YOUNG BLOOD SEIZE THE DAY IN SENTUL
The young riders in the 2014 PETRONAS FIM Asia Road Racing Championship seized the day at the Sentul International Circuit as they stole the limelight in the uncertain weather conditions at Round 2 of the 2014 PETRONAS FIM Asia Road Racing Championship held on June 15, 2014.
Indonesian rider M. Fadli threw down the gauntlet under wet conditions in Race 1. Using the soft tyres as his compound of choice, Fadli carved out a 0.135s lead at the front of the SuperSports 600cc grid. Fadli’s mastery of his home track could not be challenged as he delighted the throngs of Indonesian fans with a convincing win recorded with 25’21.699s. HA Yudhistira caused even more cheers when he came in second place with 25’21.834s while championship leader Mohd Zamri Baba limped in to third place with 25’21.917s.
In Race 2, Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi wrapped up the second round on a high note as he too clinched his first SuperSports 600cc victory in a dramatic battle against his Indonesian rivals Dimas Ekky Pratama, HA Yudhistira and also M. Fadli. Race 2 saw Zamri Baba shooting off from pole position but the experienced rider crashed out of the opening laps. The race then eased into a three-rider contest between Fadli, Dimas and Zaqhwan Zaidi. However, while the three leaders concentrated on each other, HA Yudhistira had fought his way up the grid and caught up with the first group with three laps to go. There was a high possibility of an all-Indonesian podium except that Fadli who had still opted for the soft compound despite the drying track, crashed out of the race when he lost grip. Fadli’s incident opened up a small mirror of opportunity for Zaqhwan to storm into the front and eventually snared his first 600cc career win with a time of 24’49.441s. Dimas settled for second place with 24’49.661s, also his first SuperSports 600cc podium while Yudhistira came in third with 24’50.170s.
Although Zamri failed to pick any points from Race 2, the 31-year old maintains his championship lead with 66 points. Yudhistira comes in second with 59 points while Katsuaki Fujiwara (BEET Kawasaki Racing) sits in third with 49 points.
Round 3 of the 2014 PETRONAS FIM Asia Road Racing Championship will take place at the Autopolis International Race Course in Japan this coming August 15 – 17, 2014.
GUPITA TAKES CHARGE
Indonesian rider Gupita Kresna Wardhana has successfully used his homeground advantage to push Ahmad Fazli Sham down the championship standings as the second leg of the 2014 PETRONAS FIM Asia Road Racing Championship signed off from the Sentul International Circuit on June 15, 2014.
The Kawasaki KYT Rextor Manual Tech rider bagged a double podium before his local fans when he finished second in both Race 1 with 21’05.262s and Race 2 with 19’55.092s.
It was a day of cheers for many newcomers to the Underbone 130cc podium. In Race 1, Thai rider Vorapong Malahuan of Thai Honda Racing Thailand, bagged his first ARRC win with a total of 21’05.361s. Vorapong rode a hard race as he struggled to catch up with the leading group under a heavy downpour that obscured the riders’ vision of the track. Third place went to the injured Norizman Ismail who crossed the finish line in third place with 21’06.243s.
In Race 2, it was wildcard rider Hendriansyah who shone. The current top rider in the IndoPrix series outwitted the full-season riders as he claimed the win with a time of 19’54.763s. Japanese rider Kazuki Masaki also awarded Team Honda RSC with their first ARRC podium when he finished third with 19’55.314s.
The 20-point haul from Sentul puts Gupita in the lead with 70 points. Norizman Ismail climbs up to second overall with 52 points while Ahmad Fazli Sham drops down to third overall with 45 points.
KHAIRUL KEEPS THE LEAD DESPITE CHALLENGE FROM NAGOE
Khairul Idham Pawi successfully defended his lead in the Asia Dream Cup standings with a double podium at the Sentul International Circuit (host to Round 2 of the 2014 PETRONAS FIM Asia Road Racing Championship on June 15, 2014).
In Race 1, the class leader found it hard to challenge Japanese rider Teppei Nagoe who conquered the wet race with a time of 19’00.454s. Khairul Idham came in second with 19’00.458s, just 0.004 seconds adrift of the winner. Aditya Pangestu completed the winning circle with a third place finish in 19’00.649s.
Nagoe, who had recently won the inaugural Suzuka 2-hour Endurance race on June 8 was consistent throughout the weekend. “I have my mechanics and coach to thank for this win,” he said. “I had a really great bike to work with.”
A similar formation took place for Race 2 with six different riders fighting for lead only this time they were hit with a rain storm with three laps remaining. Even so, this did not stop Khairul from pulling the rug under Aditya’s feet during the dash to the finish line, ultimately securing his third win for the season after Sepang.
Khairul completed Race 2 in 19’33.676s while Andi Farid and Aditya settled for second and third with 19’33.761s and 19’34.744s respectively.
Hauling 45 points from this round, Khairul extends his championship lead to 95 points followed by Nagoe in second with 65 points and Aditya third with 59 points.