Asia Road Racing Championship

2018 – Round Four – Madras Motor Race Track, India

By Barry Russell

Anthony West and Travis Hall left their mark on when the Asia Road Racing Championship visited the Madras Motor Race Track near Chennai last weekend

In addition to winning both Supersport 600 races and making his lead in the standings practically unassailable, West recorded the fastest ever lap around the tricky 3.7km track, while 14-year-old Hall became the first Australian ever to finish on the Underbone podium in the 22-year history of the series.

The next round will be at Sentul Circuit in Indonesia on October 12-14.

Supersport 600

Because of missing the Indian round in 2017, it was Queenslander West’s first trip to the 34-year-old track which, despite its flowing curves, is made difficult because of a bumpy surface which he got to grips with quickly.

Kicking off the weekend, West lapped within a few tenths of Musashi Boon Siew Honda’s two-times champion, Zaqwan Zaidi in Friday’s first two free practice sessions, before pushing the Malaysian rider off the top of the timing screens with a 1’41.388 in the third session. Title rivals, Azlan Shah and Yuki Ito were more than half a second off the pace and languishing in the middle of the pack.

In Qualifying on Saturday morning the Musashi duo of Tomoyoshi Koyama and Zaqwan pushed hard, with the Japanese rider looking likely to take pole position after a quiet first half to the season. Then, in the closing minutes of the session, as Koyama watched from his pit box, West pulled the pin and set a new lap record of 1’40.585.

Zaqwan completed the front row, while Yamaha Thailand’s Decha Kraisart, Astra Honda’s Andi Farid Izdihar and Idemitsu Honda Team India’s Taiga Hada made up the second row. Azlan and Ito both qualified on the third row with times around a second slower than West.

Come Race 1 start Taiga Hada shot through from the second row to lead the pack away, shadowed by Koyama, West and Zaqwan. During the first half of the 16 lap race, Hada fought off his rivals, despite all three taking brief turns in the lead.

As tyre wear came increasingly into play, West made a decisive move into the lead and pushed hard.  =Hada clung on, but was unable to get close enough to make a challenge and was caught by Zaqwan, Koyama and the impressive Indonesian 19-year-old, Andi Farid.

Just behind the leading group, championship rival Azlan skittled off Decha at Turn 3, while Ito found himself being beaten up by two Malaysian teenagers, Azroy Hakeen Anuar and Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin.

West remained in control to take the chequered flag three tenths ahead of Zaqwan, with Hada completing the podium, and Farid fourth, while Koyama was fifth. Azroy and Kasma succeeded in relegating Ito to eighth, helping extend West’s championship lead over the Japanese rider from 12 to 35 points.

Supersport 600 – Race 1 Results

1. Anthony West AUS 27:35.304
2. Md Zaqhwan Zaidi MAS
3. Taiga Hada JPN
4. Andi Farid Izdihar INA
5. Tomoyoshi Koyama JPN
6. Azroy Hakeem Anuar MAS
7. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin MAS
8. Yuki Ito JPN
9. Ratthapong Wilairot THA
10. Keisuke Kurihara JPN
    …DNF. Patrick Li

Sensing the double and the chance to get a firm grip on the 2018 title, West really put the hammer down in Race 2. After Koyama led briefly from the start, the Webike Ikazuchi rider got in front and put daylight between himself and his rivals by the time they crossed the finish line for the first time.

Koyama, Zaqwan and Hada gave chase, after Farid crashed out on Lap 2, but their fight for second place only helped the Australian to get away and allowed Ito to catch up to the trio. As they came over the bridge and into the braking zone for the final turn, Ito made contact with Zaqwan, lost control and was ejected over the handlebars, leaving the finishing order as West, Koyama, Hada, Zaqwan, Azlan and Kasma.

That leaves West with 136 points, now 51 clear of Azlan compared to the 12-point lead he started the weekend on, with Azlan taking just 11 points from Round 4, while Ito claimed only 8. Koyama lies fourth on 66, 10 behind Ito.

Supersport 600 – Race 2 Results

1. Anthony West AUS
2. Tomoyoshi Koyama JPN
3. Taiga Hada JPN
4. Md Zaqhwan Zaidi MAS
5. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman MAS
6. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin MAS
7. Decha Kraisart THA
8. Ratthapong Wilairot THA
9. Ahmad Yudhistira INA
10. Keminth Kubo THA
    …DNF. Patrick Li

Supersport 600 Standings

1. Anthony West AUS 136
2. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman MAS 85
3. Yuki Ito JPN 76
4. Tomoyoshi Koyama JPN 66
5. Md Zaqhwan Zaidi MAS 65
6. Ratthapong Wilairot THA 64
7. Keminth Kubo THA 63
8. Ahmad Yudhistira INA 59
9. Taiga Hada JPN 56
10. Andi Farid Izdihar INA 49

Underbone 150

Travis Hall had his third outing in the cut-throat Underbone 150 class for Malaysia-based SCK Hi-Rev Honda over the weekend, continuing to prove himself. The 14-year-old has gelled well with the team, which has given him not only a bike of the same competitive spec as senior riders Helmi Azman and Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam, but coached him progressively in race-craft to help him convert his pace into better finishing positions.

Travis went well throughout free practice and qualified 12th, which put him through to the Superpole shoot-out for the first 15 grid positions. With riders going one at a time, the slipstreaming and tag teaming that goes on in other sessions is cancelled out and the youngster recorded the sixth fastest time to lift himself onto the second row, one place ahead of team-mate and championship leader, Helmi Azman. Remaining SCK rider, Fakhrusy, took pole position.

Race 1 saw Travis stay within the leading group, getting more experience of the heat of Underbone battles, eventually finishing eighth, just four seconds back from the first three, Ahmad Fazli Sham, Helmi and Thailand’s Peerapong Luiboonpeng.

Underbone 150cc – Race 1

1. Fazli Ahmad Fazli Sham MAS
2. Helmi Md Helmi Azman MAS
3. Peerapong Peerapong Luiboonpeng THA
4. Fakhrusy Fakhrusy Syakirin Rostam MAS
5. Haziq Md Haziq Md Fairues MAS
6. Adib Md Adib Rosley MAS
7. Hall Travis Hall AUS
8. Izzat Md Izzat Zaidi MAS
9. Affendi Md Affendi Rosli MAS
10. Nakahara Miu Nakahara JPN
11. Aiman Md Aiman Azman MAS

In Sunday’s race Travis put together the lessons so far, circulating much higher up the order. As Fazli and Helmi got clear at the front, all eyes were on the battle for third between the Australian, Peerapong and former champion, Affendi Rosley. Travis got ahead on the penultimate lap and looked very much up to the job of holding his position.

He stayed there into the final lap, until Peerapong and Affendi fell over each other, leaving him unchallenged to take third position and the first ever podium finish for an Australian in the class.

Fazli completed his double, while Helmi took another second and opened up his lead in the standings. Spectators love a good story and the big crowd for the final day greeted his achievement noisily, while his mum struggled – and failed – to keep the waterworks under control.

Underbone 150cc – Race 2

1. Ahmad Fazli Sham MAS
2. Md Helmi Azman MAS
3. Travis Hall AUS
4. Md Adib Rosley MAS
5. Md Aiman Azman MAS
6. Md Izzat Zaidi MAS
7. Wahyu Aji Trilaksana INA
8. Md Amirul Ariff Musa MAS
9. Syafieq Aiman MAS
10. Miu Nakahara JPN
11. Le Khanh Loc VIE
12. Md Haziq Md Fairues MAS

Underbone 150cc Standings

1. Md Helmi Azman MAS 134
2. Md Izzat Zaidi MAS 111
3. Ahmad Fazli Sham MAS 88
4. Wahyu Aji Trilaksana INA 81
5. Md Akid Aziz MAS 71
6. Md Affendi Rosli MAS 59
7. Gupita Kresna Wardhana INA 58
8. Md Adib rosley MAS 53
9. Syahrul Amin INA 52
10. Md Haziq Md Fairues MAS 49
11. Md Amirul Ariff Musa MAS 48
12. Travis Hall AUS 46

Asia Production 250

With no Australians in the Asia Production 250 class, championship leader, Rheza Danica Ahrens extended his advantage, winning Race 1 despite crashing out of Race 2, after his main rivals Mario Suryo Aji and Anuparb Sarmoon, also only managed one finish apiece. Rheza now has 144 points to Mario’s 122, while Anuparb, whose engine let go in Race 1 finished third in Race 2 to bring his total to 108.

Asia Production 250 – Race 1

1. Rheza Danica Ahrens INA
2. Mario Suryo Aji INA
3. Reynaldo C. Ratukore INA
4. Rafid Topan Sucipto INA
5. Awhin Sanjaya INA
6. Tatchakorn Busari THA
7. Md Hafiz Nor Azman MAS
8. Richard Taroreh INA
9. Anggi Setiawan INA
10. M.Faerozi INA

Asia Production 250 – Race 2

1. Rafid Topan Sucipto INA
2. Andy Muhammad Fadly INA
3. Anupab Sarmoon THA
4. Reynaldo C. Ratukore INA
5. Peerapong Boonlert THA
6. Tatchakorn Busari THA
7. Awhin Sanjaya INA
8. Anggi Setiawan INA
9. Richard Taroreh INA
10. Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi THA

Asia Production 250 Standings

1. Rheza Danica Ahren INA 148
2. Mario Suryo Aji INA 122
3. Anupab Sarmoon THA 108
4. Rafid Topan Sucipto INA 84
5. Andy Muhammad Fadly INA 78
6. Awhin Sanjaya INA 72
7. Muklada Sarapuech THA 62
8. Peerapong Boonlert THA 61
9. Anggi Setiawan INA 49
10. Reynaldo Chrisantho Ratukore***INA 46