Saturday October 13, 2012
Confident Ahmad third fastest on tough Penbay track
By Shamshul Fitri
PETALING JAYA: A series of podium finishes in the national racing scene has got Ahmad Fuad Baharudin riding with more confidence in the penultimate round of the Petronas Asia Road Racing Championships (ARRC) in Taiwan.
The Bike A.R.T Kawasaki Racing rider clocked an impressive 1:46.738 in his second lap to be third fastest in the SuperSports 600cc class before the session was red-flagged due to a crash at the Penbay International Circuit yesterday.
Defending champion Katsuaki Fujiwara (Manual Tech BEET Kawasaki Racing) topped the timesheet in 1:45.894 while Ryuichi Kiyonari (MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing) was second quickest in 1:46.416.
“We did quite okay today ... it was not our best performance but we are definitely competitive,” said Fuad.
“Compared to Fujiwara’s time, I still have a lot of catching up to do. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better outing for me because I need to secure a front-row start for the race.” The highly-technical Penbay circuit is a new addition to the ARRC calendar this year. It features a total of 16 corners packed into the 3.526km track, making opportunities to overtake a premium.
Mohd Zamri Baba (Petronas Hong Leong Yamaha) and Kiyonari’s team-mate, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman came in fifth and sixth fastest in 147.731 and 1:48.310 respectively.
Meanwhile, Mohd Amirul Ariff Musa came in second fastest in the Underbone 115cc practice in 2:02.209 – 0.5 second behind Nissin R9 KYT Federal Oil BRT rider Rey Ratukore (2:01.709).
Ahmad Afif Amran (CKJ Yamaha Racing) was third fastest for the day in 2:03.109.
- Razif: Indiscipline the cause of senior players’ poor performances
- Spirited Malaysian team vow to deliver against Germans
- Cool V Shem believes he will be too hot for rivals to handle
- Malaysia have their work cut out in the World League
- Plenty for Hafizh as 55 is significant in his early racing career
- Yi Ting on a mission
- Japan hope to reach their first semis in tourney
- Grace hammers home a point with two golds
- Reigning champion thumps Xu Xin as Taiwan make history with first gold
- Former Asian phenom takes slow route to success
- Grace hammers home a point with two golds
- China to host seventh edition of Royal Trophy
- Former Asian phenom takes slow route to success
- South Korean captures first US PGA title with a 69
- Spurs thump Grizzlies in series opener
- Uihlein rules at Madeira Open
- Malaysia have their work cut out in the World League
- Sharon believes KPT circuit is excellent for squash’s future
- Razif: Indiscipline the cause of senior players’ poor performances
- Reigning champion thumps Xu Xin as Taiwan make history with first gold
RSS
