AZROY CARVES HISTORY WITH HIS DEBUT

It’s another day of adrenaline rush at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) and a victory for Azroy Hakeem Anuar of BOON SIEW HONDA RACING TEAM in the MSBK1000 A Class, Race 1 of Round 2, Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK).

The nerve-wrecking battle between the best took a grand start when Zaqhwan who began at the second spot on the grid fled to P1 seconds after the race flagged off. While Zaqhwan held on to the position for one lap, he was then superseded by Azlan and Azroy in lap two.

From then on, the fight for the finest spot was between the duo who went on a chase for three laps before Azroy who made his debut in MSBK1000 A Class in Round 2 finally flaunted his manoeuvring skills and took charge. He took a slide ahead of Azlan and kept on to his speed from the fifth lap onwards while Azlan held his pace at P2.

Behind them, Zaqhwan was in a neck-to-neck battle with Kasma who was relentlessly pushing himself upward. While Zaqhwan was adamant to keep up at P3, the pressure mounted and he finally gave in to Kasma in lap six. Kasma at P3 was not satisfied. He went on to strike Azlan who was ahead of him at P2. At the final lap, Kasma took over P2 while Azroy went on to create history.

Azroy made it to the chequered flag at 21’37:503s.

Commenting on the race, Azroy said, “The win was unexpected but a very satisfying one. I had better pace than Azlan and I tried my best to remain consistent throughout each lap. I thought it was Kasma at the back but it seemed like he was stuck with Azlan.”

“To be honest, it was quite a tiring feat. The ten-lap race seemed too long and my hands started to ache but I managed to stay on and complete the race. We shall see how it works tomorrow.”

Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin of YAMAHA GEN BLU RACING TEAM ASEAN made it second on the podium at 21’38:383s.

Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman of HORIZON RACING TEAM came in third at 21’39:552s.

As for the MSBK1000 B Class, Khoo Chee Yen of MOBILUB SUZUKI RACING TEAM clocked in fastest in Race 1.

Chee Yen took the 9th spot on the grid when he completed the qualifying session 2’17:352s. However, he managed to get ahead of the riders in the MSBK1000 B Class in the very first lap.

While Chee Yen was able to keep up to his pace and consistency, he took one position down when his closest rival overtook him at lap five. But Chee Yen who has proven his skills over the years of participation in the championship utilised his experiences well and he managed to slide back ahead, taking back the initial spot in the sixth lap.

From then on, Chee Yen kept on to his momentum, taking strides, lap after lap. He held on to the position until the chequered flag.

Chee Yen made his fastest in the practice session yesterday at 2’17:967s. His best time for today’s race was 2’17:150s.

He completed the ten laps fastest at 23’02:629s.

Commenting on the race, Chee Yen said, “My machine has been very good, finally I have gotten it back. I have a very good race engineer this week. The weather was extremely hot today, however I managed my pace and with an addition of good luck this week, I am glad to have scored P1.”

Coming in at the second fastest was Muhd Syukri Mat Zoki of ESRA RACING TEAM at 23’02:908s.

Teo Yew Joe took the third fastest spot, clocking in at 23’10:490s.

Andi Farid Izdihar of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM added on to the challenge of the MSBK600 class when he made a big finish at the top spot in Race 1.

Andi took the pole position after marking the fastest in the qualifying session this morning at 2’09:227s. That gave him an advantage for a positive start. His strength and dexterity were later unveiled when he paced around the circuit, holding on to P1 in the ten-lap race.

Although Andi was consistently pressured from the back by his rivals, he was not easily threatened. He seemed to have found his footing as he took on superior speed ahead of the troop at the final lap.

Meanwhile, Khairul who began the race at the fourth spot on the grid managed to speed up into P2 at the third lap. From then on, he has been finding ways to get ahead of Andi. Close behind him was Ibrahim who was also finding similar opportunities to strike.

It was not until the last lap where P1 became unreachable when Andi bolted ahead leaving Khairul and Ibrahim in a fight for a better position. At the 7th turn, Ibrahim found the opportunity to strike and switched places with Khairul. Just then, as Khairul dropped one spot down, his teammate Helmi who was at P4 quickly made his move into P3.

The heated motorcycle combat witnessed Andi gliding ahead into victory at 21’52:947s.

Commenting on the race, Andi said, “It was a good day today as I made the fastest in the qualifying session – better than even in the ARRC. The weather was hot but was better in the morning as there was good grip on the machine. But during the race, I struggled a little midrace with the grip. I tried my best to manage though.”

“There was also consistent pressure from the other riders behind me which made it even more challenging, however I kept pushing towards the end. It was a good race and to have won.”

Muhd Ibrahim Muhd Norrodin of SIC RACING finished at P2, logging in at 21’53:671s.

Muhd Helmi Azman of BOON SIEW HONDA RACING TEAM made his fastest at 21’54:314s.

For the MSBK250 A Class, Muhd Irfan Haykal Amidi of BOON SIEW HONDA RACING TEAM took the win at Race 1.

It was a close battle among the top four riders who were on a chase towards earning the winning title. Idlan took the pole position on the grid, followed by Farish on the second spot, Irfan on the third and Emil at the fourth.

For the first seven laps, Idlan was seen swiftly taking strides around the circuit at the lead position. While the trio behind him were engaged in a switch of positions between laps, Idlan remained focused and poised at P1. By the last lap however, Farish managed to boldly slide into the P1 position. Luck was not on his side though when seconds into P1, he took a fall which gave Idlan who was at arm’s length the opportunity to quickly grab back the lead position.

As the race continued with Idlan at P1 and with Farish out of the equation, it was then a fight between the top three trio. At the last turn, a twist to the plot took place when Irfan slid ahead of his teammate Idlan.

That was his winning moment as Irfan took speed and completed the race at 20’18:124s

Commenting on the race, Irfan said, “In the beginning, I only trailed the riders ahead of me and stayed put in the top four groups. It was not until the last lap that I saw the opportunity to take the lead and grabbed it.”

“I thank my team for this win.”

Muhd Idlan Hakimi Raduan added the cheer for BOON SIEW HONDA RACING TEAM when he landed at the second spot, clocking in at 20’18:276s.

At the third place, it was Emil Idzhar Ezuan of SIC RACING who made his fastest at 20’18:711s.

For the MSBK250 B Class, Muhd Amir Izzat Rozali of HORIZON RACING TEAM scored the fastest in Race 1.

Amir began the race from the 7th spot on the grid. In lap 1, Amir managed to slide into the top five troop however fell one spot down in lap 2. By the third lap, Amir was already in control of his machine, managing it at a consistent pace ahead of the rest in the B Class.

It was then all about keeping up to the momentum, in guard of his position. Yesterday during the practice session, Amir set his best time at 2’45:467s and 2’40:824s in the qualifying session this morning.

Amir completed the fastest in 21’27:946s.

Commenting on the race, Amir said, “It was a good start today but towards the end, I found it a little difficult to manage the machine. The suspension was giving way.”

“I will try to improve tomorrow and with the new setup of the suspension, hopefully I would make it with a better outcome.”

Coming in at the second fastest for Race 1 was Muhammad Fauzi Hasan at 21’28:872s.

Ahmad Fariz Zafri of BUDAK KIMIA-JOND CHAIN LUBE RACING BY BRAAAP took the third fastest spot at 21’29:281s.

For the Yamaha Y16ZR Race MasterClass, Arash Tsunami Kamarudin of GT-MAX made a stunning win at Race 1.

Arash who began his race from the second spot on the grid was seen swallowed by the huge troop of riders in the very first lap when he dropped down to tenth position. However, the rider of high calibre had his strategies well in place.

From the tenth lap, he gradually picked up pace and went upward. By the third lap, Arash had taken P5 and while maintaining his position was not an easy feat especially among a pool of robust riders, he was determined to make this race count.

At the last lap, Arash who was last seen at P5 in lap five worked on his magic before he bolted ahead in the last lap towards the chequered flag first.

Arash clocked in at 17’37:309s.

Muhd Zaki Muhd Zamri of HOCK LIONG MOTOR RACING finished second at 17’37:340s.

At third place, it was M. Fareez Afeez A. Rahman of SBF BIKERS clocking in at 17’37:494s.

Top 5 Winners of MSBK1000 A Class

1. Azroy Hakeem Anuar, BOON SIEW HONDA RACING TEAM, 21’37:503

2. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin, YAMAHA GEN BLU RACING TEAM ASEAN, 21’38:383s

3. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, HORIZON RACING TEAM, 21’39:552s

4. Muhd Zaqhwan Zaidi, BOON SIEW HONDA RACING TEAM, 21’40:903s

5. Rajini Krishnan, RACR CASTROL POWER 1 ULTIMATE, 22’37:673s

Top 5 Fastest of MSBK1000 B Class

1. Khoo Chee Yen, MOBILUB SUZUKI RACING TEAM, 23’02:629s

2. Muhd Syukri Mat Zoki, ESRA RACING TEAM, 23’02:908s

3. Teo Yew Joe, 23’10:490s

4. Raja Nazeem Iskandar, 23’23:766s

5. Micheal Luke Stone, 23’25:665s

Top 5 Winners of MSBK600 Class

1. Andi Farid Izdihar, ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM, 21’52:947s

2. Muhd Ibrahim Muhd Noroddin, SIC RACING, 21’53:671s

3. Muhd Helmi Azman, BOON SIEW HONDA RACING TEAM, 21’54:314s

4. Khairul Idham Pawi, BOON SIEW HONDA RACING TEAM, 21’54:355s

5. M. Sharul Ezwan M. Sharil, 22’16:094s

Top 5 Winners of MSBK250 A Class

1. Muhd Irfan Haykal Hamidi, BOON SIEW HONDA RACING TEAM, 20’18:124s

2. Muhd Idlan Hakimi Raduan, BOON SIEW HONDA RACING TEAM, 20’18:276s

3. Emil Idzhar Eduan, SIC RACING, 20’18:711s

4. Farres Putra Mohd Fadhill, SIC RACING, 20’24:817s

5. Ashish Patel, UNITED CRA MOTORSPORTS INDIA, 21’28:374s

Top 5 Fastest of MSBK250 B Class

1. Muhd Amir Izzat Rosli, HORIZON RACING TEAM, 21’27:946s

2. Muhammad Fauzi Hasan, 21’28:872s

3. Ahmad Fariz Zafri, BUDAK KIMIA-JOND CHAIN LUBE RACING BY BRAAAP, 21’29:281s

4. Mohd Ezrix Syahriz, BUDAK KIMIA-JOND CHAIN LUBE RACING BY BRAAAP, 21’44:225s

5. Saidatul Zakirah Zairin, 21’59:948s

YAMAHA Y16ZR Race MasterClass

1. Arash Tsunami Kamarudin, GT-MAX, 17’37:309s

2. Muhd Zaki Ahmad Zamri, HOCK LIONG MOTOR RACING, 17’37:340s

3. M. Fareez Afeez A. Rahman, SBF BIKERS, 17'37:494s

4. Muhd Aliff Danial Muhd Asri, SINGDECA RACING, 17’37:652s

5. Mohd Aidil Mohd Ayub, ADVANCE VERTEX RACING, 17’37:710s