A change in the UB150 pecking order after Race 1 has set the stage for an explosive final race at the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship finale in Thailand this week.
A strong performance in the SuperPole earlier in the day had brought title contender Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues to pole position alongside two ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team riders Ahmad Fazli Sham and Wahyu Aji Trilaksana on the front row.
As the 31 riders assembled on the congested grid for the start of Race 1, a clean start brought polesitter Haziq into the lead at Turn 1 with the rest of the grid in hot pursuit. The intensity of the title chase had ramped up the action in the Underbone 150cc Race 1. At the end of the first lap, the top 11 riders came across the finish line within the same second.
Unfortunately for championship leader Mohd Akid Aziz, mechanical failure forced the Uma Racing Yamaha Maju Motor Asia Team rider out of the race on Lap 2. More carnage ensued on the same lap when Mohammad Murobbil Vitoni, Syahrul Amin, Richard Taroreh and Muhamad Iqbal Abdul Malek got involved in a big pile-up at Turn 4. Thankfully, all the riders were able to walk away from the crash.
Seasoned campaigner Ahmad Fazli Sham used every bit of skill in his arsenal to lead the group across the finish line for most of the 8-lap race. Three laps to go, while Fazli continues to mix things up at the front, championship hopeful McKinley Kyle Paz was tucked into the front group on P6.
McKinley’s team mate Fernando Masato sprung a surprise on the last lap when he stormed past Fazli and into the lead. The Filipino rider held on to his advantage for two more corners but lost the lead to Fazli as they exited Turn 3. Team tactics came into play at this point when the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team riders bunched up together to squeeze Masato out of the front. Fazli got onto the lead with the aid of their slipstream.
Another crash at the same corner gave Fazli the space he needed to pull ahead of the group. The Malaysian rider kept his momentum for the rest of the final lap and notched his second win of the season. Wahyu Aji Trilaksana made it a ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team 1-2 when he crossed the line in second place. Fernando Masato settled for third place.
McKinley Kyle Paz took control of the title chase when he finished tenth in Race 1. McKinley leads Akid by only two points. The Underbone 150 title chase is now down to five riders including Haziq Fairues, Ahmad Fazli Sham and Aldi Satya Mahendra ahead of the final race on Sunday.