For most of the 2018 season, the Indonesian riders in the Underbone 150cc category had been outnumbered 2-to-1 by their Malaysian arch rivals. Indonesia’s top performing Underbonerider, Wahyu Aji Trilaksana, had struggled with consistency issues for most of the seasons, often finding himself out-flanked and boxed in by the usual Underbone tactics.
However, the Indonesians, long reigning champions in the Underbone class, will enjoy a respite in the upcoming round as an influx of six wildcard riders even out the odds at the 3.964km Sentul track.
After four rounds, Mohd Helmi Azman has a small lead with 134 points. He leads Mohd Izzat Zaidi by 23 points. Ahmad Fazli Sham’s double win in India had promoted him to third overall while Wahyu Aji dropped down to fourth.
The penultimate round in Indonesia will be Wahyu’s best opportunity to turn the tables around in the Underbone class. Mathematically, 53 points adrift to the leader, the Yamaha rider still has a shot at creating an upset that would open up the title chase.