WorldSSP: Sepang. Badovini and Khairuddin duel to the Finish.

Local rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin kept raucous home fans on their feet at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, as the WorldSSP rookie went from his P5 grid slot to both lead the race and challenge for the victory on the last lap. On the final corner, Fahmi just lost out to Ayrton Badovini, as the Italian managed to cut back on the inside to beat the Malaysian over the line by a whisker. GRT rider Gino Rea, after good pace all weekend, made good on his grid position after initially leading and completed the podium in P3.

In a Race postponed until after WorldSBK due to weather conditions at a rainy Sepang, it was British GRT rider Rea who got the best start, rocketing away into the lead in front of reigning Champion Kenan Sofuoglu. The Turk’s teammate Randy Krummenacher lost ground in the first lap to cross the line tenth after Lap 1, with local hero Zulfahmi Khairuddin making up places from P5 on the grid to duel with Sofuoglu and close down on then race leader Gino Rea.

The new asphalt at Sepang was drying out as home hero Khairuddin leapt through into the lead at the final corner on Lap 3 to head a WorldSSP race for the first time. The conditions mixed up the World Supersport grid for an exciting race of nervous apexes, with the home hero shining and Ayrton Badovini taking an incredible win to add to the host of different riders to have topped the tables in WorldSSP so far in 2016.

Honda’s PJ Jacobsen got another good haul of points in P4 as the American kept cool under pressure, and was the lead rider in the group of key Championship rivals. Reigning Champion and points leader Kenan Sofuoglu suffered more in the conditions than his pace in the dry had shown, crossing the line in P6 as wet weather specialist and Assen winner Kyle Smith took his CIA Landlord Insurance Honda into the top 5 and past the Turk in the closing stages.

MV Agusta Reparto Corse title hopeful Jules Cluzel took a good amount of points in P7, just ahead of WorldSSP rookie and Sofuoglu’s teammate Randy Krummenacher as the two men fight to catch the Turkish points leader in the title standings. Alex Baldolini had a solid ride for a top ten finish in P9, as fellow Italian Federico Caricasulo closed out the top ten  to gain another good result in his rookie year.

WorldSSP will be back on track at Donington Park in two weeks time, for Round 7 of the 2016 Championship.

WorldSSP – Race
Ayrton Badovini Gemar Balloons – Team Lorini
Zulfahmi Khairuddin Orelac Racing VerdNatura +0.050
Gino Rea GRT Racing Team +0.980

WorldSSP – Championship Standings
Kenan Sofuoglu Kawasaki Puccetti Racing              96
Randy Krummenacher Kawasaki Puccetti Racing   79
Jules Cluzel MV Agusta Reparto Corse                      67

Comments from Ayrton Badovini #86

“It’s an incredible day both for me and for my team,” said winner Badovini. “We didn’t expect this but when we started the race in the wet conditions the feeling was good on the bike and I was thinking ‘I think we can do well..’ I was waiting for something in the last corner and then looking for a solution. He passed me in the corner and I saw he was going a bit long so I tried to close and it was an incredible fight. He’s a nice rider and it was a good race.”

Comments from Zulfahmi Khairuddin #63

“At the beginning of the Race I had great confidence in the bike in the wet and I tried to pull away but it was not easy. By the end of the Race the right side of my tyre wasn’t great so I just pushed more on the left than on the right and with four laps to go we started to battle. I was quite sure I could pass him on the last lap on the last corner but when we arrived there I braked too much and lost the front a little bit, so I didn’t have enough drive out of the final corner. It was an exciting Race!”