Even as Round 5 of the 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship progressed at the Buddh International Circuit, it was soon becoming clear that the Yamaha bikes had a distinct advantage on this wide and flowing circuit. The Yamaha domination extended into the Underbone 130cc category when seasoned campaigner Ahmad Fazli Sham proved himself too hot to handle when he capped off a triumphant weekend with a double win.
Race 2 in the Underbone class saw Wahyu Aji Trilaksana taking the hole shot from pole position. Under pressure from the chasing crowd, Wahyu ran wide on Turn 3 but was able to recover his lead ahead of Malaysian riders Norizman Ismail, Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa and Ahmad Fazli Sham. By Lap 4, six riders had split away to form the lead group with Wahyu and Fazli engaged in a psychological warfare as they tested each other’s limits. Also hovering in the background was Florianus Roy, looking to take advantage of any mistakes from the two.
As the riders approached the critical last corner, Wahyu held tight to the inside line Fazli pulled off a stunner of an outside overtaking move and dashed to stop the clock at 17’18.598s. Wahyu had to be content in second place, 0.121 seconds behind Fazli while young Haziq Mohd Fairues took third place despite almost crashing when he bumped into Florianus’s rear tyre.
“Race 2 was tougher because there was more traffic at the front. When I saw Wahyu in front, I knew I had to try something. On the last lap, Wahyu hugged the inside line too tight. This is such a wide track that I was able to slip by and win the race,” said Fazli.
Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa, who was leading the championship after Race 1, was unable to pick up big points in Race 2. Amirul bagged only three points when mechanical failure saw him limping to the finish line. As Round 6 in Buriram looms, only seven points separate the top four riders on the championship table. Wahyu is back as the championship leader with 113 points. Fazli is second overall with 110 points. Malaysian rider Mohd Izzat Zaidi and Amirul are third and fourth with 107 and 106 points apiece.