Asia Road Racing Championship 2023 kicks off in Thailand

2023 FIM Asia Road Racing Championships

Asia Superbike 1000cc Race 1

Md Zaqhwan Zaidi kicked off the weekend setting a new record of 1’34:844s in qualifying. His close contender Markus Reiterberger clocking 1’35’008s while Japanese star, Haruki Noguchi was third fastest with a 1’35:045s, to mark the front row on race day.

Zaqhwan showed blistering speed as soon the flagged dropped, Markus close behind. Turn 7 of the third lap, Haruki made a bold move from the inside and moved into P3. With temperatures soaring, the risk to tyre life was also looming.

Lap six saw Haruki once again make his move, overtaking Markus, then picking up speed as he hunted Zaqhwan down, which he did successfully on lap eight.

Azlan had picked up speed by lap 11, and from behind Zaqhwan made a bold move to come out ahead, the top three positions changing quickly with Azlan leading and Haruki fighting back for his spot.

Zaqhwan could not keep up and by the last turn, it was either Haruki or Azlan, the former bolting ahead, Haruki bagging victory.

Azlan was the runner-up, Zaqhwan third, and rounding out the top five were Reiterberger and Andi Farid.

Anthony West finished 10th, with his Victor Racing MLT Yamaha R1M noticeably down on top speed compared to most of the rest of the field.

Lachlan Epis on the Evolution Sport Group M 1000 RR was a DNF.

Lachlan Epis – DNF

“Bugger. Made a good start and pace was feeling strong, was stuck in a fight for 7th and saw an opportunity to make a pass to lead the group. Unfortunately I was a bit ambitious and ended up on my ass. Pace is strong so we’ll iron it out and come back better in race 2.”

Asia Superbike 1000 cc Race 1 Results

Asia Superbike 1000cc Race 2

Asia Superbikes kept the audience at the edge of their seats when Haruki pulled off his tricks once again for another win in Race 2. Zaqhwan boosted by setting a new lap record and another podium, where he was joined by Azlan.

Zaqhwan was quick into turn 1, however Markus made it past him rapidly. Haruki playing it cool in third.

Haruki took over the lead in lap two and Azlan slid into second. Markus finding his pace into P3 while Zaqhwan trailed him.

The battle heated up between Haruki and Azlan on lap three, with Azlan coming out of that engagement in front and on the charge.

Lap seven saw Andi steady in P3, inching closer to Haruki before making an overtake stick, and by lap nine he’d claimed the lead, picking up speed.

With two laps to go, Zaqhwan was third, behind Haruki and Andi held the lead.

The last turn saw Andi make a mistake, with Haruki grabbing the opportunity to strike for the win, Zaqhwan second, Azlan third and Andi down in fourth.

Haruki Noguchi – P1-1

“It was not a bad start but everyone seemed to be picking up on speed. Although I was at the front, today seemed a little tougher for me. But the last turn gave me the opportunity and I am happy for the win. I thank everyone who has worked hard for me.”

Noguchi leaves Round 1 with 50-points, to Zaqhwan and Azlan who were tied on 36-points a-piece.

Lachlan Epis claimed seven-points, and Ant West six-points, both recording a DNF each for the weekend.

Lachlan Epis – P9

“The new bike and tyres were a bigger adaptation than I think we were prepared for. Overall I think we had a positive first weekend, it was a shame to fall in the first race and we went with the wrong tyres for the second but that’s part of the process this year learning the championship. We have a lot of information to go over before round 2 and we will arrive I hope with a lot more speed.”

Asia Superbike 1000 cc Race 2 Results

Asia Superbike 1000 cc Standings

SuperSports 600 cc Race 1

Nakarin made a swift move up the inside and took lead at turn 1 as the first Supersport 600 race kicked off, but Khairul was quick to recover his position. Soichiro staying calm, with Helmi trailing him closely.

With the riders settling comfortably into their positions, it was a matter of closing down the gaps between Khairul and Nakarin – the former steadily leading the race. In P4 Helmi upped his pace and switched places with Soichiro at the end of lap 4.

Lap six saw that top three unchanged, however Ratthapong inched his way into P4 while Soichiro began losing momentum. Gerry Salim was on the move, with Keito Abe close behind.

With three laps left, Helmi was playing catch up with to Nakarin who was chasing down Khairul.

That came to a head in the final lap, where Nakarin placed intense pressure on Khairul, overtaking at turn 5. The heated battle continued as Khairul tried to position for a comeback.

Through the last turn, Khairul worked his magic and went up the inside before bolting ahead to victory.

Runner-up was Nakarin, followed by Azman. Keito Abe and Garry Salim rounding out the top five.

SuperSports 600 cc Race 1 Results

SuperSports 600 cc Race 2

Nakarin beat Khairul to the punch in Race 2 and into turn 1 , however Khairul was quicket for the sector, overhauling Nakarin before completing lap 1.

In P3 and P4, Keito Abe and Soichiro were battling it out, with the latter proving the faster from this engagement.

Three laps down saw Nakarin chasing Khairul furiously, Soichiro inching closer in third.

Mid-race, Khairul was 0.446s ahead of Nakarin, who was picking up speed. Keito Abe fighting to close up the gap with Soichiro.

By lap 10, Nakarin closed the gap to Khairul down to a 0.239s gap. The Thai lad was determined to make his up way into the lead.

With one lap to go Nakarin made the pass stick to the Malaysian, breaking away to a 0.105s lead.

Nakarin Atiratphuvapat

“Last night I couldn’t sleep as I kept thinking about the race and how to do differently today. The game was pretty similar to yesterday but I tried my best to manage to tires till the last lap. Personally, KIP is very strong. But I tried overtake him at the last lap and close the gap at the last corner and I made it.”

Khairul was the runner-up, Soichiro third, Keito Abe fourth, and Azroy Anuar fifth.

Nakarin and Khairul leave Round 1 with 45-points a-piece, third placed Soichuro distant on 26-points, but also tied with Keito Abe.

SuperSports 600 cc Race 2 Results

SuperSports 600 cc Standings

Asia Production 250 cc Race 1

ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM covered the front row of the grid, and the advantage was amplified for Rheza Danica who made a quick move to take lead at the first turn.

Rheza quickly took control of the circuit, slowly increasing speed lap-by-lap. By the end of lap 3, teammate Veda Ega positioned himself second, Muklada trailing close behind.

Herjun then overtook Muklada, moving the ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM trio into the top three positions.

Rheza comfortably led, Veda Ega fighting to close to gap, while Muklada and Herjun, fought for P3 mid-race.

Muklada lost a place as Jakkreephat made a pass stick, Herjun, Muklada and Jakkreephat now battling for third.

With a lap to go, Rheza confirmed the win with Veda Ega second.

Last turn excitement mounted with Herjun and Muklada making one last push towards the chequered flag, with Muklada losing the battle and podium spot as a result.

Asia Production 250 cc Race 1 Results

Asia Production 250 cc Race 2

It was a great start for the riders of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM again with Herjun taking lead in Race 2, before his teammates Veda Ega and Rheza made their way past him, with three other ridings crashing in the first corner.

As the race progressed, Jakkreephat and Rheza engaged battled it out, while Muklada held third, and Herjun pressured Irfan from from fifth, before overtaking.

Rheza was building speed as Muklada and Jakkreephat fought for P2, and Irfan aimed for P3.

Lap 7 saw Herjun leading the rest of the field, behind Rheza who was on his way to victory.

Irfan made a bold move up the inside into P2 just before it was snatched by Muklada. The competition was tight between trio, Herjun, Irfan and Muklada all aiming for second.

With one more lap to go, Rheza was impeccable, holding an almost nine-second gap.

The race was on for P2 though, and in the chaos, Herjun fell, Jakkreephat and Muklada avoiding the crash and speeding into second and third respectively.

Cao Viet Nam and Aiki Iyoshi completing the top five.

Rheza Danica Ahrens

“It the beginning, it was a little tough for me to find my pace but once I was ahead of them, I was focused on finding the right rhythm. I managed to create the gap and went on to pick up speed. This is a good start to the season and I am very happy.”

Rheza holds the Asia Production lead after Round 1 with 50-points, Jakkreephat and Muklada tied on 29-points.

Asia Production 250 cc Race 2 Results

Asia Production 250 cc Standings

Underbone 150 cc Race 1

Wawan Wello was quick to find his pace as the Underbone 150 class kicked into gear for Race 1, taking the lead after turn one.

Ahmad Fazli Sham managed to pressure his way into the lead mid-way through lap one, Hafiza picking up pace and emerged in P1, the competition stiff as riders looped in and out of the top three.

By mid-race, Izam Ikmal briefly moved into the lead before Wawan Wello shot ahead.

With a lap to go, Wawan Wello took the lead but was struck by Nazirul Izzat and Murobbil Vittoni.

Turn 5 saw Haziq Fairues move into the lead with a gap that kept the troop trailing him. He held on fiercely but was superseded by Shafiq Rasol from the inside before the duo engaged in one final battle for the win.

Shafiq Rasol was the winner, just 0.012s ahead of Haziq Fairues, with Wawan Wello third just 0.058s off the lead.

Underbone 150 cc Race 1 Results

Underbone 150 cc Race 2

As the flag for Race 2 dropped, the troop gathered in a tight line with Wawan Wello taking the lead into turn 1 before Hafiza and Fazli Sham went ahead.

Izzat Zaidi was in on the action by the end of lap one, with Wahyu close behind. By lap 3, Pilipino Gian Carlo took charge but was quickly superseded by Malaysian, Haziq Fairues.

Between slip-streaming and the ability to strike at the right time, the riders were in endless exchange of positions.

With one lap to go, the battle heated up and at turn eight, Wawan was ahead with Hafiza following close behind. At the last turn, Izzat sled in between Hafiza and Wawan and made it into second while Hafiza took the victory.

Hafiza Rofa

“It was a tough fight today. The riders were vigorous but I tried to push in the last two laps to catch up with the middle group before I went for the win. My team and crew members have prepared a fantastic machine and I thank them for it.”

Wawan Wello was left third, Reynaldi Pradana nipping at his heals, just 0.005s off the podium.

Hafiza Rofa holds the lead on 34-points heading to Round 2, ahead of Wawan Wello (32 points) and Haziq Fairues (29 points).

Underbone 150 cc Race 2 Results

Underbone 150 cc Standings

TVS Asia One Make Championship Race 1

The riders were off to a fantastic start as soon as the flag dropped for Race 1 of the TVS Asia One Make Championship, Vorapong immediately striking for the lead, but superseded by Ramdan who seemed confident aboard the TVS Apache RR310.

Vorapong struck back, Kerwin leading the troop by the end of lap 2, Ramdan bolting into the lead.

By mid-race, Vorapong was back in the lead, pressured by Malaysian duo Ramdan and Muzakkir, before lap five saw, Thai rider Piyawat emerged into P1.

The pressure continued to mount with each lap and with two more laps to go, Ramdan faced issues with his machine, slowing him down.

On the last lap, it was nip and tuck between Vorapong and Piyawat, the 2022 champion fiery in defending his title, bolting ahead for the win.

Runner-up was Piyawat Patoomyos, followed by Taiyo Saito.

TVS Asia One Make Championship Race 1 Results

TVS Asia One Make Championship Race 2

Piyawat took the lead as Race 2 kicked off, Ramdan second, followed by Vorapong in P3. The Thai lad seemed confident as he charged ahead while the duo behind him tried to push through. Malaysian rider, Muzakkir chasing in P4.

By lap 4 Ramdan found his moment to strike and took over the lead briefly before it passed to Fugo.

By one more lap to go, it was Fugo at the front with Decky and Muzakkir chasing. Vorapong was trying to inch closer from P4. At the last turn, Vorapong managed to slide into P2 before converting that into the lead.

Vorapong Malahuan

“This race is different from yesterday’s. Yesterday, we were pushing faster and faster but today, it was not like that. All riders were trying to play safe, for the sake of restoring the tires till the end of the game. It was a hot day therefore it was crucial to strategize so that we can finish the race. Even during the warm up, I only did 2 laps because I did not want to wear it out. The tires are from Race 1 therefore, we had to safe it up for Race 2. To be honest, I did not know if I could fight for a win today but half way through the last lap, I noticed the Japanese rider taking lead. I thought of an idea for the last turn and it worked!”

Fugo Tanaka had to settle for second by the smallest of margins, 0.001s, with Decky Tiarno Aldy a distant – in comparison – third at 0.255s off the win.

Vorapong holds the lead into Round 2 with 50-points, Fugo Tanaka and Taiyo Saito both sitting on 25-points, just ahead of Patoomyos, Decky, and Muzakkir all on 24-points.

TVS Asia One Make Championship Race 2 Results

TVS Asia One Make Championship Standings