Round 5 October 2, 2015  Asia Production 250

Kasma of Malaysia Mounts Podium with 2nd in Race 2!
Japan's Tanaka Finishes 2nd in Race 1

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RACE DATA

Circuit

Qatar/Losail International Circuit

Condition

Dry

PP

Takehiro Yamamoto(2'23.645/Kawasaki)

Race 1 FL

Muhamad Hasyim Zaki Adil(2'24.233/Yamaha)

Race 2 FL

Andy Muhammad Fadly(2'24.149/kawasaki)

REPORT

The fifth round of the 2015 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) was held at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, located in the desert some 30 minutes by car from the country’s capital of Doha. With midday temperatures exceeding 40° C, the races of this round were run at night under lights illuminating the entire course, just like the Qatar round that starts the MotoGP World Championship each year. For many of the ARRC riders, this was their first time competing on the Losail circuit, and since there were no local riders competing, this made conditions even for almost all of the riders. For the Yamaha riders on the YZF-R25, this was a chance to show the steady progress they have been making through their daily training and the experience gained from the first four rounds of the season. They pushed themselves and their machines hard during the free practice and qualifying sessions. This progress was evident as a larger number of R25 riders qualified for the race closer to the front, including Ayumu Tanaka (#82), who qualified in 3rd place for a spot on the front row, and Galang Hendra Pratama (#99) and Peerapong Boonlert (#45), who both took second-row spots by qualifying 5th and 6th, respectively. Nonetheless, the average times of their rivals were still fast and it was expected to be another difficult race for the R25 riders.

Race 1
The first of the two races for the Asia Production 250 class was held on Friday. The start took place after the sun went down and the temperature began to drop slightly at 6 PM. At the start, the Kawasaki and two Hondas currently leading the championship took the top three positions. However, they were closely followed by three R25 riders, Ayumu Tanaka (#82), Muhamad Hasyim Zaki Adil (#32) and Galang Hendra Pratama (#99) in 4th, 5th and 6th places, respectively, forming the lead group. From start to finish, the riders on these three brands continued to battle fiercely for the lead, with the order changing again and again. Through it all, the R25 riders were on equal footing with their rivals as Tanaka (#82) fought for the lead and Zaki Adil (#32) set the fastest lap of the race (2’24.233) as well as recording the highest top speed. One of the critical deciding factors in the competition was the speed of the bikes after coming out of the final corner and sprinting down the straight to the finish line. It was here that the R25’s high-revving engine character proved to be an advantage, as time and time again an R25 would catch and pass a rival down the straight.
Entering the second half of the race, the top group began to narrow down to a few riders. After Galang (#99) crashed out of the race and Zaki Adil (#32) gradually fell off the pace, the one R25 rider left in the four-way battle for the lead was Tanaka (#82). After falling back in the closing stages of the race, Tanaka managed to get on the tail of the top three again on the last lap. Finally, after coming through the final turn in 4th position, Tanaka used the R25’s speed on the straight and succeeded in passing two of his rivals to take a 2nd place finish for a spot on the podium. Zaki Adil (#32) came home in 5th place, taking his best finish of the season so far while Sigit Purno Harjono (#630) also showed consistent speed—though running alone—to finish 6th. Behind him, Kasma Daniel Bin Kasmayudin (#127) came out on top in a close-quarters five-way battle for 7th place. Farther back, Meng Xing Bin (#28), still a rookie to motorcycle competition having moved up this year from domestic scooter racing in China, finished in 15th to take his first series points. In these ways, it was a race that clearly showed the ongoing progress being made by the R25 and its riders.
In the Underbone 130cc class race being held together as part of the series, Yamaha rider Mohammad Azam Omar finished 3rd to mount the podium, and in the SuperSports 600 class, Makoto Inagaki finished 4th.

Race 2
Race 2 for the Asia Production 250 class was run the next day (Saturday, October 3rd) and would prove to be the most closely fought contest at the front this season. Once again, it was three rival machines that pulled into the lead at the start, but R25 riders Ayumu Tanaka (#82), Zaki Adil (#32), Sigit (#630), Peerapong (#45) and Kasma (#127) stayed with them, forming a lead group of eight machines in the process. In the ensuing brawl where the order among the top eight changed dramatically with each lap, several of the R25 riders would pass a rival mid-corner or on the straight to move into 1st position and lead the race for a while. Especially fast when running at the front in the early stages of the race was Tanaka (#82), who had finished 2nd in Race 1 and had his eyes on a win for Race 2. As the race entered the middle stages, Kasma (#127), the youngest of the R25 riders at just 15 years of age, moved up steadily from the back of the top group until he managed to take the lead and emerge as the man to beat.
However, one of the rivals with more experience and a proven track record of success was quick to react to Kasma’s (#127) move. Going up the inside mid-corner, the rival forced Kasma to run off the track. This dropped him back to the tail position in the top group. But Kasma wasn’t finished yet; once again, he climbed up through the group. Meanwhile, Imanuel Putra Pratna (#34), who had been leading the second group on his R25, managed to move up to join the lead group and make it a total of 11 machines battling for spots on the podium as the race entered the final lap. In this crowded last lap, it was once again Kasma (#127) that emerged as the star performer. Kasma came out of the final turn in the lead, and kept changing his line to prevent anyone from using his slipstream as he headed for the checkered flag. But, it was a much more experienced rival who managed to get the upper hand and beat Kasma to the line by just 0.051 seconds, putting him in 2nd place. Still, it was a great feat for Kasma as he became the first Yamaha rider from the ASEAN region to get a podium finish in the new Asia 250 Production class. This success filled the Yamaha riders and teams with joy and boosted their motivation for the next round.
Meanwhile, in the tightly contested Underbone 130cc class’ second race, Yamaha rider Ahmad Fazrul Sham emerged as winner and Mohammad Fareez Afeez finished in 3rd place. The best Yamaha finish in the SuperSports 600 class for Race 2 was a 6th place finish by Yuki Ito.

For the sixth and final round of the season, the championship will return to the Chang International Circuit in Thailand for the second time this season. The races will take place about two months from now (December 4–6).

RIDER RANKING

COMMENT

• #630 Sigit Purno Harjono (6th/DNF)
  “At the start of the first race, I got caught behind some slower riders and wasn’t able to get away with the leading group. I pushed as hard as I could from there, but since I was running by myself I wasn’t able to make contact with the leaders. In Race 2, I changed my approach to the first corner, which allowed me to stick with the pack at the front. My plan was to stay in 5th position so I could eventually aim for the podium, but I made contact with another rider and went down. The Losail circuit has a lot of high-speed corners and that plays to the strengths of the R25, so I was really disappointed with not finishing. The Buriram circuit that we’ll be at next has many low-speed corners so while it won’t be easy, we’ll look for the best machine setup to take the fight to our rivals there.”
• #34 Imanuel Putra Pratna (DNF/9th)
  “Unfortunately in Race 1, I came together with the rider in front of me on the second lap and crashed. In the beginning of Race 2, I was in the second group and got into a good rhythm. From that point I concentrated on passing riders one by one, but they were all too quick and I wasn’t able to make up many positions. I knew that my bike could compete on the straight, so I aimed for a last lap dash to the finish. I finished in 9th, which wasn’t as high as I was hoping for, but I definitely gained a lot of confidence from the race. At the next round, I’ll shoot for the top group and to make it to the podium.”
• Team Managing Director Yusuke Koizumi
  “All three riders had good lap times and results this weekend. This was due to the higher level of competitiveness of the both the bike and the riders themselves. This is apparent because all three of their times in the race would have qualified them on the front row and they were able to run with the front group, which they hadn’t been able to do as much before. Also, Imanuel was able to catch up to the top group in Race 2 despite being alone, and Sigit got a great start in Race 2 and battled with the leaders. All these points are deserving of praise and they will make for a good base to start from for the last round of the season. If we can battle hard there, the podium should come within view. Our goal in Buriram is to do whatever it takes to finally reach the podium.”
• Yamaha Thailand Racing Team
  #45 Peerapong Boonlert (9th/4th)
  “My goal for this round was a top 10 finish, so finishing 9th in Race 1 and 4th in Race 2 means I did what I set out to do and I’m really satisfied. Also, being able to battle closely with our Honda and Kawasaki rivals who have put in such strong performances this year was very positive and a great learning experience for me. The next race is at home for me, at Buriram in Thailand. Now, I’ll be aiming not for the top 10 or top 5, but for the podium.”
• #14 Peerapong Loiboonpeng (14th/13th)
  “The bike’s engine was having issues this round, so my results were disappointing. In Race 1 in particular, I couldn’t extract 100% from the engine and ended up in 14th place. We switched engines for Race 2 but it still didn’t provide the performance we wanted. This round’s results left something to be desired, so in the last round of the season at Buriram, I’ll do my best to finish higher up in the order.”
• Theerapong Opaskornkul (Senior General Manager Sales & Marketing Support)
  “Our riders prepared a lot for this race and the team worked very well. Although Loiboonpeng’s engine had a bit of trouble, Boonlert was able to exploit his excellent machine setup and physical condition to have a fantastic run in the second race. However, it was disappointing that he wasn’t able to reach 3rd position and a podium finish. We’ll do everything we can to finish on the podium at our home race in Thailand next time.”
• Yamaha Finson Racing
  #127 Kasma Daniel Bin Kasmayudin (7th/2nd)
  “I was able to stand on the podium for the first time this weekend. First of all, I want to say thank you to all the members of the team. Race 2 was great; I was able to battle with the leaders and finish on the podium. During the race, I made contact with another rider and lost some positions, but this only built up my determination to stand on the podium. I’m really happy with this result, but I still haven’t won a race yet. I’ll keep practicing when I return to Malaysia to prepare for the final round.”
• #21 Brandon Paul Demmery (17th/19th)
  “I made good starts so I thought I’d be able to challenge at the front, but I made a mistake and unfortunately lost ground. But battling with my rivals has helped me make a step forward and our machine has improved as well. The next round will be the last of the season, so I plan to give my all to secure my best result yet.”
• Team Manager Eddy Saputra
  “Kasma taking to the podium for the first time was a fantastic result for our team. It’s all thanks to our rider, the team putting in hard work and the great support we receive from Yamaha. The engine and suspension have also improved a lot, and without even one of these we wouldn’t have reached the podium. It was the combination of these factors that brought us this result. But we still aren’t completely satisfied. At the next round, we’ll do our best to prepare so that we finish on the top step.”
• Yamaha Yamalube KYT Tunggal Jaya Racing
  #27 Rusman Fadhil (11th/14th)
  “The team did a great job setting up the machine for me but not everything worked with my riding style, as evidenced by my race results. I rode in Race 1 with the base setting, but tried changing them for Race 2. That plan backfired and led to a vicious circle of setting changes. This was caused by my inability to adapt to the bike, gauge the situation and find the best settings for the race. I’ll try to turn this weekend’s difficulties around and do a better job of this at the next round in Buriram by reviewing our setup again and aiming for the podium.”
• #32 Muhamad Hasyim Zaki Adil (5th/7th)
  “For this race weekend, my team gave me an extremely well set-up bike. It fit me perfectly and I was able to run with the lead group. I personally have been practicing on a supermoto bike, which really gave me an advantage with my machine control and was a major boost for me this weekend. However, in the second half of both races I lost touch with the race leaders. To tell the truth, I fell in a race at home in Indonesia and suffered a hairline fracture in my knee before this round, so in the latter stages of the races, my pace dropped off because of the pain. The podium was in view for me this time, and I feel that with a little more effort I can be up there at the next round.”
• Team Manager Rudynanto Widjaya
  “Our team gave up their days off and worked around the clock to fully prepare and tune our engines for this weekend’s event. The settings didn’t suit Fadhil, but fit Zaki perfectly and led to his strong results. The next race will be at a circuit that the Honda goes well at, so while it will be a difficult task for us, our goal will be to finish in the top five. But if we can race in the top five, then a podium finish should be within reach. Please cheer us on in the next and final round.”
• YAMAHA MLT RACING YEAM)
  #26 Li Zheng Pang (13th/15th)
  “My qualifying position wasn’t good to start with, which was a big mistake on my part that affected both of my races. I was able to ride with a good feeling but starting from the back made progress difficult, and the very close battles with my rivals meant I wasn’t able to improve my position enough. The Buriram circuit fits my riding style well, so I hope I can finally secure a thus-far elusive top 10 result.”
• #28 Meng Xing Bin (15th/20th)
  “Overall, I had a positive feeling in both races. I was finally able to secure my first championship point, and although it was only one point, I’m still extremely happy and I have to thank the team for their incredible support. In the final event of the series, I’d like to secure points in both races and demonstrate my improvement over the course of this season.”
• Team Manager Louis Mok
  “The Qatar circuit was completely new for our team, so we didn’t have enough data to hit the ground running and our position in practice and qualifying reflected that. But in both Race 1 and 2, the riders made good starts and finished in the points. We had one major problem: escaping from the group. Meng was caught in the third group and Li was caught in the second. For both of them to take another step forward, we need to make further improvements and progress. In Thailand, I really want Li to somehow latch onto the front group. That’s because this weekend, a lot of the other Yamaha riders were able raise their level and run with the Kawasakis and Hondas in the lead pack, so he should be able to do the same. Right now, he lacks the corner speed to be able to do that, so we’ll try to improve that for the next round and aim for the top 10.”
• TEAM YSK Korea
  #52 Lim Hogon (16th/17th)
  “I’ve been racing a 1,000cc R1 in local races in my native South Korea this racing season, but I race a 250cc R25 in the ARRC. At first, I had a little difficulty re-adjusting to the R25. But with this fifth round, there was less confusion for me and I was able to make the transition more smoothly this time. I was just one step away from taking points this weekend, but my results show some improvement. The next round will be my second visit to the Buriram circuit in Thailand, so my motivation is high. This will be my last chance this season to show what I’ve got and finish in the points.”
• #88 Minseok Baik (22nd/23rd)
  “Though it wasn’t an easy task, I was aiming to finish inside the points. But with my lap times this weekend, the points were well out of reach. I suffered with having to race in the very hot weather and that led to my results. The next round is a circuit I’ve been to before, so my first goal will be to set better lap times than in my previous visit. Also, since this is the final round, I want to achieve my best result of the season. That’s my objective.”
• Team Manager Kibok Ku
  “In the run up to this round, we tried to prepare as much as possible and made a lot of modifications to try and improve engine power. This gave us a great pace in the practices, but Lim had a bit of trouble in qualifying and wasn’t able to get a good grid position. In the end, we weren’t able to get any points in either of the races, but both riders gave it their best. The next round is in Buriram, Thailand, where our team has experience. This weekend’s good pace gives us motivation to improve even further and finish the season strong by securing some points.”
• Akeno Speed Racing
  #82 Ayumu Tanaka (2nd/6th)
  “Compared the previous four rounds, I came into this weekend with both myself and my machine in the best possible shape. I knew the R25 would have an advantage on the straight so I thought that if I could hang with the leading group, I should be able to finish on the podium. In Race 1, that’s exactly what happened and I took 2nd. Though it wasn’t the top step, I was genuinely happy to be there. On the other hand, in Race 2 my only objective was to finish with the top group. I wasn’t able to do that so I’m filled only with regret after that performance. The next event in Buriram won’t be easy, as I learned in the fourth round held there this season. But even so, if I’m able to stick with the leaders I definitely have a chance. I’m going to do everything I can to finish my season with a win.”
• Koji Kobayashi (Asia Support Representative, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.)
  “When qualifying ended, I expected both races would be difficult. But many of the riders were able to join the leading group and battle equally with their rivals. And there was a Yamaha on the podium in both races! In racing, only a win is acceptable and we can’t be happy with anything less than that. But our teams performed well this weekend and their hard work has really begun to pay off. But with only two riders on the podium this season, we still have a long way to go. Unfortunately, the next round is the last one of the year. I want our riders to continue to show their potential and we will continue to support their efforts to fight for a win.”