SEPANG, May 31 – Azroy Hakeem Anuar stamped his class as he emerges as the winner of Race 1 in the ASB1000 category during Round 2 of the Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at Petronas International Circuit Sepang today.
The Idemitsu Honda Racing Malaysia team rider, starting from third on the grid, displayed a confident riding style that allowed him to lead the race from the second lap.
Throughout Race 1, he was repeatedly challenged by Hafiz Syahrin Abdullah of the JDT Racing team, but he remained calm and tactically managed the race.
As the race went into the seventh lap, Azroy pulled further ahead and this lead continued until the final lap, crossing the finish line in a time of 25:22.336 seconds.
It was Azroy’s first victory since entering the ASB1000 class at ARRC. His teammate, Muhammad Zaqhwan Zaidi finished third while Hafiz Syahrin was content with second place.
“This is the result of hard work by the team throughout the week and I am very grateful to have won this race. My bike was in excellent condition and I am very satisfied with this achievement.
“I will continue working hard and strive to maintain this momentum in Race 2 tomorrow,” said Azroy.
Meanwhile, national rider Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (Hong Leong Yamaha Racing) showcased his agility during Race 1 in the SS600 class.
He admitted it was a very intense race with all riders delivering outstanding performances in their pursuit of a podium finish.
At the start, the race was led by Muhammad Helmi Azman of the Idemitsu Honda Racing Malaysia, but a mistake made halfway through allowed other riders to overtake.
Kasma capitalized on the opportunity to move ahead but was unable to defend his lead as on the final lap he was overtaken by Indonesia’s Muhammad Adenanta Putra (Astra Honda Racing Team).
Adenanta finished with a time of 21:52.467s, beating Kasma who had to settle for second place with a 0.172s difference. Thai rider Anupab Sarmoon finished third with a time of 21:52.811s.
In the AP250 class, Indonesian riders lived up to their expectations with Fadillah Arbi Aditama (Astra Honda Racing Team) winning Race 1 with a time of 19:22.493s, followed by fellow Indonesian, Irfan Ardiansyah (Maetro NWN SCK Honda Racing Team) in second place while local rider Md Izam Ikmal from Victor Racing Team finishing third.
Race 1 for UB150 category was particularly exciting. Overall leader, Husni Zainul Fuadzy from ZIEAR LFN HP969 MCR RBT 34 Indonesia demonstrated his might again, winning with a time of 10:30.863s.
This victory further strengthened his overall standing having recorded the same result in Race 1 at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand last month.
“I am very satisfied with this result. My focus throughout the race was simply to enjoy it and stay in the leading group and it paid off.
“I will try to maintain this performance tomorrow in Race 2 to repeat this success,” said Husni.
Race 1 was temporarily halted due to several riders crashed, resulting in the track surface becoming somewhat ‘dirty’ with oil spills. After nearly 20 minutes of cleaning, the 6-lap race resumed smoothly.
Once restarted, the competition intensified again between Indonesian and Malaysian riders with them frequently swapping positions for the lead.
Malaysian rider Md Akid Aziz (Pitsbike Superfast JRT Racing Team) who was briefly in front, was unable to maintain his momentum but was still satisfied to finish the race in third position with a time of 10:31.297s.
In the Superpole session earlier today, Akid posted the fastest time.
Race 2 for all categories will be held tomorrow.
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