Underbone 150

Malaysian rider Mohd Akid Aziz entered the ARRC history books as the first Underbone 150cc Champion. Needing only two more points to secure his position, the UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor rider rode a safe Race 2 and did just enough to pick up his first international title.   The race got off with Anggi Setiawan of Yamaha Yamalube KYT TJM Racetech leading the group across the finish line on Lap 1. However, the usual lead-swapping that is characteristic of underbone racing brought UMA Racing wildcard Paitoon Nakthong up to the front of the group on Lap 2 and Lap 3.   The lead then went to Azroy Hakeem Anuar (Yuzy Honda Vietnam Racing Team) on Lap 4. Mohd Helmi Azman (ONEXOX TKKR Racing) took the reins on Lap 5 but lost the position Anggi on Lap 6. Mohd Izzat Zaidi (RCB Kage Motobatt Yamaha YY Pang Racing) popped into the front on Lap 7 but crashed out of the race on that final lap.   The jostling and skirmishing continued as the riders headed home for the chequered flag. Azroy Hakeem Anuar was the first to break out of the slipstream and shot into first place in 16’46.680s. Defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana followed in second place with 16’46.786s while Mohd Helmi Azman was third across the line in 16’46.859s.   With 177 points in his pockets, Akid became the first Malaysian since 2009 to win the Underbone title in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. The last Malaysian rider to break the Indonesian domination was Mohd Affendi Rosli.   Defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana dropped to second overall with 165 points while Akid’s team mate Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues ended the season in third with 141 points.

Underbone defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana kept his title hopes alive when he picked up his third victory of the season at Round 6 of the 2017 Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at Buriram, Thailand.   The Yamaha Racing Indonesia rider started Race 1 from third on the grid but wisely stayed tucked in within the leading group while Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues and Azroy Hakeem Anuar battled for the lead.   The 12-bike leading pack split on Lap 5 when Mohd Akid Aziz slid out of the race after contact with Mohd Azhar Abd Jalil and Mohd Hafieenaz Mohd Ali.   With only four riders left in the first group, Wahyu began racing more strategically. He made sure to get himself into the lead each time the group crossed the finish line. The strategy worked when the Yamaha Racing Indonesia rider managed to pip Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa to the finish line by 0.478s.   Wahyu brought down the chequered flag with a time of 16’50.406s. Amirul finished second with 16’50.884s and Haziq third with 16’50.984s.   Championship leader Akid was able to get back on track and finished 11th to retain his position at the top of the championship standings. The five points from Akid’s 11th place finish had pushed the UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor rider’s points haul to 169 points. Wahyu’s win added 25 points to his collection, bringing up his total to 145 points.   To lift the crown, Akid will only need to finish within the top-14 in Race 2.

Yuzy Honda Vietnam Racing Team’s Azroy Hakeem Anuar is set to start the two final Underbone 150cc races of the season from pole position. The young Malaysian rider had been among the top performers of the Underbone class in the final round, clocking second and fourth fastest during the free practice sessions.   Azroy ramped up his efforts during the morning qualifying practice when he lapped fastest with a time of 2’02.431s – a new lap record at the Chang International Circuit. Riding alone without the benefit of the pack during the all-important Underbone 150cc SuperPole, Azroy confirmed his pole position with a time of 2’05.477s.   Indonesian rider Anggi Setiawan will start from front row alongside championship contender Wahyu Aji Trilaksana. The two compatriots posted 2’05.584s and 2’06.480s respectively.   Championship leader Mohd Akid Aziz will start from the middle of the pack – from ninth on the grid. The UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor rider was timed at 2’07.782s during the SuperPole.

Indonesian rider Wahyu Aji Trilaksana is obviously going all-out for a podium-worthy finish to his 2017 season. As the first day of practice commenced for Round 6 of the 2017 Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, the Underbone 150cc riders enjoyed an extra practice session, thanks to the four day race programme.   The Yamaha Racing Indonesia rider topped both FP1 and FP2 and came close to breaking the current track record which was clocked by Anggi Setiawan in Round 2 earlier this year. Wahyu posted a conservative 2’05.012s during the morning session but shaved a full two seconds off his laptimes during the second practice session when he lead the timesheets with 2’02.854s – a new Underbone 150cc lap record at the Chang International Cricuit. He was the only rider to clock within 2’02s.   Behind Wahyu, a trio of Honda competitors – Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa, Mohd Muzakkir Mohamed and Azroy Hakeem Anuar – were second, third and fourth fastest respectively. Amirul posted 2’03.897s as the second fastest rider of the day. Muzakkir and Azroy clocked 2’04.124s and 2’04.288s respectively.   Championship leader Mohd Akid Aziz ended the first day with a conservative seventh fastest time of the day – 2’06.247s.   Among the Thai riders, Nattawut Rungkigsawas who is replacing injured Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam in the SCK Rapido Hi Rev Honda Racing Team this round posted sixth fastest with 2’05.937s.

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.