boon Siew Honda’s Zaqwan Zaidi made up for a lackluster performance on Saturday, by getting away first and opening a gap on the rest of the field, which was led by Rama Honda’s Taiga Hada, who was hounded and then overtaken by Chalermpol Polamai, who opened up a few bike lengths on the rest of the field. Then everything changed. First the 22 year-old Malaysian crashed out of the lead at Turn 10 at the start of lap 3, then his team mate, Teppei Nagoe went down a few seconds later. With Zaqwan unable to get to safety, the red flag was shown and the riders returned to the pits. As the last bike came in a heavy rain storm started, causing a delay to the restart as tyres were changed and a wet race declared over nine laps. With the rain almost stopped, but with standing water on the track, Chalermpol took the early lead from Decha Kraisart and Ahmad Yuhistira on the Manual tech KYT Kawasaki. Decha quickly got past his Yamaha Thailand team mate, followed by Yudhistira, who pushed Decha hard for another lap. Unable to find a way past and with Decha making the wet conditions his own, a few bike lengths soon appeared between him and the Malaysian. Behind Yudhistira, a similar gap opened up to Chalermpol, and then there was another two seconds back to Yuki Ito, Dimas Ekky Pratama, Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin and Anthony West, who were fighting for fourth. Decha remained poised at the front, to cross the finish line 1.6 seconds in front of Yudhistira and Chalermpol, who was 5.7 seconds clear of the four-way battle for fourth, which was won by Dimas from Kasma, West and Ito. Ratthapong Wilairot had another good outing to finish eighth ahead of Azlan Shah and his AP Honda team mate, Tetsuya Yamaguchi.

Astra Honda’s ‘super-sub’ rider, Dimas Ekky Pratama, pulled off a thrilling victory in Race 1 of the Asia Road Racing Championship Round 4 at Sentul. When the RAMA Honda of Taiga Hada led into Turn 1 from the start it became apparent that the dominance of practice and qualifying pacesetter, Zaqwan Zaidi, would face a tough test over 16 laps. The Malaysian slotted into second place, but was quickly pushed back to third by Dimas and then into fourth Ahmad Yudhistira on the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki. Dimas pushed his way past Hada to lead on lap 3, while Yudhistira and Decha turned up the pressure on Zaqwan for third, with Chalermpol and Ito at the rear of the pack. Ito low-sided onto the grass before rejoining the race with the hope only of rescuing a point or two.     By mid-distance Dimas was holding onto first position, though having to fight off Hada and alternately Yudhistira and Decha, with Zaqwan and Chalermpol keeping a watching brief behind. In the second group Azlan Shah, still nursing a hand injury, was battling for seventh with Anthony West on the Akeno Speed Yamaha and Ratthapong Wilairot on the AP Honda CBR 600RR.    Hada took third place back from Decha on lap 12 and looked like making it his own, as Zaqwan began threatened Decha’s fourth place and then relegated him to fifth. As they entered the last lap, Yudhistira made his move, increasing the pressure on his countryman and taking the lead decisively. For a moment it looked as though he would get clear, but Dimas pushed back through at the back of the circuit and got to the chequered flag first, 33 thousandths of a second ahead of Yudhistira with exactly the same gap to Hada in third.  Zaqwan was fourth, having got clear of Decha as the Thai rider’s tyres went off. Chalermpol crashed on the final lap, handing sixth place to West. Azlan came in seventh, scoring enough to retain his championship lead, while Ratthapong, Keminth Kubo and Sena Yamada completed the top ten.

MUSASHSI Boon Siew Honda’s Zaqwan Zaidi recorded the fastest ever time by a Supersport 600 at Sentul, going around the 3.96km circuit in 1:29.628 to take pole position for Race 1 as Round 4 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship opens at Sentul International Circuit. Zaqwan’s qualifying performance followed his dominance of all three free practice sessions on Friday, during which he showed the top Indonesian riders as well contenders for the 2017 championship the way around the track’s 3.96km and 11 turns.   Perhaps most revealing was Free Practice 2, in which Zaqwan completed nine laps in the 1:30s, with nobody else able to break the 1:31 barrier. By the time Qualifying got underway, several riders had got closer, most notably Rama Honda’s Taiga Hada, the Astra Honda of Dimas Ekky Pratama and Yamaha Thailand’s Chalermpol, all of whom joined Zaqwan below 1:30. Decha Kraisart was fifth fastest on 1:30.22, followed by Ahmad Yudhistira on the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki, Yuki Ito, Ratthapong Wilairot for AP Honda, and championship leader, Azlan Shah, who is still hampered by a hand injury. These five riders were separated by just half a second. On the form so far, Zaqwan will start favourite, though he will need to see off challenges from another five or six riders if he is to bank another 25 points this afternoon.

Following an incident during the SuperSports 600cc Practice 3 for Round 4 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, rider #82 Ayumu Tanaka is reported to be stable and conscious. The incident, which brought out the red flag, occured 12 minutes before the end of Practice 3. Tanaka was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital where he had undergone precautionary checks. He has since been transferred to the Siloam Hospital in Jakarta for further observations. On behalf of the Asia Road Racing officials, teams, and riders, we ask that you join us in wishing Tanaka a speedy recovery.

Deteriorating track conditions at the Sentul International Circuit proved to be no hindrance for Malaysian rider, Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi. The MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider took provisional pole in the first day of practice sessions as Round 4 of the Idemitsu Asia Road Racing Championship got underway this weekend. Zaqhwan, 22, posted a time of 1’30.509s, ahead of a pack of mixed riders. The SuperSports 600cc defending champion attributed the bumpy track conditions to the slower laptimes being chalked up during the first day of practice. Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing duo Ahmad Yudhistira and the still injured Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman were second and third fastest respectively with times of 1’30.512 and 1’30.573. Azlan had yet to fully recover from the hand injury sustained during Round 3 in Suzuka, and is bracing himself for a rough race ahead. SuperSports 600cc dark horse Taiga Hada clocked fourth fastest with 1’30.742s. Decha Kraisart was the fastest of the Yamahas. The Yamaha Thailand Racing rider was fifth fastest with 1’30.858s. Yuki Ito, Chalermpol Polamai and Ratthapong Wilairot were sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. Dimas Ekky Pratama, who replaced Irfan Ardiansyah for the Indonesian round, logged ninth fastest followed by Anthony West at the tail end of the top-10. Malaysian wildcard rider, Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin made his SuperSports 600cc debut in 13th fastest with 1’32.318s.

A controversial second round in Thailand behind him, Australian rider Anthony West made a strong comeback into the SuperSports 600cc class of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship when he bagged a double win at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan. The Akeno Speed rider put in a smart performance throughout the 13-lap race. A slow start placed him squarely in the middle of the chasing swarm but the experienced rider took his time as he picked one competitor off after another. The race pace heated up on Lap 4 when West arrived at the sharp end of the pack. The lead changed hands several times but on Lap 11, West was able to create a small gap at the front while Japanese compatriots Yuki Ito and Taiga Hada were engrossed with fighting for P2. The Australian rider finally crossed the finish line with a time of 28’56.621s to clinch a double victory at the Suzuka Circuit.  Yamaha Racing’s Yuki Ito had been strong throughout the Suzuka weekend, consistently making it to the front end of the timesheets. However, Ito was unable to hold back West’s progress in both races, and eventually settled for a double podium in second place with 28’56.985s. However, it was Yukio Kagayama who really stole the limelight in the second race. He entered as a wildcard entry, but none of the riders had ever discounted his abilities to score big. In Race 2, Kagayama lived up to his top billings with a stunning performance that saw him go from 10th on the grid to third at the flag. Kagayama popped up among the top five on Lap 9. His superior experience and race craft was clearly evident as he finessed his way around the difficult Suzuka Circuit. While Ito and young Japanese rider Taiga Hada tried to put up a spirited defense, Kagayama outwitted the younger riders at the last chicane when he nipped into third place and raced to the chequered flag with a time of 28’57.588s. Taiga Hada was relegated to fourth, followed by Chalermpol Polamai in fifth. Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi finished sixth, one spot ahead of polesitter Ikuhiro Enokido. AP Honda Racing duo Tatsuya Yamaguchi and Ratthapong Wilairot occupied eighth and ninth spots respectively. Meanwhile, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman whose performance clearly suffered due to his injured hand, finished 10th, enough to keep him at the top of the championship standings with a total of 102 points. Yuki Ito climbed to second overall position with 83 points followed by MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda’s Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi third with 80 points. Team Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing continues to hold down the fort at the top of the team standings with 102 points. Title defenders MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda is now ranked second with 88 points and team RAMA Honda by NTS T.Pro Ten 10 third with 84 points.

Australian GP rider Anthony West won the SuperSports 600cc Race 1 at the Suzuka Circuit, host to the third leg of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. After a dramatic morning of qualifying practices, the 600cc race finally took off with wildcard rider Ikuhiro Enokido as pole sitter. Malaysian ace, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman injured himself during the qualifying session but still made it to the grid with a heavily bandaged hand. Azlan sped to the holeshot at the start of the 600cc race, but soon lost his position as the pain from his injury hampered his performance. Yamaha Racing’s Yuki Ito stole most of the limelight as he led the 19-rider grid for 10 straight laps. Behind Ito, West clawed his way up to the leading group, eventually putting his yellow Akeno bike right on Ito’s tail. The Australian made a decisive move on Lap 11 and led a train of four to the chequered flag with a time of 28’56.056s. Yuki Ito finished second with 28’56.140s while Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi claimed the final spot on the podium with 28’57.346s. Azlan still managed a creditable fourth place finishing, and extends his championship lead to 96 points. Zaqhwan ranked second after Race 1 with 70 points followed by Taiga Hada third with 65 points. Further down the field, poleman Enokido finally ended the race in fifth place. The remaining five places in the top ten were taken up by the home Japanese riders with Taiga Hada in sixth; Noriyuki Haga in seventh after popping up to second for a short while at the start of the race; Yukio Kagayama eighth, Tatsuya Yamaguchi ninth and Keisuke Maeda tenth. Yamaha Thailand Racing’s Chalermpol Polamai was on course for a podium position until an unfortunate last-lap incident with Ratthapong Wilairot sent him sprawling into the gravel. Ratthapong was disqualified for having caused the accident.

Yukio Kagayama, who currently is the General Manager for SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE (SAC), announces his entry into the Supersports 600 category in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), as a wildcard at Suzuka. The Suzuka round of the ARRC will be held 2-4 June at the infamous Suzuka Circuit in Mie, Japan. Kagayama has been active in the Asian field, since the startup of SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE, and at the same time fielded a two-rider team in ARRC’s pinnacle class, the Supersports 600 (SS600). Due to unavoidable situation, Kagayama was forced to put a temporary rest to the SS600 squad this season. Until last season, Kagayama used the SS600 team to show the SAC riders what a top team is about, but was not able to do that this season due to the temporary halt. Kagayama wanted this season’s SAC riders to see for themselves how a top team operates, and decided to do this race at Suzuka. He will be having the SAC riders learn from the team, with opportunities for them to help with the team. His strong desire to do this at Suzuka, made this entry possible. This will be the first time for Kagayama to race himself in ARRC, as well as to race in 600cc bike. He will be riding the SUZUKI GSX-R600 along with Dunlop tires. Championship: 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Category: Supersports 600 Team: Team KAGAYAMA Rider: Yukio Kagayama Entry number: #71 Machine: SUZUKI GSX-R600 Tires: Dunlop Yukio Kagayama | #71 “I have been a little impatient this year, because we had to put our 600 squad to a temporary halt due to unavoidable reasons. So I had ARRC and my team to make this possible, and I thank their hard work for making it happen. We are going to do this in the SAC pit at Suzuka, so I hope this will motivate the SAC riders. I wish they look closely to what a top team does, and learn from it. I am doing this not for myself, but the riders in SAC. But on the other hand, I am not going to lose to our former rider…..lol”