Race 2 of Round 3 IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in the Asia Superbike 1000cc category showcased high-speed drama. Yuki Kunii of SDG Team HARC―PRO Honda Ph. made an great comeback, clinching the his first win at home ground.
As the race started, Sho immediately took the lead. Behind him, Yuki raced fiercely to challenge Sho’s position and overtook the Race 1 winner at P1. Trailed closely behind was Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah of JDT RACING TEAM followed by Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman of TKKR BMW Racing Team and Andi Farid Izdihar of Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo at P5.
The riders position maintained before Sho crash on lap 7, watched him out of the race. Hafizh took P2 followed by Azlan and Andi.
Yuki at P1 picked up his pace lap by lap, leaving Hafizh at P2 5 seconds behind.
On last lap, Yuki maintained his pace and made it to the top of the podium at 24’03:081s.
Yuki said, “To be honest, I’m overjoyed. It’s my first win and podium, and it meant the world to me. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my team. Yesterday, when the engine broke, it felt like a setback, but they worked tirelessly to fix the bike, never losing faith in me. It’s their support that got us here today. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to my team, my family, and all the fans who believed in me. Words can’t express my gratitude, but thank you all immensely!”
Second place went to Hafizh who concluded the race at 24’08:208s, while Nakarin finished clocked 24’13:578s to take third spot on the podium.
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
ASB1000
- Yuki Kunii – SDG Team HARC―PRO Honda Ph. (24’03:081s)
- Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah – JDT RACING TEAM (24’08:208s)
- Nakarin Atiratphuvapat – Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo (24’13:578s)
- Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman – TKKR BMW Racing Team (24’14:095s)
- Md Zaqhwan Zaidi – Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo (24’14:281s)