RCB Yamaha YY Pang’s Mohd Izzat Zaidi proved that his season opening win in Thailand a month ago was no fluke with another winning performance at The Bend Motorsport Park in Round 2 of the 2018 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.
The Malaysian rider who started the race from second on the grid, ran a smart race tucked in deep within the leading pack. While Mohd Helmi Azman, Wahyu Aji Trilaksana and McKinley Kyle Paz took turns leading the group across the start/finish line, Izzat played a 6-lap waiting game before coming out of the shadows in the last lap.
As the Underbone 150cc riders entered three-abreast into the final corner, Izzat successfully broke out of the slipstream to take his second win of the season with 16’23.831s. Championship leader Mohd Helmi Azman from the SCK Rapido Hi Rev Honda Racing Team stayed in touch with the title chase by coming home in second place, 16’23.947s. Indonesian rider Wahyu Aji Trilaksana picked up his first podium of the season in third place, 16’23.968s.
With this win, Izzat has taken over the championship lead from Helmi Azman. The Yamaha rider leads with 58 points. Helmi dropped to second overall with 56 points. As strategies and plans are being laid down for Race 2 on Sunday, Wahyu will need to overcome a 20-point deficit from third on the ladder.