From the extreme heat at the Zhuhai International Circuit in August, to the extreme haze at the Sepang International Circuit in September, Malaysian rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman proved that he had what it takes to rise above the elements as he became the only rider form Round 6 to take home the double win.
Azlan’s second race of the weekend got off to a conservative start when he paced in fourth on Lap 1 behind Thitipong Warokorn, Apiwat Wongthananon and championship leader Broc Parkes. The Malaysian rider was jolted out of his complacency when wildcard Federico Sandi made an overtaking attempt on Azlan on Lap 5.
Fighting spirit triggered, Azlan went on a rampage on Lap 6 when he overtook Federico, Broc and Apiwat all in one lap. On Lap 7, Azlan snatched the reins from Thitipong to take full control of the race pace. Azlan’s familiarity with the Sepang International Circuit became a big advantage as he set the fastest lap of the race, 2’06.626s in the final lap.
Azlan added a fifth win to his name with 23’29.755s. 1.255 seconds behind, Thitipong managed P2 with 23’31.010s and Apiwat Wongthananon finished third for the fourth time this year with 23’31.465s. The ASB1000 Race 2 podium saw an interesting mix of manufacturers with Azlan on the BMW, Thitipong with Kawasaki and Apiwat Wongthananon representing Yamaha.