barrygrussell
Senior Member
Reigning Supersport 600 champion, Katsuaki Fujiwara took a double victory in Round One of the 2012 PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at the Sepang International Circuit (North Track) yesterday.
Riding the Manual Tech BEET Kawasaki, the 38 year old had a hard battle for the chequered flag with compatriot Ryuichi Kiyonari and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman of MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing. Fujiwara completed the 25 lap Race One with a total time 27'49.221s, while Kiyonari came in just 0.233s behind on 27'49.454s and Azlan third on 27'50.922s.
Race Two took a dramatic turn as the race was red flagged following a pile up which saw eight riders retire from the race, leaving only 11 bikes when the race was restarted and run over 16 laps. Fujiwara once again put the hammer down to complete his double in a total race time of 17'47.841s followed by Kiyonari and Azlan with 17'48.179s and 17'48.297s respectively.
Delighted with his double victory, the Japanese commented, "Sunday's race was not easy as everyone's lap time has dropped compared to last season and I had to fight with Kiyonari, Azlan and Mohd Zamri Baba (PETRONAS Hong Leong Yamaha) aggressively in both races. This resulted in the tyres wearing out faster than they should, leading to a lot of sliding towards the end of both races. But I'm really happy to finish Race One and Race Two as Champion. The team did a really good job setting up the Kawasaki!"
Azlan who was also pleased to finish on the podium reflected on the race and said, "Everything went well today. I could have finished Race 2 in a better position but I made a critical mistake while shifting gears and this caused me to overshoot at turn 4 in the final three laps. But it's all done. I'm content with my position and I will try to do better in Indonesia next month."
Series newcomers, AP Honda, experienced a weekend of mixed fortunes. ‘Tingnote’ Thitipong Warakorn finished 8th in Race One after starting from 14th on the grid and 9th in Race Two after crashing on the final lap while battling for fifth place. The 23 year-old Thai looked strong in the turns but was losing on the fast sections. Ratthapong Wilairot fared less well, finishing 14th in Race One and was unable to start Race Two after being involved in the red flag incident. With the high speed Sentul International Circuit next on the calendar, the team will be looking for more power to put them in contention with the front-runners.
In the Underbone 115cc category, Norizman Ismail finished Race One in third place and Race Two as winner on his home track. The Harian Metro Y-TEQ SCK Honda Racing rider came in third in Race One with total time 19'48.831s behind Indonesians, Hadi Wijaya (Yamaha Yamalube KYT R9 Tunggal Jaya) and Rey Ratukore (Nissin R9 KYT Federal Oil BRT) who owned the first two spots with 19'48.920s and 19'48.983s respectively.
Race Two was a better outing for Norizman. He made up for his Race One mistakes to claim the chequered flag, completing in a total time of 19'50.181s, followed by Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa (Pachie Yuzy Honda Racing) with 19'50.237s and Rey, 19'51.589s, had to settle for third.
In the inaugural round of the Asia Dream Cup (ADC) for Honda CBR 250s, Hiroki Ono put in a strong display to take a double victory. Ono who was fastest throughout practice and qualifying dominated Race One to complete it within 18'59.222s, while compatriot Okubo had to settle for second with 19'00.753s, 1.531s off Ono's time. AP Honda’s ‘Stamp’ Apiwat Wongthananon fought his way through from a third row start to complete the podium in a time of 19'17.858s.
In Race Two Ono bagged his second win after a close three way battle with Okubo and Stamp Apiwat. He won in a total race time of 19'04.693s followed by Okubo second and Stamp Apiwat third on times of 19'04.900s and 19'05.368s respectively. The three podium finishers were 15 seconds clear of Indonesia's Denny Triyugo Laksono, who finished fourth.
Results
SuperSports 600cc
Race 1
1. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki) 27'49.221s 2. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 27'49.221s 3. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (Honda) 27'50.922s 4. Mohd Zamri Baba (Yamaha) 27'54.131s 5. Ahmad Fuad Baharudin (Kawasaki) 28'06.129s
Race 2
1. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki) 17'47.841s 2. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 17'48. 179s 3. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (Honda) 17'48.297s 4. Mohd Zamri Baba (Yamaha) 17'59.222s 5. Mohd Farid Badrul Hisham (Yamaha) 18'13.367s
Overall Standings
1. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki) 50 points 2. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 40 points 3. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (Honda) 32 points 4. Mohd Zamri Baba (Yamaha) 26 points 5. Mohd Farid Badrul Hisham (Yamaha) 18 points
Team Standings
1. Manual Tech BEET Kawasaki Racing (50 points) 2. MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing (40 points) 3. PETRONAS Hong Leong Yamaha (26 points) 4. Bike ART Kawasaki Racing (20 points) 5. MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing Malaysia (15 points)
Underbone 115cc
Race 1
1.Hadi Wijaya (Yamaha) 19'48.831s 2.Rey Ratukore (Yamaha) 19'48.920s 3. Norizman Ismail (Honda) 19'48.983s 4. Mohd Afif Amran (Yamaha) 19'49.141s 5. Mohd Affendi Rosli (Honda) 19'49.148s
Race 2
1.Norizman Ismail (Honda) 19'50.181s 2.Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa (Honda) 19'50.237s 3.Rey Ratukore (Yamaha) 18'51.589s 4.Mohd Iskandar Raduan (Yamaha) 19'51.674s 5. Hadi Wijaya (Yamaha) 19'51.828s
Overall Standings
1. Norizman Ismail (Honda) 41 points 2.Hadiwijaya (Yamaha) 36 points 3. Rey Ratukore (Yamaha) 36 points 4. Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa (Honda) 26 points 5. Mohd Afif Amran (Yamaha) 23 points
Team Standings
1. Harian Metro Y-TEQ SCK Honda Racing (61 points) 2. Yamaha Yamalube KYT R9 Tunggal Jaya (26 points 3. Nissin R9 KYT Federal Oil BRT (36 points) 4. Pachie Yuzy Honda Racing (26 points) 5. CKJ Yamaha Racing (23 points)
Asia Dream Cup
Race 1
1. Hiroki Ono (JPN) 18'59.222s 2.Hikari Okubo (JPN) 19'00.753s 3. Apiwat Wongthananon (THA) 19'17.858s 4. Joshua Hook Frederick (AUS) 19'18.047s 5. Mohd Fitri Ashraf Razali (MAS) 19'31.728s
Race 2
1. Hiroki Ono (JPN) 19'04.693s 2. Hikari Okubo (JPN) 19'04.900s 3. Apiwat Wongthananon (THA) 19'05.368s 4.Denny Triyugo (INA) 19'20.524s 5. Sasitharen Sukumaran (MAS) 19'23.253s
Overall Standings
1. Hiroki Ono (JPN) 50 poinnts 2. Hikari Okubo (JPN) 40 points 3. Apiwat Wongthananon (THA) 32 points 4. Sasitharen Sukumaran (MAS) 21 points 5. Joshua Hook Frederick (AUS) 17 points
Riding the Manual Tech BEET Kawasaki, the 38 year old had a hard battle for the chequered flag with compatriot Ryuichi Kiyonari and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman of MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing. Fujiwara completed the 25 lap Race One with a total time 27'49.221s, while Kiyonari came in just 0.233s behind on 27'49.454s and Azlan third on 27'50.922s.
Race Two took a dramatic turn as the race was red flagged following a pile up which saw eight riders retire from the race, leaving only 11 bikes when the race was restarted and run over 16 laps. Fujiwara once again put the hammer down to complete his double in a total race time of 17'47.841s followed by Kiyonari and Azlan with 17'48.179s and 17'48.297s respectively.
Delighted with his double victory, the Japanese commented, "Sunday's race was not easy as everyone's lap time has dropped compared to last season and I had to fight with Kiyonari, Azlan and Mohd Zamri Baba (PETRONAS Hong Leong Yamaha) aggressively in both races. This resulted in the tyres wearing out faster than they should, leading to a lot of sliding towards the end of both races. But I'm really happy to finish Race One and Race Two as Champion. The team did a really good job setting up the Kawasaki!"
Azlan who was also pleased to finish on the podium reflected on the race and said, "Everything went well today. I could have finished Race 2 in a better position but I made a critical mistake while shifting gears and this caused me to overshoot at turn 4 in the final three laps. But it's all done. I'm content with my position and I will try to do better in Indonesia next month."
Series newcomers, AP Honda, experienced a weekend of mixed fortunes. ‘Tingnote’ Thitipong Warakorn finished 8th in Race One after starting from 14th on the grid and 9th in Race Two after crashing on the final lap while battling for fifth place. The 23 year-old Thai looked strong in the turns but was losing on the fast sections. Ratthapong Wilairot fared less well, finishing 14th in Race One and was unable to start Race Two after being involved in the red flag incident. With the high speed Sentul International Circuit next on the calendar, the team will be looking for more power to put them in contention with the front-runners.
In the Underbone 115cc category, Norizman Ismail finished Race One in third place and Race Two as winner on his home track. The Harian Metro Y-TEQ SCK Honda Racing rider came in third in Race One with total time 19'48.831s behind Indonesians, Hadi Wijaya (Yamaha Yamalube KYT R9 Tunggal Jaya) and Rey Ratukore (Nissin R9 KYT Federal Oil BRT) who owned the first two spots with 19'48.920s and 19'48.983s respectively.
Race Two was a better outing for Norizman. He made up for his Race One mistakes to claim the chequered flag, completing in a total time of 19'50.181s, followed by Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa (Pachie Yuzy Honda Racing) with 19'50.237s and Rey, 19'51.589s, had to settle for third.
In the inaugural round of the Asia Dream Cup (ADC) for Honda CBR 250s, Hiroki Ono put in a strong display to take a double victory. Ono who was fastest throughout practice and qualifying dominated Race One to complete it within 18'59.222s, while compatriot Okubo had to settle for second with 19'00.753s, 1.531s off Ono's time. AP Honda’s ‘Stamp’ Apiwat Wongthananon fought his way through from a third row start to complete the podium in a time of 19'17.858s.
In Race Two Ono bagged his second win after a close three way battle with Okubo and Stamp Apiwat. He won in a total race time of 19'04.693s followed by Okubo second and Stamp Apiwat third on times of 19'04.900s and 19'05.368s respectively. The three podium finishers were 15 seconds clear of Indonesia's Denny Triyugo Laksono, who finished fourth.
Results
SuperSports 600cc
Race 1
1. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki) 27'49.221s 2. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 27'49.221s 3. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (Honda) 27'50.922s 4. Mohd Zamri Baba (Yamaha) 27'54.131s 5. Ahmad Fuad Baharudin (Kawasaki) 28'06.129s
Race 2
1. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki) 17'47.841s 2. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 17'48. 179s 3. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (Honda) 17'48.297s 4. Mohd Zamri Baba (Yamaha) 17'59.222s 5. Mohd Farid Badrul Hisham (Yamaha) 18'13.367s
Overall Standings
1. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki) 50 points 2. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 40 points 3. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (Honda) 32 points 4. Mohd Zamri Baba (Yamaha) 26 points 5. Mohd Farid Badrul Hisham (Yamaha) 18 points
Team Standings
1. Manual Tech BEET Kawasaki Racing (50 points) 2. MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing (40 points) 3. PETRONAS Hong Leong Yamaha (26 points) 4. Bike ART Kawasaki Racing (20 points) 5. MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing Malaysia (15 points)
Underbone 115cc
Race 1
1.Hadi Wijaya (Yamaha) 19'48.831s 2.Rey Ratukore (Yamaha) 19'48.920s 3. Norizman Ismail (Honda) 19'48.983s 4. Mohd Afif Amran (Yamaha) 19'49.141s 5. Mohd Affendi Rosli (Honda) 19'49.148s
Race 2
1.Norizman Ismail (Honda) 19'50.181s 2.Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa (Honda) 19'50.237s 3.Rey Ratukore (Yamaha) 18'51.589s 4.Mohd Iskandar Raduan (Yamaha) 19'51.674s 5. Hadi Wijaya (Yamaha) 19'51.828s
Overall Standings
1. Norizman Ismail (Honda) 41 points 2.Hadiwijaya (Yamaha) 36 points 3. Rey Ratukore (Yamaha) 36 points 4. Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa (Honda) 26 points 5. Mohd Afif Amran (Yamaha) 23 points
Team Standings
1. Harian Metro Y-TEQ SCK Honda Racing (61 points) 2. Yamaha Yamalube KYT R9 Tunggal Jaya (26 points 3. Nissin R9 KYT Federal Oil BRT (36 points) 4. Pachie Yuzy Honda Racing (26 points) 5. CKJ Yamaha Racing (23 points)
Asia Dream Cup
Race 1
1. Hiroki Ono (JPN) 18'59.222s 2.Hikari Okubo (JPN) 19'00.753s 3. Apiwat Wongthananon (THA) 19'17.858s 4. Joshua Hook Frederick (AUS) 19'18.047s 5. Mohd Fitri Ashraf Razali (MAS) 19'31.728s
Race 2
1. Hiroki Ono (JPN) 19'04.693s 2. Hikari Okubo (JPN) 19'04.900s 3. Apiwat Wongthananon (THA) 19'05.368s 4.Denny Triyugo (INA) 19'20.524s 5. Sasitharen Sukumaran (MAS) 19'23.253s
Overall Standings
1. Hiroki Ono (JPN) 50 poinnts 2. Hikari Okubo (JPN) 40 points 3. Apiwat Wongthananon (THA) 32 points 4. Sasitharen Sukumaran (MAS) 21 points 5. Joshua Hook Frederick (AUS) 17 points
