NAKHON CHAI SI, THAILAND, 3 SEPTEMBER 2017 – Beautiful weather, wonderful circuit, optimum off-road section welcomed the 2017 FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship race day with grace.
17 riders from 13 countries prepared the morning with full of focus to win the top three podium race.
The morning began with a free practice round where riders took the circuit as though it was a real race, putting their best foot forward, but still kept their little tricks for the main show at 12:00PM.
Top three spots during the practice session were dominated by top three contenders namely United Kingdom’s Lewis Cornish, returning champion Thailand’s Trakarn Thangthong and 2016 champion Malaysia’s Muhd Habibullah.
The competition to train amongst the trio created a fantastic ambience when full concentration is in place to overtake and shine for the official free practice result.
In the end, it was Lewis who stole the top practice slot with the best time of 1:14.594, followed by Trakarn and Habibullah at 1:15.565 and 1:17.019 respectively.
Moto 1 Race Report.
Moto 1 started with the sun shining directly above the riders on their respective grid. Sweats and anxiety to compete were spotted on their faces.
Pole position Lewis Cornish stole the holeshot but was followed tightly by all riders as the race started with a straight tarmac road instead of the diversion to the first turn into the off-road section.
The most awaited corner, a tight hairpin turn immediately after a table top has once again proven to be a disadvantage, as riders rushed into the tight turn, changing position between the remaining riders.
With Lewis speeding through the empty circuit, Malaysia’s Muhd Habibullah and Thailand’s Trakarn Thangthong pursued the front-runner tightly. Just after a few laps, Lewis was two seconds away from the duo, and the furious battle turned to Habibullah and Trakarn, leaving all rooms for Lewis to continue his lead.
The top three positioning continued until five minutes before the end of Moto 1 until Habibullah lost his pace and Trakarn overtook the second seed. With inadequate time to steal the second spot, Habibullah concluded third in Moto 1.
Lewis leads Moto 1 with a total time of 22:236.002, followed by Trakarn and Habibullah at 22:42.962 and 23:14.056 respectively.
Indonesia’s Farhan Hendro stunned the audiences with an outstanding performance in this race despite a mechanical issues in Friday’s Free Practice and Saturday’s Qualifying round.
However, Farhan’s race on the track was not pure without some battle for his position. Japan’s Naoto Takayama and Russia’s Artem Teslenko tailed the Indonesian rider tightly, but Farhan managed to further the gap with a full throttle on the straights and exact precision over the whoops and table top. Farhan was tenth on the grid for Moto 1, but completed in the sixth place with a total time of 23:55.446.
Similarly to Farhan, Philippines’ Kenneth San Andres showed significant improvements in his performance on the track. Being a lapper during the Qualifying burned his passion to uplift his status, putting his best foot forward for Moto 1. Kenneth concluded with 17 laps and a total time of 23:10.666.
The second Malaysia’s ace Khairi Zakaria started the race threatened by Dutchman Marcel Van Drunen. The duo competed and exchanged position multiple times until Khairi lost his pace at the first off-road section, giving Marcel the opportunity to steal the spot and widen the gap.
Another unfortunate incident stumbled upon Japan Takashi Sasaki when a machine malfunction took his chance to compete. The Japanese were seen riding his bike leaving the track on the seventh by a large disappointment.
Moto 2 Race Report.
The second race witnessed high intensity on the track as Lewis stole the show with the second holeshot of the day.
His familiarity of the circuit over the two days of practices were at the tips of his finger, riding through the track ahead of all riders. Lewis comfortably rode his way to victory, winning at least five seconds ahead of the first runner-up, Thailand’s Trakarn Thangthong.
“It was a very technical track. Most of us were using slick tyres to race the track. With the triple dirt section, it feels more like a motocross track instead. I made multiple mistakes in Moto 1 but reduced it in Moto 2. I believe Trakarn and Habibullah made mistakes as well, which gave me an advantage to the race,” said Lewis.
“I was fortunate when Habibullah hit on a hole at the third dirt section. That was when I passed him. He grew so much since our last faced off in 2015. I enjoyed riding with all the riders, and hopefully, I can perform better in Indonesia,” said Trakarn.
Lewis and Trakarn rode smoothly as the Habibullah and Marcel pursued a battle for the final podium spot, blocking any other riders from moving forward in their position.
The goose chase between the Malaysian and Dutchman continued with multiple high risk overtakes on tight corners. Neither was giving up for the third podium spot. The dirt section was always the game changer for the duo, deciding on who leads upon exiting the off-road sections. Lap after lap of their battle soon became fan favourite.
It was until the final two laps during the race, Habibullah mistakenly took a detour off course, receiving a penalty that immediately drops his dreams for a podium, a blow to his team and his confidence for the season.
“My front and rear brake malfunctioned, and I lost control of my bike. This makes it even harder for me to maintain my pace, especially on this track. Alongside with Marcel eyeing on me, I tried my fullest to ensure that the best performance is delivered in this condition,” said Habibullah.
Habibullah landed the sixth spot in Moto 2, clocking a total time of 24:20.495.
However, the Malaysia’s dream was not trashed when his counterpart,
Khairi Zakaria, took a stunning turn. Khairi has attempted to close the gap with Marcel, but his efforts failed as he continues to make a mistake at the transition and off-road section. Khairi landed fourth in Moto 2, finishing nearly two seconds behind Marcel with a total time of 23:50.924.
Instead, Japan’s Naoto Takayama outperformed on Moto 2, with controlled skills and speed that led him to complete the circuit in 24:07.549, landed him the fifth spot in the second race.
His Japanese counterpart, Takashi Sasaki, who met with a machine malfunction in Moto 1 finished the course in Moto 2. However, it was a safe play on track instead of sliding at corners and speeding on the straight tarmacs.
Newcomers Indonesia’s Farhan Hendro and Philippines’ Kenneth San Andres under-performed with a slower pace and less control on their bikes, giving them the final results of the seventh and eighth spot with a total time of 24:26.555 and 23:35.442 respectively.
“It was a perfect and successful race. We would like to congratulate the Asia Supersports Group, FMSCT, all the partners and all the riders. The opening round of the season was exciting, and everything was in order. The track is probably one of the most challenging tracks in the season’s history, but all safety aspects were taken into consideration,” said Stephan P. Carapiet, FIM Asia Safety Officer.
The 2017 FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship will commence in Jogjakarta, Indonesia on 7 and 8 October 2017.
Moto 1 Race Result:
Pos No. Name National Laps Best Time Total Time
1 8 Lewis Cornish GBR 18 1:11.606 22:36.002
2 5 Trakarn Thangthong THA 18 1:12.526 22:42.962
3 1 Muhd Habibullah MAS 18 1:13.472 23:14.056
4 17 Marcel Van Drunen NED 18 1:15.169 23:31.190
5 32 Khairi Zakaria MAS 18 1:14.316 23:33.763
6 162 Farhan Hendro INA 18 1:17.095 23:55.446
7 300 Naoto Takayama JPN 17 1:16.645 22:37.403
8 12 Kenneth San Andres PHI 17 1:18.520 23:10.666
9 28 Natthapat SuksanWatthana THA 17 1:15.368 23:34.965
10 97 Arten Teslenko RUS 17 1:20.359 23:36.386
11 7 Pedro Wuner INA 16 1:19.964 22:39.942
12 77 Hasroy Osman SGP 16 1:18.960 22:40.996
13 720 Lin Chin Pei TPE 16 1:18.960 22:40.996
14 40 Lee Wei TPE 15 1:22.517 22:43.571
DNF 102 Tsang Wai Kei HKG 13 1:30.587 23:46.389
DNF 27 Sun Tong CHN 12 1:25.996 19:4.087
DNF 101 Takashi Sasaki JPN 7 1:18.032 9:30.062
Moto 2 Race Result:
Pos No. Name National Laps Best Time Total Time
1 8 Lewis Cornish GBR 18 1:12.459 23:00.233
2 5 Trakarn Thangthong THA 18 1:14.494 23:27.317
3 17 Marcel Van Drunen NED 18 1:15.223 23:48.316
4 32 Khairi Zakaria MAS 18 1:16.522 23:50.924
5 300 Naoto Takayama JPN 18 1:17.768 24:07.549
6 1 Muhd Habibullah MAS 18 1:12.741 2420.495
7 162 Farhan Hendro INA 18 1:18.292 24:26.555
8 12 Kenneth San Andres PHI 17 1:20.493 23:35.442
9 101 Takashi Sasaki JPN 17 1:22.063 23:56.181
10 28 Natthapat Suksanwatthana THA 17 1:18.431 24:03.932
11 7 Pedro Wuner INA 16 1:22.101 23:01.271
12 77 Hasroy Osman SGP 16 1:22.921 23:03.908
13 720 Lin Chin Pei TPE 15 1:25.411 23:32.197
14 27 Sun Tong CHN 15 1:29.510 24:09.029
DNF 102 Tsang Wai Kei HKG 13 1:32.737 23:45.547
DNF 97 Artem Teslenko RUS 11 1:21.761 24:31.701
DNF 40 Lee Wei TPE 5 1:25.683 7:43.684
Credits : Photos and content courtesy of Asia Supersports Group
