Underbone racing has long been acknowledged as a form of racing unique to the South East Asian region. However, the uniqueness of this class lies beyond the aggressive, close-contact racing that has come to characterize this special South East Asian heritage class.
Unlike other race categories, many of the teams who specialize in Underbone racing develops and market their own brand of after-market performance parts. With billions of Underbone bikes sold in Asia every year, this is a business model that is different from that of other race teams that are dependent on sponsorship.
Some of the most successful teams who have gone on to develop their own products include Maju Motor (UMA Racing), SND Racing, YY Pang, and SCK.
A new brand enters the ARRC market in 2019 – Cardinals Racing. Pioneered by former Malaysian Cub Prix rider Wong Kok Fatt (KF Wong), the new entry will be using the Asian circuits primarily as a research and development platform to enhance their products.
“I used to be a Cub Prix rider in my youth, but I hung up my boots in 2002,” said team principal, KF Wong. “When I left the sport, I opened my own workshop but eventually, retailing parts morphed into an opportunity to develop our own products. That was the beginning of Cardinals Racing.”
For the team’s Asian debut, Wong will be banking on the skills of experienced riders Mohd Fitri Ashraf Razali, Mohd Rozaiman Said and Cheppy Armansyah.
“Being a new team, we needed riders who are more stable and better at giving feedback. To be honest, I feel a lot of pressure coming into Round 1. I’ve been away from the sport for the better part of a decade. Coming back, I find our team facing 32 of the best Underbone riders in the world. This will be our greatest challenge so far.”