Underbone 150

Race 2 from Round 1 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship turned out to be a good day for the rising in the Asian series. Just as Taiga Hada and Rheza Danica Ahrens shone in the SuperSports 600cc and Asia Production 250cc classes, debutant Mohd Akid Aziz gave a thrilling performance when he rode to a stunning victory in the Underbone 150cc category. The 19-year-old Akid had been strong throughout the weekend, narrowly losing out to countryman Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam in Race 1 at a photo finish. In Race 2, Akid redeemed himself with a stunning ride that saw him match Indonesian duo Wahyu Aji Trilaksana and Anggie Setiawan pace-for-pace during the run-up to the finish line. Akid scored his first Asian victory with a time of 14’52.561s, leaving defending champion Wahyu to settle for second place with 14’52.888s and Anggi in third with 14’52.959s. “Race 2 was less challenging than Race 1,” said a very frank Akid. “I just had to keep my pace within the leading group and then power up at the final lap. My thanks to my team for preparing such a great bike.” After Round 1, Akid is now the provisional Underbone 150cc leader with 45 points. Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam is second overall with 33 points while Tengku Amirul Haffiruddin was third with 24 points. Akid’s results had also given team UMA Racing Yamaha Maju a decisive lead in the opening stages of the 2017 season. Team Maju holds 45 points against SCK Rapido Hi Rev Honda Racing in second overall position with 36 points.

Johor-born Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam celebrated a victory on home ground in Race 1 of the Underbone 150cc category. The lanky SCK Rapido Hi-Rev Honda Racing rider pipped rival Mohd Akid Aziz to win the first Underbone 150cc race of the season. The tight competition in the South East Asian heritage class resulted in a photo-finish that saw Fakhrusy crossing the finish line 0.004s ahead of Akid. The race quickly took on familiar Underbone characteristics as the entire group of riders bunched up together in the hunt for the lead. However, the pack was split on Lap 6 when Anggi Setiawan crashed out of the race, taking defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana with him. Without the strong challenge from the Indonesian camp, the Underbone 150cc podium was an all-Malaysian affair. Fakhrusy won with a time of 14’55.380s, Akid in second place with 14’55.384s while Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues finished third with 14’55.663s. Meanwhile, Mohd Helmi Azman, representing newcomer team Onexox TKKR Racing, gave good account of himself in fourth place. Tengku Amirul Haffiruddin rounded up the top five. The Underbone class had always been an Indonesian-Malaysian affair. But in Race 1, Vietnamese rider Cao Viet Nam did himself proud when he finished ninth with 15’03.302s. Chinese rider Yuan Ji Bo, picked up three points in his first experience in Underbone racing.

The new Underbone 150cc class promises to be even more exciting than the previous 130cc category. In the qualifying session held for the first round at the Johor Circuit on March 31, 2017, a total of seven riders clocked within the same second. Team Yuzy Honda Vietnam Racing’s Azroy Hakeem Anuar topped the timesheets in the qualifyer with 1’49.115s, narrowly edging out defending champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana who was second fastest with 1’49.336s. Malaysian debutant, Mohd Akid Aziz from team Uma Racing Yamaha Maju Motor made an impactful first qualifying when he posted third fastest with 1’49.338s. However, the top-10 grid of the Underbone 150cc class is yet to be finalized. The final grid will only be confirmed after the Underbone 150cc SuperPole that will take place in the morning before the first race. Then, the top Underbone riders will be put to the test without the benefit of the slipstream from the other competitors on the track.

The Underbone 150cc is a new class, replacing the previous Underbone 130cc category that ran from 2012 to 2016.   1.Yamaha Racing Indonesia Wahyu Aji Trilaksana will embark on his title defense with team Yamaha Racing Indonesia. Should he succeed, he will be the first rider in the Underbone class to successfully retain his title despite a change in the technical specifications.   2. Yuzy Honda Vietnam Racing Former Malaysian GP rider Shahrol Yuzy will be collaborating with Honda Vietnam this season. Team Yuzy Honda Vietnam Racing’s role is to guide and expose upcoming Vietnamese riders as they make their international debut. For 2017, the team will field Vietnamese newcomer Cao Viet Nam alongside Malaysian rider Azroy Hakeem Anuar.   3. First Chinese Rider Round 1 of the ARRC will see an unexpected entry in the Underbone 150 class. Chinese rider Yuan Ji Bo will be the first from the People’s Republic of China to race in the Southeast Asian heritage class. Yuan has had substantive experience racing the 600cc bikes back home, but had elected to use the Underbone 150cc category as his debut platform to gain experience before considering a move to higher ccs.   4. UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor had elected for a double rookie combination in 2017. Seasoned campaigner Ahmad Fazli Sham had been refocused to the national championship. UMA Racing’s assault on the Underbone 150cc title will be undertaken by two teenage hotshots – Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues (16) and 2016 National Champion, Mohd Akid Aziz (19).   5. New Entry: ONEXOX TKKR Racing The Underbone 150cc will feature a new team entry this season – Malaysian outfit, ONEXOX TKKR Racing. New to the racing scene, the team had been highly active in the Malaysian Cub Prix Championship in 2016. This year, team TKKR expands their horizons to the Asian region with Norizman Ismail and Mohd Helmi Azman.