Though they are teammates, Chalermpol Polamai and Decha Kraisat will not cut each other any slack.
Chalermpol who stomps the overall standings with 120 points says so because in his opinion Decha is a much better rider than he is-talented, experienced and he possesses the skills, techniques and abilities to read and master tracks/circuits quickly. Decha stands in second place, only 2 points behind with 118 points.
“Decha is a dangerous rider and a serious threat to me and any other rider in the SuperSports 600cc class. He is both experienced and skilful. I will do my best to defend my stand in the overall standings against him,” said the Thai rider.
He further added, “To secure my position, I need to be on par or even better than Decha. This concern areas of boost stamina and riding skills. Not just that it is also important for me to communicate better with the team mechanics and provide them with as much input as possible regarding the machine’s performance on the track.”
Talk about his expectations for Round 4 in India scheduled to take place this weekend, the 28 years old rider is still uncertain about the outcome. He can only hope for the best.
“At the moment, I am 50/50 about the upcoming race because this is the first time I will be racing there. Though there is doubt, I am excited and optimistic about finishing the race this weekend on the podium,” said Chalermpol.
In comparison to the other tracks used to host the ARRC, Chalermpol describes the Madras Circuit to be very challenging because it is not about speed on this 3.717km circuit; it’s about technique and self- control over skills and the machine.
Meanwhile, in third place of the SuperSports 600cc stands Md Zamri Baba with 80 points followed by Ahmad Fuad Baharudin and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman in 4th and 5th place with 77 and 73 points respectively. These three riders represent PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Malaysia.
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Even so Thai duo, Chalermpol Polamai and Decha Kraisat stomps the overall standings, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman believes the SuperSports 600cc title-battle is far from over. Not just that, he is also certain he and his teammates are capable of conquering the top three spots by the end of this season.
At the moment, Azlan (PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Malaysia) stands in 5th place of the overall standings with 73 points, 47 points shy from leader of the overall standings, Chalermpol (PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Thailand) who has 120 points under his belt.
While Chalermpol reigns supreme, his teammate, Decha sits comfortably in second place with 118 points. Md Zamri Baba on the other hand stands in third spot followed by Ahmad Fuad Baharudin. Both riders possess 80 and 77 points respectively.
“This weekend I intend to close the point gap with the Thai riders who are well active and experienced in motorsports. It explains their consistency of finishing almost every round on the podium.
To go toe to toe against them without a proper plan will only prove to be devastating. It is important for us (Zamri, Fuad and Azlan) to develop a game-plan for Round 4 and stick to it if we want to take down Chalermpol and Decha at least by the end of this season,” said the 25 years old.
When asked about his expectations for the next round, Azlan expects results to be delivered because he has worked really hard for it. The only doubt that stays in his mind is will he be able to get used to the track before the actual race day.
“This is my first time racing on the Madras Circuit. I can’t quite fathom how the track is but based on the layout, it is very technical. My best bet is to get the feel of the track during the pre-elements of the race, namely the free practice, timed practice and also qualifying. The condition of the circuit and the weather factor plays an important role as well,” he said.
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The second ever Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) visit to Madras Circuit, India takes place this weekend. The highly anticipated Round 4 of the PETRONAS ARRC will see 2005 Expert Champion, Norizman Ismail team-up with Mohd Affendi Rosli in the Underbone 115cc category.
From Round 4 onwards, Suzuki Harian Metro SCK’s Norizman will replace Elly Idzliakmal Ilias. Team Manager, Soong Chee Kieong said the team decided to swap Elly with Norizman because they need Norizman’s experience to help the team to secure the Underbone 115cc overall title.
“This season, our team stands a very good chance for the title chase as Affendi is currently third in the standings with 54 points. He is only 8-point adrift of leader Fitriansyah Kete of U Mild U Bikers Indonesia Racing. Therefore, we made the vital decision to change our team strategy to beef up the squad with Norizman in it,” he said.
At the moment, Fitriansyah tops the standings with 62 points, followed by compatriot, Hadiwijaya (Kawasaki F IRC NHK REXTOR M-TECH) with 61 points. Meanwhile, fourth and fifth in the standings are Malaysian riders from PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Raceline, Mohd Iskandar Raduan and Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah who has 52 and 51 points respectively.
Soong went on to say that both Elly and Norizman have their own strengths and weaknesses but this time around, it is essential to have an experience rider. “I am not saying Norizman is better than Elly or vice versa but based on Norizman’s eight years racing exposure, he has the upper hand as compare to Elly who only started racing in 2005. Besides that, he has more technical knowledge and his input will make easier for us to find the right set-up within a short period of time.”
As for Norizman, he is excited to be given the chance to race at the international level again. “Since the Underbone 115cc category changed from 2-stroke to 4-stroke in 2006, I only raced in the Malaysia rounds only as Affendi is a better 4-stroke rider than me. However, I am thankful that my team manager put his trust in me to contribute results for the team,” said the 24-year old rider.
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Although Ahmad Zamani Baharudin has not won any podiums or get a hold of any chequered flags, he is satisfied with his flow for this season because he believes he could have done a lot worse.
“So far I am content with my performance in this season. Truth be told, it may seem like I’m in a comfort zone but really, I’m not,” said the Malaysian rider.
The AFY Racing Malaysia rider laid out his reasons, with the first being the condition of the machine he and teammate, Lee Ching Hooi are currently using-the Kawasaki XZ-6R which he describes to be in tip-top condition but not enough to compete with the top riders of the PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC).
“The bike Lee and I are using now is very reliable. Normally during races we face some set-up issues but that’s common racing in the SuperSports 600cc because every circuit calls for a different set-up.
The issue right now is I am capable of keeping up with the top riders of the Championship because the bike provides me with enough power and speed to do so. But to actually surpass them, that’s a whole different story.
Furthermore, for each race I have been pushing the bike to its maximum capacity and if this continues, it might not last the season. Therefore, I will have to play it safe and remain consistent for the upcoming races before the replacement bike comes, hopefully by next year,” said the 33 years old.
Zamani proved this by pointing out that he has been consistently picking up points for the first three rounds of the ARRC with Round 1 held in Sepang, Round 2 in Japan and the recent Round 3 in Indonesia. Only in Race 2 of Round 3 he failed to grab any points and that was because he was not in fine form, due to a bad knee injury sustained racing back home in Malaysia.
Secondly, Zamani hinted that the team is in the process of bringing in a new rider, someone younger and much agile. At the moment, Zamani and Lee are the ones responsible of providing training and exposure for this soon-to-be rider.
Currently, Zamani stands in 7th place of the SuperSports600cc overall standings with 41 points under his belt; 16 points shy from Harlan Fadhillah from PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Indonesia who stomps 6th spot.
Topping the charts is the Thai duo, Chalermpol Polamai and Decha Kraisat. These PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Thailand riders have 120 and 118 points under their belts.
In third place stands Malaysian rider, Md Zamri Baba from PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Malaysia. The 26 years old rider has succeeded to collect 80 points so far.
Meanwhile, Zamri’s teammate, Ahmad Fuad Baharudin and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman stands in 4th and 5th place of the overall standings with 77 and 73 points.
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In Round 3 of the PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), held at the Sentul International Circuit, Sudarmono was nowhere to be seen. Apparently the Indonesian rider was involved in a crash during the Supersport National Championship on the 30th May 2009.
It happened during the end of the Qualification Time Practice when a title-rival switched race lines right in front of Sudarmono. Out of reflex, Sudarmono jammed his brakes in the attempt of switching directions but unfortunately, luck was not on his side that day.
In doing so, the bike flipped about 3 metres high and crashed down hard. Among the damages was a broken rear wheel, a bent swing arm, front triple clamp and front forks. Even the gas tank was smashed out of shape. Luckily Sudarmono only sustained a broken bone in the left hand, right below the wrist and some bruises on the leg.
Surgery has done a lot in terms of repairing the broken bone. But there seem to be some problems with his nerves in the left hand and at the moment, Sudarmono is attending electrical therapy to fix this.
And though the recovery process is slow, the Indonesian rider is still fired up for the upcoming round of the ARRC set to take place in India this 4-6 September.
He has been attending practices to gain back his touch with the swollen hand, doing at least 7 laps a day so that he is capable enough to collect points- if he doesn’t climb up the podium or grab the chequered flag.
“The recovery is slow but the condition of my arm is improving. Besides that, I have been doing a lot of training for Round 4 with this swollen arm because I hope to collect points there if not climb up the podium,” he said.
Sudarmono now stands in 8th spot of the SuperSports 600cc overall standings with 38 points while teammate, Harlan Fadhillah stands in 6th place with 57 points. Topping the charts would be PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Thailand riders, Chalermpol Polamai and Decha Kraisat with 120 and 118 points respectively.
In third spot comes Malaysian rider Md Zamri Baba followed by Ahmad Fuad Baharudin and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman with 80, 77, and 73 points. All three riders represent PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Malaysia.
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Copyright to: Two Wheels Motor Racing Sdn Bhd