Supersports 600

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.

Welcoming a new born baby boy into the Kraisart family had provided the extra impetus for Decha Kraisart to push through the psychological barrier of a comeback and win his first SuperSports 600cc victory in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship since 2010. The 35-year-old Thai rider persevered through a race of attrition in Race 1 of the Suzuka leg of the 2016 season. Qualifying third fastest on the grid, Decha carried the fight to Yuki Takahashi in the first five laps of the SuperSports 600cc Race 1. However, the race was red-flagged on Lap 5 when Anucha Nakcharoensri’s crash at the final chicane caused his bike to burst into flames. The riders were reassembled for a shortened race, and at the end of the combined race times, Decha Kraisart was declared as the winner with a time of 20’01.675s. Yuki Takahashi placed second with 20’02.003s while Tomoyoshi Koyama was third with 20’03.420s. “The latest addition to our family was born yesterday (June 3). When I received the good news, I felt super charged and confident that I could handle anything. By coincidence, I named my son Japan Kraisart because I loved the years I spent racing in the All Japan Championship. It may be a coincidence but I feel like my son had brought me good luck in this race. A few years ago, I named my firstborn daughter Asia Kraisart, in tribute to the Asia Road Racing Championship,” said Decha who had formerly been crowned SuperSports 600cc champion in 2007 and 2010. Championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman picked up 11 points in fifth place to stay at the front with 89 points. Tomoyoshi Koyama’s podium finish at Suzuka placed him second overall with 85 points while Zaqhwan Zaidi hung on to third place with 84 points despite finishing only ninth in Race 1.

Two rounds without a win and currently fourth in the SuperSports 600cc title chase, defending champion Yuki Takahashi is plotting a comeback at the Suzuka Circuit this weekend, host to Round 3 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. During the first day of free practices for the SuperSports 600cc class, Takahashi was clearly the man to beat as he topped the timesheets for each practice session and ended the day by breaking his own lap record to set a new 2’12.793s record on the 5.807km circuit. The top five saw a mix of riders from different nationalities producing good results at the tricky circuit. Thailand’s Ratthapong Wilairot clocked second fastest with 2’12.904s followed by Indonesia’s Ahmad Yudhistira third fastest with 2’13.019s. Young 600cc rookie Taiga Hada was fourth fastest with 2’13.276s followed by current championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman posting the fifth fastest time of 2’13.386s. The MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider had always relied on his home venue to turn his title hopes around. Takahashi currently trails Azlan by 19 points and will need maximum input from the Suzuka leg to boost his title defense campaign.

Malaysian rider Zaqhwan Zaidi took top honours in Race 2 of the SuperSports 600cc class after surviving a wheel-to-wheel battle against compatriot Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman as the second leg of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship wrapped up at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand. The 21-year-old flew into the lead at the start of the race, with 20 fierce competitors hot on his tail. The MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider barely had time to settle into his racing as Ahmad Yudhistira, Tomoyoshi Koyama, Ratthapong Wilairot, and Azlan Shah made their presence felt in the leading pack. The battle for P1 raged on for the first six laps. Yudhistira was particularly aggressive but the arrival of Anthony West on Lap 7 distracted the Indonesian rider from his relentless pursuit of the lead. This allowed Zaqhwan and Azlan to carve out some daylight between them and the 5-rider battle for P3. Meanwhile, Yuki Takahashi who was pushed wide at the start of the race, arrived at P3 after successfully overtaking 17 other riders in a determined 9-lap charge. Even as Takahashi stole the spotlight for his achievement, the battle at the front intensified. Two laps to go and Azlan began to put pressure on Zaqhwan. However, learning from his experience at the Johor Circuit in Round 1, Zaqhwan was not so easily intimidated. Azlan took the lead at the hairpin corner during the final lap, but Zaqhwan was quick to slip through his defenses. Both riders were neck-to-neck through the last corner until Zaqhwan’s momentum carried him to victory with a time of 30’05.166s. An exhausted Azlan had to settle for second place with 30’05.950s while Takahashi rounded up the winning trio in third place with 30’07.239. “I knew that my bike had the best pace and I tried really hard to pull away at the start of the race. That was impossible, so I quickly changed my race approach. During the closing stages of the race, I knew that Azlan was going to make a move at the last corner and I slammed the door on him just at the right time to disrupt his rolling speed and force him on the brakes,” said Zaqhwan. Koyama’s victory in Race 1 and Zaqhwan’s win in Race 2 had brought the SuperSports 600cc title chase back to square one. Azlan still leads with 78 points but Zaqhwan is now only 1 point behind with 77 points. Koyama stands third with 69 points. Things are looking a little less tense in the team awards category. Strong performances by both Zaqhwan and Takahashi had placed team MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda at the lead with 91 points. Team BikeART Racing Kawasaki, having only Azlan to rely on, is now second with 78 points while Tomoyoshi Koyama had brought team T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS with WoW into third position with 69 points.

Four years into the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship and Tomoyoshi Koyama finally ended his winning drought with a faultless performance in Race 1 of the SuperSports 600cc at the Chang International Circuit. The win came as the first set of races got underway for Round 2 of the 2016 season this weekend. The 33-year-old Japanese rider started the race from third on the grid, filing up beside pole sitter Zaqhwan Zaidi and Ratthapong Wilairot on the front row. A rocket start catapulted Koyama into the lead. Throughout the extended 18-lap race, Koyama held steady through a number of challenges – first from Decha Kraisart, Zaqhwan Zaidi and Anucha Nakcharoensri. Behind Koyama, the treacherous track conditions and pressure of the race whittled down the 21-man grid. The competition intensified in the final lap when 600cc rookie Anucha finally made a move on Koyama. Despite his exhaustion, Koyama dug deep and found the extra reserves to hold his course. Anucha’s challenge ended in disappointment when his aggressive moves caused him to crash on the last corner. The T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS with WOW rider celebrated his first Asian victory with a total race time of 30’08.402s. Meanwhile, Anucha’s crash gifted second and third place podium finishes to MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda team mates Zaqhwan Zaidi and Yuki Takahashi. “This must be one of the toughest races I have ever endured. The heat, the competition, the extra long race, everything was a challenge. Throughout most of the race, all I could think of was that I had to win the race. It was the only thought in my mind. The final two extra laps were pure torture. I had already reached the end of my physical endurance and vomited into my helmet. Still I persevered and I am really happy with this win,” said Koyama. Championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman struggled at the 4.554km Chang circuit, picking up only eight points to stay marginally in the lead with 58 points. Race winner Koyama is now second overall with 56 points and Zaqhwan third with 52 points.