Underbone 150

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.

Malaysian duo Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam and Mohd Muzakkir Mohamed triumphed in a dramatic Underbone 150cc Race 2, bringing home a much needed boost for team SCK Rapido Hi-Rev Honda Racing. The 6-lap Underbone 150cc race got off with championship leader Wahyu Aji Trilaksana at the helm. The Indonesian Yamaha rider raced at a conservative pace in the first part of the race. With an extra second in his pocket, Wahyu could afford to pace himself while his chief rival Mohd Akid Aziz tried desperately to gain the upper hand. On Lap 3, Wahyu made an attempt to break away, but was quickly reeled back in by the charging horde. At the last lap, Akid had the reins in his hands, while Wahyu found himself sandwiched between the two SCK riders. As the swarm flew down the back straight, Wahyu pushed beyond his limits in an effort to gain some leverage at the final chicane. Unfortunately, Wahyu was unable to fully control his bike and crashed heavily at the entrance of the chicane, taking Akid Aziz out with him. Fakhrusy and Muzakkir narrowly avoided the same catastrophe. Fakhrusy had almost lost control, but made an impressive save and continued racing towards the finish line in first place with 16’03.866s. Muzakkir scored his first ARRC podium in second place with 16’03.940s and Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues completed the all-Malaysian podium in third place with 16’04.649s. Both Wahyu and Akid were able to get back on their bikes in time to finish within the top 10. Akid finished eighth, and earned enough points to stay at the head of the title hunt with 93 points. The unfortunate Wahyu finished the race in seventh but is still second on the standings with 79 points. Haziq is third with 73 points.

Yamaha Racing Indonesia’s Wahyu Aji Trilaksana seems unstoppable now that he has found his rhythm. Qualifying for pole position with a full second ahead of his closest competitors, Wahyu looked like a shoo-in for the top spot of the podium in Race 1. The Indonesian rider rocketed off to a strong start with Malaysian riders Mohd Akid Aziz and Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam hot on his tail. The more experienced Wahyu allowed Fakhrusy to overtake on Lap 2, only to watch as the SCK rider dive in too deep at the chicane and crash out of the race. Akid Aziz took a turn at the front on Lap 3 before Wahyu reclaimed his position. Wahyu grabbed his second back-to-back victory with a time of 16’05.294s. Malaysian team mates Mohd Akid Aziz and Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues of team UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor picked up second and third places respectively. Anggi Setiawan and Mohd Adib Rosley completed the top five.  Wahyu, the defending champion in the Underbone category, has narrowed the gap against Akid on the championship ladder. The Malaysian rider still leads with 85 points but Wahyu is now only 15 points shy, with 70 points in the bag. Mohd Izzat Zaidi is third overall with 61 points.

Buoyed by news that he will be a part of the famed Team Green in the upcoming Suzuka 8-Hour World Endurance Race this coming July, Malaysian SuperSports 600cc rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman came out strong in the first day of free practices at Round 3 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship currently underway at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan. The Kawasaki rider scraped 0.02s off Yuki Takahashi’s 2016 lap record when he posted 2’12.341s to emerge as the fastest SuperSports 600cc rider of the day. The Manual Tech Kawasaki Racing rider was pleased that the day had gone according to script even though he is still trying to shake off the vestiges of a bad cold. Wildcard rider Ikuhiro Enokido posted second fastest with 2’12.771s followed by Thailand’s Chalermpol Polamai third fastest with 2’12.793s. Another wildcard, Keisuke Maeda piloted his Yamaha to fourth fastest with 2’12.907s. Anthony West clocked fifth fastest with 2’12.955s. Yamaha Racing’s Yuki Ito was strong in the first practice session but dropped to sixth fastest with 2’12.975s by the end of the day as the pace increased. Defending champion Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi was seventh fastest with 2’13.076s after spending the first day running in a new engine and electing to go for race distance during the rest of the sessions instead of fast time.  Thailand’s Ratthapong Wilairot clocked eighth fastest with 2’13.367s, Teppei Nagoe was ninth fastest with 2’13.789s. The sole Indonesian rider in the SuperSports 600cc class this round, Ahmad Yudhistira, crashed out in the closing minutes of the third practice session and was tenth fastest with 2’13.803s. On a more interesting side note, legendary rider Yukio Kagayama completed his first SuperSports 600cc practice sessions 15th fastest with 2’14.250s

Indonesian rider Wahyu Aji Trilaksana aced the Underbone 150cc qualifier with a time of 2’39.749s. Wahyu looks set to dominate the Suzuka leg of the season, especially after proving to be almost a second and a half fastest than the rest of the grid. Second fastest rider, Mohd Akid Aziz was only able to log 2’41.367s. Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam clocked third fastest with 2’41.570s. Four other Malaysian riders filled up the middle ranks of the Underbone qualifying – Mohd Helmi Azman, Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa, Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues and Mohd Adib Roley were all fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh fastest respectively. Wahyu’s compatriot, Anggi Setiawan was eighth fastest with 2’44.066s followed by Mohd Izzat Zaidi and Mohd Khairul Ikhwan Ajis. While the Underbone 150cc class was clearly the playing ground for the Malaysian and Indonesian riders, Vietnam’s Cao Viet Nam struggled to find pace. China’s entry, Yuan Ji Bo, also found it difficult to make the cut at the challenging Suzuka Circuit.

After a disappointing Race 1, Wahyu Trelaksana made a flying start from the back of the grid in Race 2 at Chang International Circuit and made his way to the front of the pack by the end of the first lap. Together with Anggi Setiawan, Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam, Akid Aziz and Haziq Fairues, the 2016 Underbone champion set a hot pace. They briefly created space between themselves and the pursuing group, but were reeled back in quickly to make a cluster of ten potential race winners. With the lead swapping continuously, Wahyu crossed the line first at the end of the eighth and final lap with half a wheel ahead of Anggi and Akid, but the rest of the field caught up in the slipstream on the Thai Circuit’s two long straights. The Indonesian champion kept his head among the weaving bunch, secured himself the best line into the final turn and took what is, for this class a comfortable victory of 0.231 of a second. Akid grabbed second place from Hafieenaz Ali and Izzat, who finished the width of a front tyre in front of Tengku, to take fourth place. The first nine finished within 1.6 seconds. Any remaining regrets about replacing the venerable and much loved 130cc bikes with the 150cc fuel injected machines will have vanished after race long, all-out action the class has served up in the first four races of the season at Johor and Buriram.