ZAMRI CHARTS NEW RECORD AT REFURBISHED MADRAS CIRCUIT A new pitlane, shrubs cleared off, and new tyre walls made up the bulk of the upgrades at the newly-refurbished Madras Motor Race Track. Increased visibility has boosted the riders’ confidence and clearly Malaysia’s Mohd Zamri Baba was the first to benefit from the improved track conditions. Zamri, who had won the SuperSports 600cc race here in 2010, lists the Madras Motor Race Track as one of his favourites. The 2011 track record of 01:44.100s posted by Decha Kraisart was erased when Zamri clocked a new fast lap of 01:44.025s. “The track still lacks grip but there certainly has been improvements. The heavy rain over the past two nights made things a lot tougher because there was a lot of mud left on the track surface after the rain had dried up. I am no longer surprised by the new track record. Over the past two years, it seems like every time the championship reaches a host venue, new lap records are consistently created. This shows the level that the bike has improved within such a short frame of time,” said Zamri. Championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman posted second fastest with 01:44.328s followed by Katsuaki Fujiwara with the third fastest time of 01:44.651s. Fujiwara is on a make-or-break mission this round as he fights to prevent Azlan from pulling ahead in the title chase. Thai rider Thitipong Warokorn, racing for the first time in Chennai, surprised even himself when he posted fourth fastest with 01:44.675s. Makoto Tamada checked in with the fifth fastest time of 01:45.044s. UNDERBONE RECORDS INTACT Many of the teams and riders in the Underbone 115cc class are still focusing on set-up instead of clocking fast times. As such, the 2011 track records in the Underbone classes has remained unbroken after the first day of practice. Malaysian rider Mohd Hafieenaz Mohd Ali came close to the 01:59.820s record still held by Rafid Topan Sucipto. Hafieenaz, who races for the Faito Factory Racing team, posted a fastest lap of 01:59.904s on the 3.717km circuit. “Everything was good with the bike and I am delighted to be the only one clocking under the 2-minute bar, at least for today,” said Hafieenaz. “The bike worked perfectly today but I am sure there will be a lot more competition tomorrow.” Indonesia’s Harlan Fadhillah stayed on his fast streak and posted second fastest with 02:00.328s followed by the double winner from Round 2, Norizman Ismail, who was third fastest with 02:00.442s. Norizman’s team mate Md Affendi Rosli and another Malaysian rider, Md Rozaiman Said completed the top five. ONO IN FRONT AGAIN There were no surprises in the Asia Dream Cup category. Hiroki Ono was again the leading man with the fastest time of 01:57.900s. The Thai riders, in general, have done very well at the Madras Motor Race Track. Jakkrit Swangswat ended the practice second fastest with 01:58.319s and his countrymen Nakarin Atiratphuvapat was third fastest with 01:59.132s and Kanatat Jaiman fourth fastest with 01:59.353s respectively. “It was a challenging day for me,” said Ono. “This is my first encounter with a track that is so highly technical. Pulling ahead of the pack will be an uphill task this Sunday and I expect a tough fight on my hands.” Local riders Sumit Toppo and Arunagiri Prabhu ended the first practice in eighth fastest and tenth fastest respectively at their home track. Sumit clocked 02:00.429s while Arunagiri stopped the clock at 02:00.909s SuperSports 600cc Free Practice 1 1. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (MAS), 01:45.492s; 2. Md Zamri Baba (MAS), 01:45.541s; 3. Ryuta Kobayashi (JPN), 01:46.115s; 4. Katsuaki Fujiwara (JPN), 01:46.386s; 5. Thitipong Warokorn (THA), 01:46.742s. SuperSports 600cc Free Practice 2 1. Md Zamri Baba (MAS), 01:44.025s; 2. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (MAS), 01:44.328s; 3. Katsuaki Fujiwara (JPN), 01:44.651s; 4. Thitipong Warokorn (THA), 01:44.675s; 5. Makoto Tamada (JPN), 01:45.044s Underbone 115cc Free Practice 1 1. Md Rozaiman Said (MAS), 02:01.163s; 2. Md Affendi Rosli (MAS), 02:01.672s; 3. Gupita Kresna Wardhana (INA), 02:01.863s; 4. Ahmad Afif Amran (MAS), 02:02.495s; 5. Norizman Ismail (MAS), 02:02.775s Underbone 115cc Free Practice 2 1. Md Hafieenaz Md Ali (MAS), 01:59.904s; 2. Harlan Fadhillah (INA), 02:00.328s; 3. Norizman Ismail (MAS), 02:00.442s; 4. Md Affendi Rosli (MAS), 02:00.555s; 5. Md Rozaiman Said (MAS), 02:01.153s Asia Dream Cup Free Practice 1 1. Hiroki Ono (JPN), 01:57.900s; 2. Jakkrit Swangswat (THA), 01:58.319s; 3. Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (THA), 01:59.132s; 4. Kanatat Jaiman (THA), 01:59.353s; 5. Md Fitri Ashraf Razali (MAS), 02:00.082