Supersports 600

Australian rider Anthony West continued to dominate at the Buddh International Circuit, host to Round 5 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. The international rider who has had vast experience in the WSBK and MotoGP, clocked fastest during the first day of practice and secured his maiden ARRC pole position on Saturday morning with 1’55.528s. The 35-year-old went on to convert his start position into his first ARRC win. The SuperSports 600cc race was eventful at the start, especially when Thai rookie Patis Chooprathet crashed on the front straight at the end of Lap 1. Though the rider was uninjured, the incident brought out the red flag. The race was eventually restarted but reduced to 13 laps from its original 16. Only Thai rider Decha Kraisart was able to match West’s pace on the 5.15km circuit. Behind them, Indonesian rider Ahmad Yudhistira was also prominent as he rapidly closed in on the leading duo. On the long and wide track where top end speed was the winning factor, West rode unchallenged to the chequered flag with a time of 25’21.592s followed by Decha Kraisart in second place and Yudhistira in third. “I feel very comfortable on this track. It wasn’t an easy win even though I was four seconds in front of the others. I was able to take advantage when the riders behind me were fighting each other and slowing themselves down. In this race class, starting from pole position and a good run into the hole shot is essential to enjoy an easy race. If you were to start in the middle group, it would be hard to fight your way to the front,” said West. However, West’s win has had minimal impact on the championship table. Tomoyoshi Koyama picked up ten points in sixth place, and extended his lead to 141 points. Zaqhwan Zaidi is now second overall with 133 points. Early title contenders Yuki Takahashi and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman were third and fourth respectively with 117 points and 100 points each.

Australian rider Anthony West finally bagged his first provisional pole in the SuperSports 600cc class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Racing at Round 5 at the Buddh International Circuit in New Delhi this weekend, West was the only rider on the 20-rider grid to post below 1 minute 56 seconds. The Akeno Speed WJR Racing Team rider clocked 1’55.912s and will be looking to confirm his pole position during the qualifying practice on Saturday morning before the start of Race 1. West’s performance eclipsed that of Thai ace Decha Kraisart who was the pace setter for the first and second practice sessions. However, Decha was able to leapfrog over Yuki Takahashi to post second fastest with 1’56.367s. Takahashi was third fastest with 1’56.667s while Malaysian Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi scrapped into the 1’56s zone with 1’56.989s. Ahmad Yudhistira from Indonesia provisionally leads what would be the second group with 1’57.025s in fifth spot. “My laptimes during the first two practice sessions were terrible. There were a lot of problems with the bike so I didn’t get a lot of laps in. But this circuit is very similar to the GP circuits – it’s fast, flowing and more to what I am used to. I was so angry about this morning that in the third session, I was motivated to just go out and ride,” said West. “I like this circuit a lot. I think the Yamaha will have a bit of an advantage here because it’s strong in the top end speed and likes fast flowing tracks like these.” Further down the field, the returning Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman checked in at ninth fastest with 1’57.364s. At this rate, Azlan would have his work cut out for him recouping the loss he suffered when injuries forced him out of Round 4 in Sentul. As the SuperSports 600cc grid took shape, Indian rider Sarath Kumar suffered a huge disappointment when he crashed out at Turn 1 during the third practice session. Sarath is suspected to have suffered a broken collar bone and may not be able to race in front of his home fans this weekend.

The spate of injuries that scourged through the SuperSports 600cc class during Round 4 in Sentul has thankfully come to an end. With Round 5 soon to take off at the Buddh International Circuit in India this October 1 and 2, the big guns are finally back on the grid, and raring to go. Most significant would be the return of title contenders Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and defending champion Yuki Takahashi. Both pulled out before the commencement of Round 4 due to injuries sustained in previous races. This allowed MUSASHI Boon Siew Honda’s Zaqhwan Zaidi and T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS with Wow’s Tomoyoshi Koyama to turn the title chase around. Both riders currently share the top spot with 131 points apiece. Yuki Takahashi has dropped to third overall with 104 points, needing to make up a 27-point deficit in order to be back in title contention. Takahashi is on a dual mission this season – to bring home team MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda’s fifth consecutive Asian title as well as to become the first rider since 2006 to win the SuperSports 600cc crown back to back. Azlan Shah fared worse, falling to fifth overall with 89 points. Azlan would have his work cut out for him and will literally need to string together four wins in the remaining two rounds just to keep the slim thread of hope alive. The only piece of good news for Azlan is that there will be one less rider in his way at the Indian leg of the season. Dimas Ekky Pratama is forced to skip the Indian round due to conflicting race schedules.

Overview: The SuperSports 600cc race at the Sentul Circuit may have lost some stars to injury (Yuki Takahashi, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and Ratthapong Wilairot did not compete), but the outcome of the race showed that there was no shortage of star potential. The local heroes certainly knew their way around the 3.864km circuit as they grabbed four out of seven wins on the table at the fourth leg of the season. In the SuperSports 600cc category, it was young Gerry Salim’s time to shine. Race Start: A clean start from poleman Gerry saw the Indonesian hotshot lead Ahmad Yudhistira and Tomoyoshi Koyama into the first corner. Two turns into the race, and already six overtaking moves among the top group had been spotted. Lap 1 to Lap 2: Gerry easily absorbed the pressure of race-leader as he, Yudhistira, Koyama and Dimas Ekky Pratama rapidly broke away from the second pack. MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda’s Zaqhwan Zaidi was left alone in fifth place while Jakkrit Sawangswat and Thitipong Warokorn made the third group. Behind the action, Decha Kraisart took a tumble out of the race. Lap 3: Inch perfect every step of the day, Gerry was able to tackle the bumpy Sentul circuit with finesse, creating a 0.5 seconds lead ahead of Yudhisitra. Lap 4 to 8: No change in position at the front. By Lap 7, the four rampaging riders were 2.4 seconds ahead of fifth-placed Zaqhwan. At the midway point of the race, it looked difficult for Zaqhwan to catch up. Lap 9: Behind the top five, Jakkrit was the leader in the battle for P6, fighting against Noriyuki Haga, Taiga Hada and Anthony West. Lap 10: Gerry, Yudhistira and Dimas are still on course for an all-Indonesian 1-2-3 in front of the packed grandstand. Lap 11: Koyama finally tires of sitting at the end of the leading group and makes his first move. As Dimas slows down to deal with the aggressive Koyama, Gerry got the break he needed to run away at the front of the field. Lap 12: The battle for second place intensified. With Yudhistira, Dimas and Koyama intent on fighting each other, none of the riders noticed that Zaqhwan had overcome a 2.5-second deficit to attach himself to their tail. With four laps to go, Gerry leads by 1.169 seconds. Lap 13 to 14: Koyama starts to look for a way past Yudhistira who is absorbing an enormous amount of pressure from Dimas. Lap 15: The level of aggression got higher. Dimas risked a move on the inside of Turn 2 but promptly lost it to Yudhistira on Turn 3 while Koyama looks on from the outside. The position swapping continued until Zaqhwan pulled of a surprising move two corners before the finish line. While the three riders were intent on fighting each other, Zaqhwan pulled out of the racing line, gunned his engine and managed to overtake all three in one move. It was a win-all-or-lose-all gamble which paid off when Zaqhwan managed to make it stick. Lap 16: Gerry celebrated his double victory on home ground with a time of 24’17.743s while Zaqhwan’s bid for the podium succeeded in placing him second with 24’19.395s. A surprised Dimas pulled in third with 24’19.593s. Championship Standings: Tomoyoshi Koyama once again missed out on the podium in fourth place and he is now tied with Zaqhwan at the top of the riders rankings. Both riders have 131 points a piece. The absent Yuki Takahashi dropped to third with 104 points followed by Dimas Ekky Pratama and Gerry Salim moving up the ladder to fourth and fifth overall respectively. Team Standings: MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda leads the team standings with 162 points, 31 points in front of T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS with WoW. Gerry and Dimas’s podium finishes at Sentul has boosted team Astra Honda Racing’s position to third overall with 119 points. Rider Quotes: Gerry Salim, Astra Honda Racing, Winner: I am thrilled to be a double winner this weekend. This is my home track and I have been consistently winning here in the local championships. I was glad to have been able to use that intimate knowledge of the track to my advantage. Zaqhwan Zaidi, MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda, 2nd place: I was pushing hard at the start of the race but a slow start off the grid had me at a disadvantage. I tried to stay in touch with the lead group but quite a distance away in fifth position. Luckily, Dimas, Tomoyoshi Koyama and Ahmad Yudhistira were so engrossed with fighting each other at the closing stage of the race that they failed to notice that their pace was slowing down. I decided to blindside the three riders with that risky move. In fact, I almost high sided during that corner but it was a huge gamble that paid off. Dimas Ekky Pratama, Astra Honda Racing, 3rd place: Yudhistira was the biggest stumbling block for me. I was trying to make it to second place when Zaqhwan suddenly showed up out of nowhere. I didn’t have enough time to respond so I guess I just had to be happy with 3rd place. At least we managed to give our team two double podiums this weekend.

Indonesian rookie Gerry Salim enjoyed a phenomenal Race 1 during Round 4 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Sentul, Indonesia. The young Astra Honda Racing Team rider not only clinched his first SuperSports 600cc pole position but also his maiden win in front of his delighted home crowd. Malaysian rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi who was the fastest rider during the first day of practice, lost the coveted pole position to high-flying Gerry. Dimas Ekky Pratama also clocked second fastest during the qualifying to lock out the second grid. Zaqhwan parked his bike on the last spot of the front row. As the 16-lap race flagged off, the Astra duo were quick to steal the holeshot but was unable to keep Kawasaki’s Ahmad Yudhistira from charging into the lead. The thee Indonesian riders set the pace for the first 10 laps of the race but Yudhistira lost his hard won position on Lap 11 when he lost the front tyre and slid out of the race. With Yudhistira out of the way, the two team mates continued to duel for the lead, not realizing that Zaqhwan had narrowed the gap behind them. One lap to the chequered flag, Zaqhwan showed his hand at the first corner as he slid under Dimas Ekky Pratama’s defenses to take the lead. Unfortunately, the Malaysian rider made his move too soon and he was unable to react when both Dimas and Gerry mounted a counter-attack. The 16-lap race ended with Gerry Salim taking his maiden SuperSports 600cc win with a time of 24’27.838s. Dimas made it an Indonesian 1-2 when he finished second with 24’27.932s. Zaqhwan had to be content with third place, clocking 24’28.161s. Championship leader Tomoyoshi Koyama managed to keep his championship lead by finishing 4th and currently holds 118 points to his name. Zaqhwan is second overall with 111 points while the absent Yuki Takahashi and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman dropped to third and fourth overall respectively. Rider Quotes: Gerry Salim: I am so happy that I feel speechless right now. I just want to take this opportunity to thank Astra Honda Racing for believing in me. I dedicate this team to my team mechanics and engineers for their hard work to prepare an amazing race bike for me. Dimas Ekky Pratama: It feels good to be fighting at the front. I tried to go for the win, but somehow just couldn’t make it stick. Of course, I am happy for Gerry to win his first SuperSports 600cc race. It is also great that we were able to deliver a 1-2 finish for team Astra Honda. Zaqhwan Zaidi: It was an exciting race for everyone. I overtook Koyama on Lap 11, just at the same time as when Ahmad Yudhistira crashed out of the lead. Over the next two laps, I noticed that Gerry and Dimas seemed to be fighting each other so I decided to join in the party. I made a mistake at the double right-hander during the last corner. I was just a little off pace at that part of the track. It allowed Gerry and Dimas to ride through. By then, it was too late to make another overtaking attempt. So I would say that I am alright with third place in Race 1.

Malaysian rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi interrupted what would be a full-Indonesian domination in the first day of practice for the SuperSports 600cc class at Round 4 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Sentul, Indonesia. A last-minute dash to the finish line netted a blazing quick time of 1’29.936s for the MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider and spoiled the party for the Indonesian riders who were on course for a top-five monopoly. In the process, Zaqhwan also erased the 2015 record set by Mohd Zamri Baba (1’29.984s). However, the 22-year-old is bracing for a tough battle ahead. “I went all out just to squeeze that extra 0.019 seconds out of my laptime to get in front of Gerry’s time. The home advantage is particularly important at this track because of its challenging track surface. The local riders, having raced here more often, would naturally be more confident during the heat of the battle. If this formation continues with the four Indonesian riders surrounding me at the starting grid, I will have a tough battle on my hands,” said Zaqhwan. Behind Zaqhwan, the local heroes featured prominently on the timesheets. Team Astra Honda Racing’s rookie Gerry Salim, was phenomenally fast in the second practice session, clocking 1’29.955s. Dimas Ekky Pratama, Andy Muhammad Fadly and Ahmad Yudhistira look set to lock out the remainder of the first and second row as they posted third, fourth and fifth fastest respectively. In the absence of two other title contenders Yuki Takahashi and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, championship leader Tomoyoshi Koyama could afford to take it easy on the first day. He was seventh fastest with 1’30.696s. Qualifying for the SuperSports 600cc class will take place on the morning of the second day, ahead of Race 1.

The SuperSports 600cc class has been hit by a spate of injuries even before Round 4 takes off at the Sentul Circuit in Indonesia this August 6 and 7. Several of the top riders had been injured in other racing championships during the mid-season break and deemed unfit for racing in Round 4. Defending champion Yuki Takahashi, second in the 2016 riders ranking so far, has confirmed that he is not fit enough to race in Round 4. Takahashi crashed during one of the rounds of the All Japan and his doctors had confirmed that he is not fit to race. Team MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda will bring in wildcard rider Satoru Iwata to take Takahashi’s place. But as a wildcard, Iwata is expected to have little impact on the title chase. Malaysia’s former Moto2 rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman suffered a broken leg at the end of the Suzuka round and has also confirmed that he will not be racing in Sentul. “I broke my leg during Round 3 at Suzuka two months ago. The injury was quite serious and I spent more than a month in the hospital in Japan undergoing surgery. The injury is getting better now, but we feel that it would be too risky to resume racing so soon. If I were to crash again in Sentul, the consequences might be even more serious. So while I am disappointed to miss out on the battle in Sentul, I have to agree with my doctors that it is just not worth the risk particularly as a number of the other top riders will also be absent this weekend,” said Azlan. Most recently, Thai rider Ratthapong Wilairot fractured his wrists during the Suzuka 8-Hour Endurance Race and is still recovering from surgery. The spate of injuries suffered by the top flight riders now open up the opportunity for Tomoyoshi Koyama and Zaqhwan Zaidi to change the course of the 2016 title chase. Koyama, who leads Takahashi by one point, could provisionally strengthen his position at the top of the riders’ rankings. Similarly, Zaqhwan now has the opportunity to establish a stronger position for himself. Additionally, the Indonesian riders will also be given a wider berth to dominate the Sentul podium. Dimas Ekky Pratama, Ahmad Yudhistira and Gerry Salim who are fifth, sixth and seventh respectively, would be expected to be in the limelight of their home race.

Extended Races Will Not Apply In Sentul The recent confirmation of longer races in the SuperSports 600cc class will not apply for the Indonesian round this coming August 6 to 7, 2016. Instead of the extra two laps, Race Direction had dialed back the number of race laps to its original 16. In addition, the final races for the open-make class will take place at an earlier time, flagging off at noon on both Saturday and Sunday. This is to ensure that all riders enjoy maximum visibility and the races happen during the brightest time of the day.

After two dismal rounds in the early part of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Yuki Takahashi’s planned comeback at the Suzuka Circuit home ground has placed the SuperSports 600cc defending champion on the right path to potentially score the second consecutive Asian title of his career. Following his second place finish in Race 1 on Saturday, Takahashi returned to the grid on pole position for Race 2. Takahashi’s slow start gave the hole shot away to Thai rivals Decha Kraisart and Chalermpol Polamai but the MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider was soon able to make up for lost time and overtook Chalermpol on Lap 3. That moment marked the start of a 10-lap intense duelling between the Takahashi and Decha. Decha’s Yamaha clearly had better top speed while Takahashi’s Honda was superbly fast at the twisty second sector. The drama intensified on Lap 8 when Yuki Ito, with Tomoyoshi Koyama in tow, burst out of the 8-rider chasing pack to mix things up in the leading group. As the pressure intensified, Decha highsided at the last chicane on Lap 11, the same spot where he overtook Takahashi for the win in Race 1. The MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider used the reprieve well. While Decha’s crash slowed down the rest of the pack, Takahashi sped ahead to win the 15-lap race with a time of 33’24.813s. Tomoyoshi Koyama, who had been content to bide his time in fourth place, brushed past Ito at the last corner and was second across the finish line with a time of 33’25.594s. Yuki Ito also celebrated his first podium of the season in third place with 33’27.430s. “Decha proved to be a really tough competitor and the first three quarters of the race was a touch-and-go situation for both of us. I felt relieved when Decha crashed even though I was sorry for him,” said Takahashi. Meanwhile, championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman was absent from the Race 2 grid. The BikeART Racing Kawasaki rider crashed out after the chequered flag in Race 1 on Saturday and sustained a broken leg that ended his run at the top of the SuperSports 600cc standings. Tomoyoshi Koyama became the new leader after Round 3. A third place finish in Race 1 and a second place finishing in Race 2 boosted Koyama from third overall to the leading position with a total 105 points. Takahashi also jumped from fourth to second with 104 points in the bag. Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi who finished ninth in Race 1 and fifth in Race 2, slipped down to third overall position with 95 points.