Underbone 150

The title chase in the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship goes down to the wire. The 4.5km Chang International Circuit, host to the season finale, will be the battleground on which the final champions will be determined.   The Asia Road Racing Championship was the first international-level motorcycle racing series to race at the Chang Circuit in 2014. Since then, this spectator-friendly circuit has become a firm favourite among the teams and riders in the Asian paddock.   The winning record at the Chang International Circuit is held jointly by three riders – Yuki Takahashi (SuperSports 600cc), Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Asia Production 250cc) and Hiroki Nakamura (Asia Dream Cup). Each of the riders have won four times at the Chang International Circuit respectively. The three record-holders are not racing in the 2017 season of the ARRC.   The only rider who has a chance of creating a new win record at the Chang Circuit is to be found in the Underbone 150cc category. Indonesian rider Wahyu Aji Trilaksana has taken three wins at the Chang International Circuit to date. He could possibly create a new record of winning five races – provided he scores a double win in the coming final round.

Always Room For One More Trophy Team UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor had been having a very good year. Back home in Malaysia, the team had successfully captured four major titles – CP150 Champion, CP150 Team Champion, CP115 Champion and CP115 Team Champion. During the penultimate round of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in India, the team added to their title haul when they were confirmed as the Team Champion in the Underbone 150cc category. But there’s always room for one more trophy. At Round 6 of the 2017 Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Thailand, the team’s Mohd Akid Aziz will be looking to add a sixth title to the team’s burgeoning trophy cabinet. The 19-year-old, racing in his first full season of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, will only need six championship points to win the 2017 Underbone 150cc crown. It will be Akid’s third major title since he started racing professionally in 2013. Nicknamed ‘The Silent Hunter’ by his team mates for his quiet and reserved nature, Akid’s racing speaks volumes. The Malaysian youngster had strung together six podiums and two wins in the season so far. Defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana is currently second overall with 120 points. As of Round 5, Wahyu had managed five podiums and two race wins. The 44-point difference between their two position would mean that even if Wahyu were to win both races at the final round, Akid will only need to finish within the top-10 in Race 1 to snatch the title from his Indonesian rival.

Only one round to go before the end of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship season, but team UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor had cemented their position as the best Underbone team in Asia.  While the title chase is still on among the top riders in the Underbone 150cc category, team UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor had managed to amass 189 points after five rounds. The 60-point margin between them and arch-rival team SCK Rapido Hi Rev Honda Racing will ensure that the Team Award trophy of the Underbone class will stay in the hands of the Malaysia-based outfit. Team UMA Racing raised eyebrows at the beginning of the season with their decision to field two rookie riders in the highly competitive Underbone class. Instead of their top-flight performers in the domestic championship – Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin and Ahmad Fazli Sham – the team opted for a rookie combination. Even though Mohd Akid Aziz and Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues had already begun making waves in the Malaysian domestic championship, it was unusual for a team to race without a lead rider. However, team UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor’s faith in their two young proteges paid off in spades when they began raking in one podium finish after another. Double podiums were the norm in 2017. Their worst result came from Race 1 of the second round in Buriram when Akid suffered a DNF and Haziq was only able to finish sixth. This will not be UMA Racing’s only achievement this year. The team is also enjoying tremendous success in the PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship. There, racing as PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Maju Motor, the team had been virtually peerless in the CP150 and CP115 category. 

The Madras Motor Race Track must be rapidly becoming a favourite hunting ground for the Malaysian riders in the Underbone 150cc category. Race 2 resulted in another all-Malaysian podium, this time with team Yuzy Honda Vietnam Racing Team’s Azroy Hakeem Anuar in the lead. Of the three open-make classes that comprised Round 5 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, the Underbone 150cc Race 2 was the only one that was not affected by adverse weather. Azroy got off to a flying start and stormed into the lead with the rest of the riders hard on his heels. The Honda rider wasted no time getting into race rhythm and was even able to create a small gap ahead of the chasing pack. The group thinned out on Lap 2 when defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana took a heavy tumble, taking Race 1 winner Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam into the gravel pits with him. Luckily, both riders were not seriously injured in the incident. At the midway point, the top five comprising of Azroy, Mohd Helmi Azman, Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues, Mohd Akid Aziz and Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa had pulled away. As the lapboard counted down to the end of the race, Azroy was beginning to feel the pressure from Akid Aziz. On Lap 7, Azroy lost the lead momentarily to Akid but was able to take it back at Turn 6. In the heat of the battle on Lap 8, Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa crashed into the tyre wall before the last corner. Amirul’s crash brought out the red flag. Results were taken from the previous lap, Lap 7, which placed Azroy Hakeem Anuar on the top step of the podium with a time of 13’29.043s. UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor duo Mohd Akid Aziz and Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues finished second and third with race times of 13’29.175s and 13’29.598s respectively. Mohd Helmi Azman completed the race in fourth place while Anggi Setiawan was fifth. The outcome from Round 5 has Akid closing in on the Underbone 150cc podium. With 164 points to his name, Akid holds a 44-point margin in front of defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana. Should Wahyu win both races in the final round, Akid will only need an additional seven points to win the title. Should he succeed, Akid will end an 8-year title drought for the Malaysian contingent in the Underbone category. Rider’s battle aside, the consistent performance from both UMA Racing riders have won the Team Award crown for UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor. Their combined results had given the Malaysian outfit 189 points. The team holds a 60-point lead ahead of SCK Rapido Hi Rev Honda Racing.

The 3.717km Madras Motor Race Track seems to agree with lanky Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam’s style of riding. After a topsy turvy season to date, Fakhrusy is back at the top of the timesheets after an impressive showing during the Underbone 150cc SuperPole. The SCK Rapido Hi Rev Honda Racing rider chalked 1’54.212s and earned the right to park his bike on pole position for both Race 1 and Race 2. Fellow Honda rider Azroy Hakeem Anuar finished just a step behind with 1’54.810s. Championship leader Mohd Akid Aziz made it to the front row with a time of 1’55.414s. Double podium winner Mohd Helmi Azman qualified fourth on the grid with 1’56.197s. Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues, fifth fastest with 1’56.204s will join Helmi on the second row. Defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana will start the race from sixth on the grid after posting 1’56.684s during his solo run.

Trailing by 16 points to Malaysian youngster Mohd Akid Aziz in the Underbone 150cc category, title defender Wahyu Aji Trilaksana is still optimistic of a successful campaign even as the 2017 season winds down to its final two rounds. Wahyu won the last Underbone 130cc crown on offer in 2016. The South East Asian heritage class had since evolved into the highly popular Underbone 150cc category. However, a new race class brought problems of its own to Wahyu and team Yamaha Racing Indonesia. Lack of data had resulted in a roller coaster of a season for Wahyu. He scored five podiums and two wins but was handicapped by two DNF results. The rider who capitalized the most on this situation was Mohd Akid Aziz of team UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor. “We struggled a bit this year, mainly because we did not have the benefit of data from previous years to assist in our setup. The first two rounds, especially, brought some small problems. The Malaysian contingent may outnumber the Indonesians in the Underbone class this year. But that had never been a factor in my mind. With or without compatriots, I am confident of my own race-winning abilities,” said Wahyu. “The season is not over yet so there is little cause to say that the 2017 title is slipping out of my hands. I am still confident that we will be able to turn the situation around, especially when the championship finale heads to a familiar battleground – Buriram.”

Wildcard rider Richard Taroreh snatched a last-minute surprise win in the Underbone 150cc Race 2. Racing at Round 4 of the Idemitsu Asia Road Racing Championship at the Sentul International Circuit, Richard lived up to his top billings as one of the hottest rising names from Indonesia. The Yamaha Yamalube Jasti Putra Usaha Jaya NHK 549 Kaboci rider logged in impressive laptimes during the practice sessions and showed his true mettle in Race 2. While defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana led the pack for most of the 10-lap race, Richard stunned the experienced rider with a last-minute overtaking move and crossed the finish line in first place with 18:38.349s. Richard brought Malaysian rider Mohd Helmi Azman in his wake as they both nipped past Wahyu. Helmi finished second and forced Wahyu into third. Race 1 winner, Mohd Akid Aziz and countryman Azroy Hakeem Anuar finished fourth and fifth respectively. Akid’s consistent performance in the four rounds so far had placed him at the top of the title hunt with 131 points. Wahyu Aji ranked second with 115 points.

As Round 4 of the Idemitsu Asia Road Racing Championship got underway at the Sentul Circuit in Indonesia, wildcard rider Richard Taroreh served up a surprise in the Underbone 150cc when he emerged as the fastest rider with 1’49.860s. The Yamaha Yamalube Jasti Putra Usaha Jaya NHK 549 Kaboci rider came in on a strong note when he clocked sixth fastest during the morning free practice and followed up with a big finish during the qualifier. Richard was only one of two riders to run a 1’49s lap. The other was Malaysian Azroy Hakeem Anuar of team Yuzy Honda Vietnam Racing.  Another wildcard rider, also gave the full-season competitors a run for their money. Owie Nurhuda, racing under team Yamaha Yamalube KYT TJM Racetech colours, posted third fastest with 1’50.243s. Malaysian duo Mohd Izzat Zaidi and Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues rounded up the top five. Further down the field, Anggi Setiawan, Decky Tiamo Aldy, Tengku Amirul Haffiruddin, Wahyu Widodo and championship leader Wahyu Aji Trilaksana clocked within the top 10, and will be making an appearance at the SuperPole session where they will fight for their final starting positions.