Voight, Power and Roulstone kick off Asia Talent Cup season with Sepang Test
The Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup returns once again in 2019, marking the sixth season of the Road to MotoGP feeder program selecting promising young riders from the Asia-Pacific region to take part. Seven riders return this year, while 14 rookies fill the ranks and Harrison Voight, Luke Power and Jacob Roulstone represent Australia.
The competitors, aged 12 to 19, have been handpicked at an annual IATC Selection Event at Sepang International Circuit and represent Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey.
Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Sepang Test
They’ll be competing on Honda NSF250R Moto3 machinery to see who has what it takes to become the IATC Champion and once again, they’ll benefit from the vast experience of Asia Talent Cup Director Alberto Puig and his team of experts as they aim to both win and learn.
Kicking off the season was the first test of the year at the Sepang International Circuit, which hosted the grid over two days directly following the MotoGP test with Harrison Voight and Jacob Roulstone completing testing in the top 15, while Luke Power suffered a Day 1 crash, before being cleared to head back out on track on Day 2.
Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Sepang Circuit Testing Information
Dry track conditions greeted the riders, with some veterans and a host of rookies able to get in some good track time ahead of the season opener alongside the Grand Prix of Qatar.
Some news came in before conclusion of the test that sees Kopchai Sae-Liw withdraw from the 2019 Cup, and Danial Sharil – after a big crash at the end of last season – remains sidelined through injury although the Malaysian is expected to return to competition once fit.
Of the riders who completed the test – which included a race simulation on Day 2 – one name shone above the rest by the end of action, Indonesian Adenanta Putra.
Putting in an impressive performance, Putra topped the overall combined times by nearly half a second from his nearest competitor, Japanese rider Sho Nishimura, and was consistently one of the quickest.
Nishimura also impressed to take P2 overall, but he was only 0.016 ahead of compatriot Takuma Matsuyama as the gap tightened behind Putra. Tatchakorn Buasri was fourth quickest and a further two tenths in arrears as veterans dominated the top, but the first rookie impressively locked out the top five – Herjun Firdaus.
The Indonesian newcomer had compatriot and veteran Afridza Munandar for close company, however, with less than half a tenth separating the countrymen.
Warit Thongnoppakun was the first name in another trio close on the timesheets, six tenths off Munandar but with rookie compatriot, Thai rider Piyawat Patoomyos, just 0.018 off and Japanese rookie Shoki Igarashi only another 0.068 in arrears. Reserve rider and wild card Shota Kiuchi completed the top ten.
Harrison Voight of Australia, Ryosuke Bando of Japan, Indonesians Abdul Mutaqim and Hildhan Kusuma and Australian Jacob Roulstone completed the top fifteen, with the pace of the majority of the field showing impressive improvements as those further down the order cut the gap to the front and the frontrunners continued to push.
Australian Luke Power crashed on Day 1 and was deemed unfit for the rest of that day’s action before being reviewed on the morning of Day 2 and heading out to continue his testing, whereas wildcard Harith Zamri of Malaysia crashed on Day 2 and was declared unfit, heading to hospital with a suspected fracture.
That’s it from Sepang after the 2019 competitors had their first taste of the season to come, tune in to the first round of the year from Losail International Circuit in Qatar as the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup open the season competing alongside MotoGP from the 8th to 10th March.
Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Rider List
Asia Talent Cup 2019
After a test at Sepang in February, the 2019 Cup commences at Losail International Circuit in Qatar as the series kicks off racing alongside the MotoGP season opener in March. It’s a quick turnaround for Round 2 as the IATC heads for Buriram in Thailand the following weekend, this time alongside WorldSBK, with the season then hitting the mid-point at Sepang in June alongside the Malaysian Superbike Championship.
Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Sepang Test
Then it’s back to the MotoGP paddock as the IATC complete their season alongside the Grands Prix in Thailand, Japan and Malaysia in October and November, with 10 of the 12
races once again taking place on the same stages as MotoGP and World Superbike. The season finale at Sepang is bound to be another showstopper, with the Cup often going down to the final round, the final lap – and even the final corner
The final day of the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) official tyre test came to a close yesterday evening at the Chang International Circuit.
25-year-old Yamaha Thailand ace Anupab Sarmoon knocked Kawasaki’s Thitipong Warokorn out of top spot in the penultimate session on Wednesday afternoon with a 1m36.003.
Anupab Sarmoon
Glenn Allerton improved his pace markedly to end the two-day test fifth quickest on 1m36.713.
The hot Thailand conditions were once again hard to deal with, Allerton finding the temperature and humidity so oppressive and physically draining, that his stints were not as long as otherwise he would have preferred.
“To end up as close as we did to the fastest time was good work by everyone and a credit to them.”
Glenn Allerton
Allerton’s goal for test was to produce a 1m36s lap time around the 4.554km circuit, which he was happy to achieve, but the 37-year-old also suffered a low-side crash at turn eight.
“I managed to pick the bike up and get it back to the pits and the guys got the bike fixed. I was back on track in the same session and we went faster again in that same session, when we managed to produce a 1min37.227 on our thirteenth and final lap of that session.”
Glenn Allerton
Wednesday also saw the team eliminate the braking issues which Allerton suffered on the opening day of testing.
“The team did a fantastic job to dial out the issues we had on Tuesday, which made my job so much easier. This was proven by the stopwatch.”
Glenn Allerton
The primary task for Allerton in making the Thai trip was to familiariase himself with the Chang International Circuit, and secondly, to help test the tyres being evaluated by Dunlop that will be used in the new FIM Asia Road Racing Championship ASB1000 Superbike category that will debut in 2019.
Previously the premier category for the ARRC was 600cc Supersport, but with the increasing importance of road racing throughout Asia, to both Dorna and motorcycle manufacturers, organisers have chosen 2019 as the ripe moment to add a full litre sportsbike class to the series.
Anupab Sarmoon was the quickest rider at the test
The 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship will feature four main classes – the ASB1000 (Asia Superbike), SuperSports 600cc, Asia Production 250cc, and the Underbone 150cc.
With the FIM AARC again adding an Australian round to their 2019 calendar, it made the moment ripe for Australian Superbike competitors to investigate joining the burgeoning series.
Thitipong Warokorn is another high flyer in the ARRC
Of course, it is a massive financial commitment in order to try and compete successfully across both the ASBK and ARRC Championships, as such Next Gen Motorsports are open to potential partnerships which would be keen to join a growing Superbike team.
Glenn Allerton
“It was good fun and I’m really excited for what the future holds for both myself and the team. I was really amazed by the level of competition amongst the ASB1000 riders. They were all super-fast and I can’t wait to be able to race against them in 2019.”
Glenn Allerton (right), and the Next Gen Motorsports BMW squad
The next time Next Gen Motorsports team will be on track in Asia will be for the official test at the Sepang International Circuit on 5-6 March, ahead of the curtain raiser round, which is scheduled for 8-10 March.
South Australia’s The Bend Motorsport Park will host ARRC round two on the Anzac Day long weekend.
2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Calendar
Official Test – Sepang – March 5–6
Round 1 – Sepang – March 8–10
Round 2 – The Bend Motorsport Park – April 25–28
Round 3 – Chang International Circuit – May 31–Jun 2
Round 4 – Suzuka – June 28–30
Round 5 – Korea International Circuit – Aug 9–11
Round 6 – Sepang – Sept’ 19–22
Round 7 – Chang International Circuit – Nov 29–Dec 1
FIM ARRC ASB 1000 Test Times
Anupad Sarmoon Yamaha Thailand 1:36.003
Thitipong Warokorn Kawasaki Thailand 1:36.167
Andi Farid Izdihar Honda Asia Dream Racing 1:36.329
Chaiwichit Nisakul Kawasaki Thailand 1:36.460
Glenn Allerton NextGen BMW S 1000RR 1:36.713
Ratthapong Wilairot Yamaha Thailand 1’36.774
Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman ONEXO X TKKR 1:37.060
TJ Alberto Access Plus Ducati Philippines 1’37.246
The first official tyre test and outing for the fledgling new ASB 1000 Superbike category came to a conclusion on Wednesday after a busy two-day test program at Chang International Circuit in Buriram.
Anupab Sarmoon
On day two 25-year-old Yamaha Thailand ace Anupab Sarmoon knocked Kawasaki’s Thitipong Warokorn out of top spot in the penultimate session on Wednesday afternoon with a 1m36.003.
Thitipong Warokorn
As a reference, Jonathan Rea’s WorldSBK Superpole lap in 2018 at the circuit was 1m32.814.
Anupab Sarmoon
Warokorn failed to improve on the 1m36.167 he set on day one, but went very close in the final session with a 1m36.184.
Thitipong Warokorn
Andi Farid Izdihar punted the Honda Asia Dream Racing Fireblade to third quickest ahead of Kawasaki’s Chaiwichit Nisakul, who like team-mate Warokorn, failed to improve on his day one marker.
Andi Farid Izdihar
Australian Glenn Allerton and his homegrown NextGen BMW squad were also present at Buriram to chance their arm ahead of a proposal to join the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship ASB1000 ranks for season 2019. Allerton ended the test fifth quickest on a best of 1m36.713.
Glenn Allerton
Dunlop technicians had been using the hot weather testing to refine their tyre options for the new series and had hoped to see riders break into the 1m35s.
Ratthapong Wilairot
Kentaro Kobayashi – Dunlop
“At this moment, the exact specs for 2019 is yet to be determined. What we can say is that this tyre is an all new development, with the compound construction built specifically for the ARRC. This is why this week’s tyre test is so very important for the success of the ASB1000 class. We have brought with us a large variety of compounds and construction to determine which will be better for the soft, medium and hard tyres. Unlike other Championships, the ARRC usually race in very high temperatures. With the possible exception of the rounds in Japan and Australia, the rest of the races run on searing hot asphalts. The tyres must be up to challenge of performing well under those circumstances without sacrificing grip and the stability of the tyre performance.”
FIM Asia Road Racing Championship
ASB 1000 Test Times
Anupad Sarmoon Yamaha Thailand 1:36.003
Thitipong Warokorn Kawasaki Thailand 1:36.167
Andi Farid Izdihar Honda Asia Dream Racing 1:36.329
Chaiwichit Nisakul Kawasaki Thailand 1:36.460
Glenn Allerton NextGen BMW S 1000RR 1:36.713
Ratthapong Wilairot Yamaha Thailand 1’36.774
Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman ONEXO X TKKR 1:37.060
TJ Alberto Access Plus Ducati Philippines 1’37.246
After another incredible season of the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup, which in 2018 saw young Australian Billy Van Eerde take the Title, 2019 is already appearing on the horizon and the calendar and entry list for the sixth season have now been revealed.
Billy Van Eerde – 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion
Candidates from the Selection Event at Sepang join those who return from 2018, creating another incredible grid of competitors gearing up for six more race weekends in 2019.
Asia Talent Cup – Sepang
Six countries are represented on the provisional entry list: Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Turkey, Australia and Indonesia.
Billy Van Eerde – 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion – #19
Seven of the youngsters rode in the Cup last season and return, with 14 new faces joining them on the grid.
Jacob Roulstone receives the news he made it through the main cut earlier this year – Asia Talent Cup 2019
Aussie youngsters Jacob Roulstone and Harrison Voight are two of the youngest to make it through the selection process while Luke Power also made the final cut after originally being named as a reserve rider.
Harrison Voight – Asia Talent Cup 2019
The first race weekend of the year sees the Cup racing alongside MotoGP at the Grand Prix of Qatar from the 8th to 10th March, and the season begins with a back-to-back bang as the IATC then heads for Buriram in Thailand the weekend after.
Motegi Asia Talent Cup 2018
The next date is the Cup’s first visit to Sepang International Circuit as they race as part of the Malaysian Superbike Championship from the 14th to 16th June, and then there’s a summer break before the second half of the season kicks off at Buriram alongside MotoGP from the 4th to 6th October.
Asia Talent Cup – Sepang 2018
The Cup then heads for the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan two weeks later, before the season finale once again takes place at Sepang and another exciting season concludes in early November.
The ARRC’s Supersport 600 season reached a dramatic climax at Chang International Circuit on the weekend, as Yamaha Thailand’s Ratthapong Wilairot put it all on the line to convert what was a mathematical long shot on Friday, into the 2018 championship by the middle of Sunday afternoon.
Supersport 600 Race 1 Start
Anthony West, under provisional suspension by the sport’s governing body, the FIM, since mid-September, following positive results to an anti-doping test after the WSBK Misano on July 8, was again forced to watch from the sidelines. No explanation for the lengthy delay in resolving the 37-year-old Queenslander’s case has been forthcoming from the FIM, which has left both him and the ARRC in limbo for the past three months.
2018 ARRC Round 6
Despite having missed three of the championship’s six rounds, West took 136 points into the final weekend: a lead of 34 over his nearest challenger, 2017 champion, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman. Azlan’s Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki team-mate, Ahmad Yudhistira, Astra Honda protégé, and Farid Izdihar were tied in third position on 99, former champion Zaqwan Zaidi was next on 94, while Ratthapong had 91.
Randy Krummenacher
To help defend West’s championship lead, his Webike Ikazuchi team drafted in Randy Krummenacher, who had won the World Supersport round at Buriram in March. Krummenator’ joined South Africa’s Sheridan Morais, who was having a second run out for the team, following his debut at round five, in Indonesia.
In the end it was Ratthapong who stepped up, with the help of his mentor at Yamaha Thailand, Decha Kraisart, himself a former two-times ARRC Supersport champion. The 25-year-old Thai went to the top of the combined timing screens for Friday’s third free practice session, managing a lap of 1:38.939, almost three tenths quicker than Decha and half a second faster than Yudhistira and Krummenacher.
Ratthapong leads Decha
The Yamaha Thailand pair stayed in formation for qualifying on Saturday morning, as Ratthapong brought his time down to 1:39.903 and Decha managing 1:39.219. Keminth Kubo, for Yamaha Racing ASEAN, completed a solid blue line at the front of the grid, while Yudhistira led row two from Krummenacher and Musashi Boon Siew Honda’s Tomoyoshi Koyama. Zaqwan, Azlan and Keisuke Kurihara made up row three.
Decha Kraisart made the best start in race one to lead the first lap from Ratthapong, Yudhistira and Kubo. Azlan Shah made a good start from the third row and slotted into fifth in turn one only to get forced into the run-off area at turn three as Zaqwan Zaidi low-sided into him. The 2017 champion stayed upright, but was in last place by the time he got himself back between the white lines.
With Decha and Ratthapong formation flying at the front, attention focused on the fight for third between Yudhistira and Kubo. The 19-year-old Thai got through on lap six, only to forfeit the place again to the Kawasaki. As they fought, Koyama began to reel them in.
Ratthapong got past Decha and retained the lead
Ratthapong got past Decha on lap 10. Mindful of championship positions, Decha tucked in behind his team-mate and managed a gap of almost five seconds back to Yudhistira who, after half distance, had the pace to manage his margin over Kubo.
Azlan, meanwhile, charged his way through the field, working his way back up to seventh by lap 14, dragging Andi Farid Izdihar with him, who had started from 15th on the grid.
At the end, Ratthapong and Decha stayed in formation to cross the line 1.3 seconds apart and more than five seconds clear of Yudhistira. Keminth just got the better of Koyama to seal fourth and Keisuke Kurihara was sixth on the road, despite going off track at the last turn. Azlan was seventh from Andi Farid, Yuki Ito and Azroy Hakeen Anuar, who completed the top ten.
Webike IKAZUCHI’s World Supersport stars, Sheridan Morais and Randy Krummenacher finished 11th and 12th.
Ratthapong Wilairot
Ratthapong’s 25 points brought his total to 116, 20 points behind West, while Yudhistira’s third place kept him in title contention with 115. Azlan, on 112, was also within a win of the championship.
Super Sport 600 Race 1 Results
Ratthapong Wilairot (THA) Yamaha 29:56.061
Decha Kraisart (THA) Yamaha +1.370
Ahmad Yudhistira (INA) Kawasaki +5.372
Keminth Kubo (THA) Yamaha +5.919
Tomoyoshi Koyama (JPN) Honda +6.107
Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (MAS) Kawasaki +17.511
Andi Farid Izdihar (INA) Honda +24.252
Sheridan Morais (RSA) Yamaha +24.746
Randy Krummenacher*** (SUI) Yamaha +25.026
Passawit Thitivararak (THA) Honda +25.103
Race Two
It was rinse and repeat at the start of race two, as Decha got another perfect launch from the middle of the front row, initially stretching away from title protagonists, Ratthapong and Yudhistira. A determined Azlan also made his way into contention, slotting into fifth, behind Keminth Kubo.
Supersport 600 Race 2 Start
Yudhistira briefly got ahead of Ratthapong, before the Thai rider reasserted himself to get back in front and open up a gap on the Kawasaki. Yudhistira subsequently fell into the clutches of Kubo, who engaged him while Ratthapong moved closer to Decha.
Azlan, chased by Koyama, closed in on the battle for third, passing Kubo, who fought back, only to low-side out of the contest on lap eight. Meanwhile, Decha gave way to his team-mate at the front to put him five points clear in the live standings and Yudhistira began to consolidate third place. Koyama passed Azlan for fourth.
Krummenacher meets Kubo
At the end of lap 12 and with one third of the race distance remaining, the gap between the blue duo at the front and Yudhistira was four seconds, as Koyama moved closer the back of the Indonesian’s Kawasaki. Decha looked as though he had the pace to win, but the more important job of helping Ratthapong become the first Thai to win the title since he himself last claimed it in 2010, prevailed.
Yudhistira finished three seconds back from Decha, just holding off Koyama for third, while Azlan was fifth, a further 3.5 seconds in arrears. Krummenacher was 11th, 13 seconds behind the winner and Morais was another two seconds and two places further behind.
Ratthapong Wilairot
Ratthapong’s win brought his points total to 141, five clear of the sidelined Anthony West. Yudhistira’s third place brought his total to 135 and therefore placed him third in the final standings.
Emotion spilled over as Ratthapong was greeted not only by his team, but by his brother, Ratthapark, and his mother, who held a memorial photo of his late father, Christmas Wilarot. It was the eighth anniversary of the Thai racing legend’s passing, as well as Ratthapong’s 26th birthday.
Ratthapong Wilairot
Super Sport 600 Race 2 Results
Ratthapong Wilairot (THA) Yamaha 30:00.360
Decha Kraisart (THA) Yamaha +0.341
Ahmad Yudhistira (INA) Kawasaki +2.972
Tomoyoshi Koyama (JPN) Honda +3.052
Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (MAS) Kawasaki +6.567
Keisuke Kurihara (JPN) Honda +9.619
Andi Farid Izdihar (INA) Honda +12.211
Yuki Ito (JPN) Yamaha +12.239
Muhammad Zulfahmi Khairudin (MAS) Kawasaki +12.487
Passawit Thitivararak (THA) Honda +12.633
2018 Supersport 600 champion Ratthapong Wilairot
Super Sport 600 Final Standings
Ratthapong Wilairot THA Yamaha 141
Anthony West AUS Yamaha 136
Ahmad Yudhistira INA Kawasaki 131
Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman MAS Kawasaki 123
Andi Farid Izdihar INA Honda 117
Tomoyoshi Koyama JPN Honda 107
Decha Kraisart THA YAMAHA 96
Md Zaqhwan Zaidi MAS Honda 94
Yuki Ito JPN Yamaha 86
Keminth Kubo THA Yamaha 83 …28 Liam Taylor MacDonald NZL Yamaha 2 …29 Scott Nicholson AUS Suzuki 2 …30 Patrick Li AUS Yamaha 0
Asia Production 250cc Wins for Rafid and Fadly and sin bin for Muklada
Both AP 250 races featured up to 15 bikes battling for podium positions and penalties from race direction that changed the on-track results. The fact that Astra Honda’s Rheza Danica Ahrens had already put the intermediate class title out of reach in round five did not prevent two of the most dramatic races of 2018 unfolding at Chang International.
With four riders within close reach of the runner-up spot and another eight capable of winning on any given Sunday, official eyes were glued to the 38 CCTV TV screens in race control.
Rafid Topan Sucipto
AP Honda Racing Thailand’s Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi won the qualifying battle decisively a lap of 1:52.339 that was almost fourth tenths faster than Anuparb Sarmoon, with the Manual Tech KYT Ninja 250 of Andy Muhammad Fadly close behind and completing the front row.
In race one, more than half the grid managed to stay within one camera shot for the full ten lap distance. In the early stages Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi, Anuparb Sarmoon, Andy Mohammad Fadly, Awhin Sanjaya and Muklada Sarapuech spent most time at the front until Anuparb seemed to lose his cutting edge and Fadly pulled into the pits with a nasty top-end rattle coming from his Kawasaki’s engine. Rafid Topan Sucipto, who had started from the fourth row, moved up to join the list of potential winners and Rheza Danica also decided to get himself involved.
Muklada, clearly determined to make up for a season marred by race direction penalties and injury, increased an already formidable effort on the last two laps, swapping the first four places with Awhin, Rheza, Krithchaporn and Rafid, who led into Chang’s notorious final turn.
Rafid Topan Sucipto took the Race 1 win
As they braked, Muklada hit Kritchaporn’s rear wheel, causing both bikes to go offline. They made contact again, and this time Kritchporn was unable to recover and crashed. Muklada lurched upright, across the track and clattered into Mario to make it a fourth successive DNF for the young Indonesian.
Race Direction took a dim view of Muklada’s last corner pinball performance, disqualifying her and dishing out a one race suspension that would keep her in the garage for race two. That elevated Anuparb to third, making a three-way fight for second place in the championship, with Anuparb on 142 points, Rafid on 138 and Awhin on 137.
Asia Production 250cc Race 1 Result
Rafid Topan Sucipto (INA) Yamaha 19:03.592
Awhin Sanjaya (INA) Honda +0.223
Anupab Sarmoon (THA) Yamaha +0.734
Rheza Danica Ahrens (INA) Honda +1.050
Piyawat Patoomyos** (THA) Honda +1.211
Kanatat Jaiman (THA) Yamaha +1.416
Galang Hendra Pratama*** (INA) Yamaha +1.536
Peerapong Boonlert (THA) Yamaha +1.896
Ahmad Afif Amran (MAS) Yamaha +19.972
Reynaldo Chrisantho Ratukore (INA) Yamaha +23.392
Race Two
The usual suspects, minus Muklada, put a similar show on for Sunday. As the last lap lottery began Mario, Fadly, Awhin and Anuparb had a small gap back to Rheza, Kritchporn and Peerapong Boonlert, who helped each other to close back in by the time they reached turn five.
2018 ARRC Round 6
As they braked for the final corner, Anuparb was forced onto the grass and lost just enough momentum for Awhin, Fadly and Kritchaporn to beat him to the line. Mario, Peerapong and Rheza were all within six tenths of the winner to complete the top seven positions. Five seconds further back, race one winner, Rafid Topan Sucipto, held off Galang Hendra Pratama and Kanatat Jaiman for eighth place.
Race Direction subsequently intervened to penalise Awhin, Kritchaporn, Peerapong and Mario by dropping them five places each for exceeding track limits. That handed Fadly his first AP250 win and brought Rheza and Anuparb up to second and third places.
2018 ARRC Round 6
Rheza’s total points haul for the year increased to 226 and Anuparb held onto second place with 158 points from Rafid, who finished with 151.
Asia Production 250cc Race 2 Result
Andy Muhammad Fadly (INA) Kawasaki 19:01.944
Rheza Danica Ahrens (INA) Honda +0.539
Anupab Sarmoon (THA) Yamaha +0.105
Rafid Topan Sucipto (INA) Yamaha +5.581
Galang Hendra Pratama*** (INA) Yamaha +5.780
Awhin Sanjaya (INA) Honda — 10 laps —
Kanatat Jaiman (THA) Yamaha +5.793
Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi (THA) Honda +0.087
Piyawat Patoomyos** (THA) Honda +6.220
Mario Suryo Aji (INA) Honda +0.168
Asia Production 250cc Standings
Rheza Danica Ahren INA Astra Honda 226
Anupab Sarmoon THA YAMAHA 158
Rafid Topan Sucipto INA Yamaha 151
Awhin Sanjaya INA Honda 147
Andy Muhammad Fadly INA Kawasaki 130
Mario Suryo Aji INA Honda 128
Muklada Sarapuech THA Honda 86
Peerapong Boonlert THA Yamaha 82
Reynaldo Chrisantho Ratukore***INA Yamaha 64
Anggi Setiawan INA Yamaha 64
Underbone 150cc Wawan and Gupita win and Helmi takes the title
With 27 entries, the mono class served up two of the best races of the season, despite SCK Rapido Hi Rev Honda’s Helmi Azman beginning the final round needing just one eighth place finish to seal 2018 title.
Underbone 150cc
Indonesian wildcard, Wawan Wello, wowed underbone fans again, in just his second ARRC outing and his first trip to Buriram. After finding his way round in the first Friday session, he shot to the top of the timing screens in FP2 and recorded the quickest qualifying time – the only sub-two minute lap of the weekend – at the end of the afternoon to lead the fastest fifteen into Saturday’s Superpole shootout. Helmi had an engine problem in qualifying and found himself dropped 16 places to 19th when his team pushed his bike into the pit box during the session.
2018 ARRC Round 6
Helmi’s Australian team-mate, Travis Hall, got through to superpole by clocking 2:03.545, putting himself into the thick of a field of race winners and former champions and subsequently improved by four places from qualifying to start tenth.
In race one, attention inevitably focused on Helmi, who treated his challenge as a normal day’s work. Wawan and Affendi Rosli led the swarm into turn one, as Helmi sliced his way through to the top ten. Ahmad Fazli Sham showed well throughout the race, while two times former champion, Gupita Kresna, threatened and Reza Fahlevi, another Indonesian wildcard, had an impressive outing. Izzat Zaidi’s long-shot challenge for the championship didn’t materialise and he wasn’t able to get close to the front of 15-bike leading group.
Travis Hall
As the last lap bare knuckle fight ensued, Wawan got clear to take the win from Helmi, Affendi Fazli Sham, Gupita and Reza, who completed the first six. With Izzat finishing 14th, Helmi’s title winning margin stood at 60 points. Travis finished 12th, just two seconds behind the race winner.
Wawan out-dragged the rest of the field into turn one again on Sunday and briefly opened a gap until the chasing peloton sucked him back in on the long straight between turns three and four. Helmi Azman, along with Syahrul Amin, Ahmad Fazli Sham, Peerapong Luiboonpeng and Akid Aziz hounded the Indonesian upstart, forcing him back into the middle of the leading group by lap three.
Wawan Wello
Clearly believing in his right to lead the race, Wawan had charged back to the front one lap later, as his SND team-mates, Gupita and Syahrul, along with Helmi, Akid and Fazli Sham stayed close, trying to work out a way past the wild card.
As is often the case at the Thai circuit, the last corner and race direction played a major role in the finishing order. After leading much of the final lap, Wawan got caught in a melee as the leaders fanned out under braking for turn 12.
Underbone 150cc
A total of seven bikes, including Travis Hall’s, went down and Syahrul scrambled through to the chequered flag first, one tenth ahead of Gupita who was chased across the line by Aiman Azman and Fazli Sham. After Race Direction had handed out a sheaf of five place drop penalties for exceeding track limits, Gupita was elevated to first position from Aiman, McKinley Kyle Paz, Helmi and Wawan.
Underbone 150cc Race 2 Results
Gupita Kresna (INA) Yamaha 16:22.140
Md. Aiman Azman (MAS) Honda +0.972
McKinley Kyle Paz*** (PHI) Yamaha +1.018
Md Helmi Azman (MAS) Honda +1.347
Wawan Wello** (INA) Yamaha +1.398
Syahrul Amin (INA) Yamaha — 8 laps —
Md Amirul Ariff Musa (MAS) Honda +1.422
Ahmad Fazli Sham (MAS) Yamaha +0.473
Reza Fahlevi** (INA) Yamaha +1.485
Md Izzat Zaidi (MAS) Yamaha +2.794 …DNF. Travis Hall
Md Helmi Azman – Underbone 150cc champion
Underbone 150cc Standings
Md Helmi Azman MAS Honda 197
Md Izzat Zaidi MAS Yamaha 130
Ahmad Fazli Sham MAS Yamaha 117
Gupita Kresna Wardhana INA Yamaha Yamaha 110
Md Akid Aziz MAS UMA Yamaha 95
Md Amirul Ariff Musa MAS Honda 87
Md Affendi Rosli MAS Yamaha 84
Wahyu Aji Trilaksana INA Yamaha 83
Syahrul Amin INA Yamaha 83
Md Haziq Md Fairues MAS Yamaha 77 …14. Travis Hall AUS Honda 50
Local riders were the pace setters on the first day of the ARRC Official Tyre Tests as eight riders set about laying down some rubber in preparation for the 2019 launch of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship ASB1000 class (Superbike).
Anupab Sarmoon holds the Superstock 1000 lap record at the 4.5km Chang International Circuit – a time of 1’35.3 – which was also the target time set by Dunlop for the first day of tests.
Anupab Sarmoon
The weather had been ideal for the test and most of the riders, especially those from teams with existing race data at the Chang International Circuit, had been able to get up to pace quickly. It came as no surprise that the Thai riders were the quickest on the first day.
Anupab, astride the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s R1, was consistently the fastest rider for most of the day but Thitipong Warokorn knocked Anupab out of top spot with a 1m36.167 in the final practice session.
Thitipong Warokorn
Thitipong’s Kawasaki team-mate, Chaiwichit Nisakul, was third quickest on 1’36.460s.
Young Indonesian rider Andi Farid Izdihar, filling in for an injured Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi, gave good account for himself. With a bike that is fresh out of the box, Andi had to complete the hard work of running in the engine before he could put in any laptimes. Regardless, Andi was able to get the Honda Asia Dream Racing bike home in fourth fastest with 1’36.703s.
Seasoned Malaysian campaigner Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman clocked in for his first day of work with his new team, Onexox TKKR Racing. Now racing on a BMW, Azlan was the fifth quickest rider of the day with 1’37.060s.
Newly crowned SuperSports 600cc rider Ratthapong Wilairot was sixth fastest (1’37.498s), ahead of Australia’s Glenn Allerton on the NextGen Motorsports BMW.
The Victorian based Superbike team ended the day in seventh place on the overall combined times with a 1min37.543, which Allerton posted in the second of the four sessions. The three-time Aussie Superbike Champion completed 68-laps of the 4.554km Buriram circuit.
Glenn Allerton
“I feel as if we should have been able to do 36’s today but it’s hard to do fast lap times simply because of the hot conditions.”
Glenn Allerton
The opening day primarily centred around testing of the Dunlop control tyres while Allerton and the team were frustrated by a few small braking issues, which they hope to iron out ahead tomorrow’s final day of testing.
“The heavy braking areas took their toll and caused us some dramas today. The team and I will sit down tonight and work on our braking package, and also on acceleration out of the slower corners.”
Glenn Allerton
Overall, the 37-year-old New South Welshman was happy with how his day went, which marked his first ever time riding around the Chang International Circuit.
“It’s a very wide and open flowing track, it was good to be able to get our bearings on which way the track went and of course get our heads around the Dunlop tyres. These Dunlops are a different spec’ to what we use back in Australia, so it was always going to be a learning day. With a day under our belt, we can now start working on bike set-up tomorrow and hopefully push for faster lap times.”
Glenn Allerton
Next Gen Motorsports Team Manager Wayne Hepburn explained that today has been a positive day for both Allerton and the team.
Wayne Hepburn
“As a whole, I’m happy and the team are also very happy. Our testing program today saw us testing a bunch Dunlop tyres, which we got through. We had five different rears and three different front tyres we had to go through. At the completion of tyres, Glenn seemed to like the softer compound tyres, so we then focused on them and trying to make the tyres last a bit longer.”
ASB 1000 Tyre Test
With tyre testing done and dusted for the day, Hepburn also explained that tomorrow will see Allerton and the team trying to adapt the BMW S 1000RR to the conditions, now that Allerton knows which tyres works for him best.
“As we just focused on tyres today, we now have to work on the bike set-up for tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do to be competitive with the local riders. It’s great to see that the field is so competitive and the local riders are keeping us honest. We are now looking forward to tomorrow, where we know we will improve a lot. Overall however, I’m very happy with how Glenn rode and of course how the team worked today. It’s a huge credit to them and I can’t wait to see how we will go tomorrow.”
Access Plus Ducati Philippines’ TJ Alberto rounded out the day’s practice on 1’37.749s as the eighth and final rider in the ASB1000 field.
The final day of testing gets underway tomorrow at 0940 GMT +7. In total, there will be three one-hour sessions, before finishing with a forty-minute session in the later part of the afternoon.
ASB 1000 Test Day One Times
Thitipong Warokorn Kawasaki Thailand 1:36.167
Anupad Sarmoon Yamaha Thailand 1:36.391
Chaiwichit Nisakul Kawasaki Thailand 1:36.460
Andi Farid Izdihar Honda Asia Dream Racing 1:36.703
Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman ONEXO X TKKR 1:37.060
Ratthapong Wilairot Yamaha Thailand 1’37.498
Glenn Allerton NextGen BMW S 1000RR 1:37.543
TJ Alberto Access Plus Ducati Philippines 1’37.749
16-year-old Billy Van Eerde today won the 2018 Asia Talent Cup Championship after an unbelievable weekend of racing at Sepang.
Jack Miller has been instrumental in helping Billy this season both at the track, and in a massive way away from the track
It came down to the line and Billy was actually beaten to the flag by championship rival Haruki Noguchi. However, the Japanese rider had a coming together on the straight with Malaysian rider Danial Sharil.
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An investigation immediately after the race then judged Noguchi to have been guilty of irresponsible riding and docked him 27-seconds, which promoted Billy to the race win, and with that enough points to be crowned Asia Talent Cup Champion.
A coming together at the flag decided the championship
Billy only joined the Asia Talent Cup for the first time this year, while many of his competitors, including Noguchi have had multiple years in the tightly contested category on controlled Honda NSF250R motorcycles.
Billy Van Eerde with mum Sue
I don’t think it is out of place for me to say that all of us that are regularly involved in Australian Road Racing are immensely proud of Billy’s achievement today, and feel lucky to have seen his progression from the start as he made his transtion from dirt track in the ranks of ASBK Supersport 300 on a KTM.
Billy Van Eerde
I reckon it is also fair to say that quite a few of shed a tear this evening as we watched the realisation dawn on Billy that he had won the championship.
Billy Van Eerde – 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion
Alberto Puig (Talent Promotion Director)
“As always this Cup is about evolution during the year and some guys make more of an evolution than others, van Eerde started step by step but has been progressing, as have many other riders, and finally he was the Champion and we have to congratulate him. I think this incident in the last race made it a little it strange, but in the points he’s the Champion and that’s what counts. Overall we’re happy with the year, we’re satisfied we had another season of the Cup because it’s always complicated.”
Billy Van Eerde – 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion2018 Asia Talent Cup Top ThreeBilly Van Eerde – 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion – #19
Riders for the 2019 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup have been decided at the Selection Event in Malaysia.
Asia Talent Cup Selections
The Selection Event to choose the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup riders for next season is now over for another year after taking place at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
Asia Talent Cup Selections for 2019
Following inscriptions on Tuesday and a day of track action to assess the new crop of hopefuls on Wednesday, eight young riders from across Asia and Oceania have been selected to join the grid– as well as five reserve riders.
Harrison Voight – Asia Talent Cup 2019
Aussie youngsters Jacob Roulstone and Harrison Voight are two of the youngest to make it through the selection process while Luke Power has been named as a reserve rider.
The Selection Event took place largely in the wet at Sepang, but it didn’t put too much of a dampener on proceedings.
Jacob Roulstone – Asia Talent Cup 2019
Over 90 youngsters were put through their paces throughout the day before the Selection Committee made their final decisions.
Harrison Voight – Asia Talent Cup 2019
The committee, led by Talent Promotion Director Alberto Puig, selected riders from Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan to either join the grid next year or be on the reserve list.
Jacob Roulstone – Asia Talent Cup 2019
Now the grid for next year is decided, it’s time to decide the Champion this season. The 2018 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup will be decided at Sepang this weekend, and young Aussie Billy Van Eerde currently leads the championship by 12-points heading into this weekend’s finale!
SELECTED & RESERVE RIDERS FOR 2019
WEDNESDAY, 31ST OCTOBER 2018 /// SEPANG GO-KART CIRCUIT, MALAYSIA
S/R
NUM
RIDER NAME
NAT
GEN
AGE
Cm
Kg
SEL
18
M IDIL FITRI BIN MAHADI
MAL
M
15
164
47
SEL
20
M SYARIFUDDIN BIN A
MAL
M
16
163
51
SEL
39
HERJUN ATNA FIRDAUS
INA
M
14
170
50
SEL
41
ABDUL GOFAR MUTAQIM
INA
M
14
170
49
SEL
57
JACOB JOHN ROULSTONE
AUS
M
13
157
36
SEL
62
HARRISON SAMUEL VOIGHT
AUS
M
12
149
41
SEL
81
RYOSUKE BANDO
JPN
M
15
170
51
SEL
91
REI WAKAMATSU
JPN
M
12
146
36
RES
27
MUHAMMAD AIMAN BIN AZMAN
MAL
M
18
168
59
RES
40
MUHAMMAD HILDHAN KUSUMA
INA
M
16
170
53
RES
56
LUKE POWER
AUS
M
13
162
52
RES
76
SHOTA KIUCHI
JPN
M
15
164
54
RES
113
KADIR ERBAY
TUR
M
12
170
48
Alberto Puig (Talent Promotion Director):
“It was difficult, especially because of the conditions. It was pouring. We couldn’t do our full intended program of testing but we did what we could. Out of all this I think we’ve selected the riders who were faster today, and the reserve riders. It’s the first time we’ve had rain like this during the selection at Sepang. But we did it and we’re happy, we have some young riders of different nationalities. It’s also important that no one is injured although we had some crashes, everyone is ok. So for one more edition, job completed.
“We always try and find young riders because they always have more potential to learn and grow. We hope we’ve got some potential selected here. They understand they have an important opportunity but at the beginning it will be difficult for them, like it has been for all the riders who have come to race in the Cup. But as always, the guys who are strongest and have the most passion will make it on this road.”
