Supersports 600

Three cracked toes on his right foot is hardly a deterrent for Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi as he revs up his title defense in the SuperSports 600cc category of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. The gritty Malaysian rider is determined to press on with his gruelling race schedule in spite of the injury he sustained during Round 1 of the Asian series held at the Johor Circuit in Malaysia. “Riders have won races with all kinds of injury. The pain is nothing. I’m already at a disadvantage because I did not pick up any points from Race 2 in Round 1,” said Zaqhwan who crashed out on Lap 2 while fighting for the race lead and is currently third overall on the standings with 25 points. “I must overcome the points deficit in Round 2 at Buriram this weekend.” There will be no rest for the intrepid Malaysian rider in April. Immediately after Round 2 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship wraps up on April 15 in Thailand, Zaqhwan will be heading east to take part in the Suzuka 2&4 Race in Japan onApril 22 and 23. “The Suzuka 2&4 Race is part of our training regime for the Suzuka 8-hour Endurance in July. If I miss the coming event, I will lose out on valuable track time,” Zaqhwan explained.

Exciting new talent came to the fore as the season opening round of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship came to a close at the Johor Circuit last weekend. A pair of teenagers, 18-year-olds Taiga Hada of Japan and Irfan Ardiansyah from Indonesia, stole the limelight when they dominated Race 2 of the SuperSports 600cc category amidst a field of seasoned campaigners Despite high expectations that Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi would repeat his Race 1 victory, the polesitter’s race got off to a bad start when he lost the holeshot to Hada. On Lap 2, Zaqhwan’s dream of a double win was smashed when he crashed out at Turn 2. Two laps later, another strong contender, Thailand’s Decha Kraisart also ended his race on the gravel. While the high profile riders stumbled, Taiga Hada of team RAMA Honda by NTS T.Pro Ten10, put in a stunning masterclass of inch-perfect racing throughout the 16-lap race. He kept his cool and his lead to clinch the first 600cc win of his career with a time of 24’51.787s. “My rear tyre was a bit slippy throughout the race, but apart from that, I have no other complaints. It was a thoroughly enjoyable race,” said a delighted Hada. Meanwhile, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman who suffered from engine woes in Race 1, fared better when he wheelied to the finish line in second place with 24’56.876s. Finally, Indonesian rider Irfan Ardiansyah from Astra Honda Racing stole the spotlight when he rode like a raging bull to go from 12th on the grid to third in the race with a time of 25’04.928s. Further down the field, Ahmad Yudhistira took fourth place with a time of 25’08.480s. Thai rider Ratthapong Wilairot stormed home in fifth place. Noriyuki Haga, Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Teppei Nagoe, Sena Yamada and Chalermpol Polamai completed the top 10. Hada now leads the SuperSports 600cc class with 45 points followed by Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, second with 33 points and Zaqhwan third with 25 points. Thanks to the young rider, team RAMA Honda by NTS T.Pro Ten10 holds the provisional lead in the team awards with 45 points. Team Manual Tech Kawasaki Racing and MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing are tied in second with 33 points apiece. Round 2 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship will take place at the Chang International Circuit on April 14 and 5, 2017.

SuperSports 600cc defending champion Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi picked up the first win of the season as the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship kicked off at the Johor Circuit on April 1, 2017. The 22-year-old Malaysian rider had gone from strength to strength as the first round progressed at the 3.86km circuit. Zaqhwan earned the right to start the first race from the coveted pole position when he delivered on his promise of a new lap record with a time of 1’30.612s. Subsequently, a good start in Race 1 gave the MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider the holeshot. However, Decha Kraisart of Yamaha Thailand Racing quickly made his presence felt when he successfully challenged Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and then took the lead from Zaqhwan on Lap 3. The Malaysian rider was contented to shadow his Thai rival for the majority of the race. Zaqhwan only made his move on Lap 10, and succeeded in taking the lead from Decha. Behind the duelling leaders, 18-year-old Taiga Hada gave a remarkably solid performance as he picked his way up the field to arrive within the leading group. On Lap 12, Decha tried to get on the outside of Yamaha Racing’s Yuki Ito, only to run out of tarmac and dropped to fourth position. With Decha gone, Hada quickly caught up with Zaqhwan but could not find a way past his more experienced rival. Zaqhwan led the pack to the finish line with a time of 24’48.515s while a grinning Hada skipped up to the second podium spot with a total time of 24’49.254s. In third place, Yuki Ito signalled the possibility of a strong Yamaha comeback with a time of 24’52.067s. “Decha was very strong at the start of the race. When he got into the lead, I found it very difficult to retaliate. So I decided to hang back, manage my tyres, and bide my time for the perfect opportunity. Once I overtook Decha on Lap 10, I switched mental gears in order to remain constant and focused on my riding. I was really shocked when I suddenly realized that Hada was right behind me. Luckily, that was during the closing laps of the race and I was able to keep my win,” said Zaqhwan.

Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi’s title defense campaign had gotten off to a positive start. At the Johor Circuit for the first day of free practices for the season opener of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, the MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider was fastest in two of the three free practice sessions and ended the day as the fastest rider with a time of 1’31.063s. In the hunt for his third SuperSports 600cc Asian title, Zaqhwan looked comfortable as he shouldered the role of lead rider for the Malaysian racing team. However, the 2-times SuperSports 600cc champion expressed surprise that the rest of the field were not as fast as their pre-season laptimes. “The weather condition made things a little tricky for us. Due to the rain on the previous day, there were patches of mud on the track. I think the uncertainty about grip slowed everyone down. The weather condition will play a big role in the qualifying and race outcome tomorrow (Saturday),” he said. Meanwhile, teenage hotshot Taiga Hada served up a surprise when he posted the second fastest time in class with 1’31.519s. The 18-year-old RAMA Honda NTS T.Pro Ten10 rider outpaced early favourites Decha Kraisart and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman. The two senior riders were third and fourth fastest respectively with 1’31.812s and 1’32.074s. Azlan’s new team mate Ahmad Yudhistira rounded up the top five with 1’32.079s.

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.