Md Fitri Ashraff Razali made Round 8 of the PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship a weekend to remember as the PETRONAS Yamaha CKJ rider claimed a victory in what turned out to be a dramatic CP130 race at MAEPS Serdang on Sunday.
Starting from 11th position on the grid, the 21-year old had it all to do as he fought his way through the field before finding himself in the fight for the lead of the race in the latter half of the 18-lap race. Having caught up with the leading pair of Md Adib Rosley (Motul Yamaha YY Pang) and Md Hafiz Nor Azman (Harian Metro YTEQ SCK Honda Racing), Fitri quickly found himself embroiled in an epic battle royale for the lead of the race. Lapping considerably faster than Hafiz, Fitri began pressuring Adib for the lead in the final lap with the pair involved in a sprint to the line for a near photo-finish with Adib finishing just ahead of Fitri.
However, the drama did not end there as Adib was given a 30-second penalty moments after the chequered flag, awarding the race victory to Fitri.
Delighted with his first CP130 race win this season, Fitri comments, “after experiencing a difficult start to the weekend with bike problems and limited track time, I knew I had a lot of ground to make up for in the race. But I had a great start and gained several positions going into the first corner. I spent the first few laps observing the rest of the field and took advantage of every opportunity to overtake those in front of me.”
He adds, “throughout the season so far, I had several opportunities to finish on the podium but it was not to be then. This weekend, I felt really motivated, even after the fall I had in qualifying. I had to refocus and it clearly paid off this weekend. I am looking forward to the next race in Jempol, especially as there is still a lot of play for in terms of the points!”
Coming in second place was Hafiz Nor Azman, ahead of teammate Rozaiman Md Said, both recording their maiden podium finishes this season.
“It was a hard weekend for Honda here, as we struggled to find the best setup even right up to the warm up this morning. The track was clearly better suited to the Yamaha bikes who had the advantage here. But I am delighted with my first podium, although I had several chances earlier in the season. I learned from every round and really want to dedicate this result to Zamri [Baba] who has played a big part in guiding and teaching me early in the season,” comments Hafiz.
Despite finishing in eighth place, Ahmad Fazrul Sham (Yamalube AHM) still leads the championship with 103 points, 24 points clear of Abdul Muhaimin Roslan (PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor) in second overall with 79 points.
In the CP115 category, Sunday’s race belonged to Motul Yamaha YY Pang’s Tengku Amirul Haffirudin who romped to a comfortable race victory from pole position commanding the 15-lap race to win ahead of championship leader Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor).
After getting the weekend off to a great start dominating the practice sessions and securing pole position after a storming run in the morning shoot out, his form carried through to the race as the pole man successfully fought off the challenge from teammate Md Izzat Zaidi and Kasma Daniel in the opening laps of the race.
With a clear track in front of him, the Motul Yamaha YY Pang rider was able to quickly establish a gap enabling him a comfortable run to the flag. Despite his best efforts, title contender Kasma Daniel had to be content with second place after an epic duel with Izzat in the early part of the race.
With the win, Tengku Amirul adds 25 points to his total points haul trimming the deficit to Kasma Daniel to just 29 points. Finishing in second position, Kasma Daniel still leads the title chase with 140 points with two rounds remaining in the championship.
“It was a tough race especially in the beginning. But I am happy with the work that the team has done as we had found the perfect setup and encountered no issues throughout the weekend,” notes Tengku Amirul.
“Although we still have a 29 point disadvantage to Kasma Daniel, I think we are still in with a chance. There is definitely pressure going into the next race in Jempol considering all the issues that we have been facing this season, so we have a lot of ground to recover, “ adds the race winner.
Championship leader, Kasma Daniel notes, “Congratulations to Tengku Amirul as this was definitely his track. I am still happy that I managed to collect points this weekend and although the gap is 29 points with two rounds remaining, I will definitely still push for the win, although I will not rule out the possibility of playing it smart where I need to.”
Meanwhile it was another weekend of celebration for Kozi Yam Honda Racing’s Harith Farhan Baharin who stormed to near photo-finish victory in the WIRA category en route to recording his seventh win of the season. The newly crowned WIRA champion, who had claimed the title at the previous round in Teluk Intan, did have to put up with some tough competition from Espada William Racing duo of Khairul Ikhwan Ajis and Amirul Hakim Rizal who challenged the champion throughout the entire duration of the 12-lap race.
After an epic duel, the pair eventually settled for the remaining two podium spots with Khairul in taking second place and teammate Amirul in third. However, following a post-race inquiry, an incident involving Amirul and Saiful Izman Ahmad Zamani (FELDA AFB Tech Cardinals Racing) during the race saw Amirul penalised, gifting third place to Irfan Rosnizam (FELDA AFB Tech Cardinals Racing).
Round 9 of the PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship will take place in two weeks time in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan from October 31 to November 1.
Results
CP130
Race
- Md Fitri Ashraff Razali (Yamaha) 14’50.469s 2. Md Hafiz Nor Azman (Honda) 14’50.931s 3. Md Rozaiman Md Said (Honda) 14’54.79ss 4. Md Affendi Rosli (Yamaha) 14’56.195s 5. Md Taufiq Roslan (Yamaha) 14’57.255
Overall Standings
- Ahmad Fazrul Sham (Yamaha) 103 points 2. Abdul Muhaimin Roslan (Yamaha) 79 points 3. Ahmad Fazli Sham (Yamaha) 70 points 4. Md Affendi Rosli (Yamaha) 64 points 5. Md Zamri Baba (Honda) 64 points.
Team Awards
- PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor 177 points 2. PETRONAS Yamaha CKJ 166 points 3. Harian Metro YTEQ SCK Honda Racing 153 points 4. Yamalube AHM 150 points 5. Motul Yamaha YY Pang 105 points
CP115
Race
- Tengku Amirul Haffirudin (Yamaha) 12’16.280s 2. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (Yamaha) 12’22.486s 3. Md Izzat Zaidi (Yamaha) 12’23.010s 4. Azroy Hakeem Anuar (Honda) 12’23.260s 5. Md Fareez Afeez (Yamaha) 12’25.532s
Overall Standings
- Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (Yamaha) 140 points 2. Tengku Amirul Haffirudin (Yamaha) 111 points 3. Ahmad Syukran Aizat (Yamaha) 69 points 4. Md Fareez Afeez (Yamaha) 64 points 5. Md Emir Firdaus Razak (Yamaha) 62 points
Team Awards
- Motul Yamaha YY Pang 172 points 2. PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor 167 points 3. PETRONAS Yamaha CKJ 113 points 4. FELDA PB Racing A 113 points 5. M Seki Liberty Honda 65 points
WIRA
Race
- Md Harith Farhan Baharin (Honda) 10’07.580s 2. Md Khairul Ikhwan Ajis (Yamaha) 10’07.630s 3. Md Irfan Rosnizam (Yamaha) 10’19.984s 4. Md Akid Aziz (Yamaha) 10’19.985s 5. Md Syafiq Aiman (Yamaha) 10’20.383
Overall Standings
- Md Harith Farhan Baharin (Honda) 195 points 2. Saiful Izman Ahmad Zamani (Yamaha) 93 points 3. Md. Khairul Ikhwan Ajis (Yamaha) 90 points 4. Md Irfan Rosnizam (Yamaha) 84 points 5. Amirul Hakim Md Rizal (Yamaha) 82 points
