Asia Road Racing Championship

RACE DATA

■Race: 2019 Asia Road Racing Championship Rd. 07
■Category: ASB1000/SS600/AP250/UB150
■Location: Chang International Circuit, Thailand(4.554km)

Race 1
■Date: November 30, 2019
■Race Condition: Dry

ASB1000 Class
■Laps: 13
■PP: #21 Md Zaqhwan Zaidi (1'35.714 /Honda)
■FL: #25 Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (1'35.988/BMW)

SS600 Class
■Laps: 12
■PP: #127 Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin(1'38.680/Yamaha)
■FL: #77 Muhamad Adam Mohd Norrodin (1'39.470/Yamaha)

AP250 Class
■Laps: 10
■PP: #44 Muklada Sarapuech (1'52.552 /Honda)
■FL: #37 Aiki Iyoshi (1'52.805 / Kawasaki)

Race 2
■Date: December 1, 2019
■Race Condition: Dry

ASB1000 Class
■Laps: 13
■PP: #21 Md Zaqhwan Zaidi (1:35.714 /Honda)
■FL: #25 Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (1'36.139/BMW)

SS600 Class
■Laps: 12
■PP: #127 Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin(1'38.680/Yamaha)
■FL: #77 Muhamad Adam Mohd Norrodin(1'38.965/Yamaha)

AP250 Class
■Laps: 10
■PP: #44 Muklada Sarapuech (1'52.552 /Honda)
■FL: #44 Muklada Sarapuech (1'53.347/ Honda)

REPORT

ASB1000

Race 1: Parkes Crashes and Remounts for 12th, Ito Top Yamaha in 5th

Race 1 was calamity after calamity. The Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN's Broc Parkes (#23) came into the race with a 19 point lead in the championship and started from the second row of the grid in 4th, while BMW-mounted title rival Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (#25) started from 2nd. Parkes was 7th after the first lap, while Kamaruzaman was 5th as the pair pushed to go faster and make up positions.

Under pressure, Parkes was aiming to make his way into 6th on lap 5. But it was not to be, as he suffered a crash in the final corner. He knew that taking some points might be a possibility, as there were a relatively few number of entrants in the race, so he re-mounted and got back on track. He was in last place and running by himself, a long distance behind.

Meanwhile, Honda's Zaqhwan Zaidi (#21) was in the lead, with Yamaha rider Apiwat Wongthananon (#24) in 2nd just behind him. Following them were the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team's Ratthapong Wilairot (#56) and Kawasaki's Thitipong Warokorn (#100). Kamaruzaman was fighting for 3rd, but when Wilairot dropped behind him, that narrowed the lead group down to Zaidi, Wongthananon, Warokorn and Kamaruzaman. This group remained the same until the final stages, with around a 1.5 second gap between each rider.

With two laps remaining, 3rd and 4th placed Warokorn and Kamaruzaman upped their pace. They brought the gap down to 1 second, setting up a battle, but that was when Wongthananon unfortunately suffered a lowside and crashed out. This left Kamaruzaman in 2nd and Warokorn in 3rd, where they both stayed until the checkers. Parkes finished on the same lap as the leaders in 12th, picking up 4 championship points in the process. That narrowed his lead to only 3 points with one race left to go for the season.

Fellow Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN rider Yuki Ito came across the line after the first lap in 10th. There were crashes further ahead of him that helped, but he also made several passes to finish out the race as the highest placed Yamaha in 5th. Wilairot finished behind him in 6th while Wongthananon crashed and re-mounted for 8th.

Race 2: Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN Secure First Team Title to be Awarded in ASB1000 Class

The final race of the 2019 ARRC season was a very important one, as the very first ASB1000 class champion was set to be decided based on the results. Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN was going up against a highly experience rival in Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, who has raced in the ARRC, Moto2 and in the Suzuka 8 Hours previously. At the start of the race, he made a quick dash to take the lead where he stayed until coming across the line after the first lap. Parkes made a solid start as well and was in 6th after the first lap. Kamaruzaman kept up a fast pace in the opening stages, setting the fastest lap on lap 2 and opening a one second gap to the riders behind, which only widened as the race went on.

Parkes continued to move forward, passing Wongthananon on lap 4 for 5th place. After that, Wilairot, Ducati-mounted Federico Sandi (#15), Zaidi, Parkes and Wongthananon made up the second group from the front as they chased down the leader, but Kamaruzaman improved on his fastest lap on lap 5, widening his gap to four seconds. After that Wilaiarot crashed out, and unable to pick up the pace the way that he wanted to, Parkes was passed by Wongthananon and relegated to 5th. On lap 8 he had further troubles, as he ran wide at a corner and dropped back behind Ito into 8th.

Parkes fought back to pass Ito for 7th on lap 10, before improving to 6th on lap 11 and falling back to 7th on lap 12, where he ended up finishing the race. That meant that he finishined out his season in 2nd in the championship, missing out on the title for this year. Ito slotted into 9th on lap 2 and could not drastically up his pace, contesting the remainder at the back of the lead group. Parkes' running wide allowed Ito into 7th, but he was passed again before the end, eventually finishing in 8th to wrap up his season ranked 5th overall.

Although Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN lost out on winning the rider's championship, Parkes' three wins and seven podiums, and Ito's six podiums were enough to win the ASB1000 class's first ever Team title.

For the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team, after Wilairot crashed in the first half, Wongthananon battled with Sandi and Warokorn for 3rd, but on lap 9 he was overtaken by Warokorn and fell to 4th. Wongthananon tried to hang on and go with him, but he could not match his rival's pace and ended up finishing 4th. That gave him 4th overall for the season with Wilairot 7th overall.

Race 2: Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN Secure Inaugural ASB1000 Team Title

The final race of the 2019 ARRC season was a very important one, as the very first ASB1000 class champion was set to be decided based on the results. Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN was going up against a highly experienced rival in Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, who has raced in the ARRC, Moto2 and in the Suzuka 8 Hours previously. At the start of the race, he made a quick dash to take the lead where he stayed until coming across the line after the first lap. Parkes made a solid start as well and was in 6th after the first lap. Kamaruzaman kept up a fast pace in the opening stages, setting the fastest lap on lap 2 and opening a one-second gap to the riders behind, which only widened as the race went on.

Parkes continued to move forward, passing Wongthananon on lap 4 for 5th place. After that, Wilairot, Ducati-mounted Federico Sandi (#15), Zaidi, Parkes and Wongthananon made up the second group from the front as they chased down the leader, but Kamaruzaman improved on his fastest lap on lap 5, widening his gap to four seconds. After that Wilaiarot crashed out, and unable to pick up the pace the way that he wanted to, Parkes was passed by Wongthananon and relegated to 5th. On lap 8 he had further troubles, as he ran wide at a corner and dropped back behind Ito into 8th.

Parkes fought back to pass Ito for 7th on lap 10, before improving to 6th on lap 11 and falling back to 7th on lap 12, where he ended up finishing the race. That meant that he finished out his season in 2nd in the championship, missing out on the title for this year. Ito slotted into 9th on lap 2 and could not drastically up his pace, contesting the remainder at the back of the lead group. Parkes running wide allowed Ito into 7th, but he was passed again before the end, eventually finishing in 8th to wrap up his season ranked 5th overall.

Although Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN lost out on winning the Rider title, Parkes' seven podiums--including three wins--and Ito's six podiums were enough to win the ASB1000 class' first-ever Team title.

For the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team, after Wilairot crashed in the first half, Wongthananon battled with Sandi and Warokorn for 3rd, but on lap 9 he was overtaken by Warokorn and fell to 4th. Wongthananon tried to hang on and go with him, but could not match his rival's pace and ended up finishing 4th. That gave him 4th overall for the season with Wilairot 7th overall.

SS600

Race 1: R6 Riders Sweep Podium with Boonlert in 2nd, Kasma Daniel 3rd

Hong Leong Yamaha Malaysia rider Kasma Daniel bin Kasmayudin (#127) and Yamaha Thailand Racing Team rider Peerapong Boonlert (#26) lined up in 1st and 2nd positions on the starting grid. Both got off to strong starts. Boonlert controlled the opening lap while Kasma Daniel followed, and behind the two was Kasmayudin's teammate Ahmad Afif Amran trailing in 3rd.

On lap 2 Boonlert posted his fastest lap to retake the lead, and the three were then joined by fellow YZF-R6 rider Adam Norrodin (#77) which increased the lead group to four, but on lap 4 Amran overshot a corner and lost his spot in the top group, making it a three-way battle for the lead from lap 5 onward.

The middle stages of the race saw the battle simmer down somewhat with Boonlert keeping a steady pace at the front. Kasmayudin and Norrodin made no mistakes as they followed, setting fast, consistent lap times until the final few laps where the finishing order would be decided.

That happened with three laps left to go. Kasmayudin and Norrodin made a push to catch Boonlert, as they swapped positions back and forth themselves. Their order was the same coming into the final lap however, with Boonlert, Kasmayudin and Norrodin locked in close contention. First Norrodin passed Kasmayudin, then with only a few corners left he passed Boonlert as well before going on to take the win. Boonlert and Kasmayudin had a fierce battle for the remaining two podium spots, but Peerapong came out on top to finish 2nd while Kasmayudin took 3rd for an all-R6 podium. Amran meanwhile recovered to 4th after his overshoot and finished there at the flag.

Race 2: Kasmayudin Wins Fierce Battle for the Win while Boonlert Completes Perfect Podium Record

There was a major battle for supremacy among three riders in Race 1 and they put on an exciting display for the crowd. Norrodin made a rocket start and behind him, Boonlert, Kasmayudin and Amran followed. After two high-pace laps, the group had opened a three-second gap to those further down the order.

From this point on the battle for the win was on. Boonlert set the fastest lap of the race on lap 3 and got into the lead, slowly opening a gap to the three behind him. But on lap 6, it was Kasmayudin who set an even faster lap and passed Norrodin for 2nd and set his sights on Boonlert. Norrodin set another fastest lap to shrink the gap and got closer and closer to the tail of Boonlert. Amran could not match the fast pace of the three in front and began to gradually drop back before being left on his own in 4th.

The positions changed as the race drew nearer to its conclusion on lap 9. Kasmayudin took the lead but was re-passed by Boonlert on lap 10. Kasmayudin then made another successful overtake on lap 11 before Norrodin, who had been holding back during this time, passed Boonlert at the final corner to take 2nd, then held him off coming into the final lap before catching and passing Kasmayudin for the lead.

But Kasmayudin had not given up yet as he mounted a counterattack and re-passed Norrodin, the two swapping positions several times. Then, in the entry to the final corner, Kasmayudin approached in the lead but Norrodin passed him on the inside, before Kasmayudin altered his line to get back in front before taking the checkers in 1st for his second win of the season. Norrodin finished 2nd while Boonlert rounded out the podium in 3rd. That meant he stood on the podium in all 14 races of the season while recording 8 wins in a remarkable show of domination that led to him winning the championship this season. Amran finished 4th in the race and 8th overall for the season.

AP250

Race 1: Wild card Malahuan Finishes 13th

10th place qualifier Muhammad Faerozi (#36) of the Yamaha Racing Indonesia team crashed and retired from the race on the first lap, leaving wild card rider Vorapong Malahuan of the Yamaha Hispeed Racing Team in 12th, and regular contenders Sawapol Nillapong (#56) and Suttipat Patchaeetron (#86), both of Yamaha Thailand Racing, and Yamaha Racing Indonesia's Anggi Setiawan (#96) forced to contend as part of a trailing group behind the leaders.

In this challenging situation, R25 rider Reynaldo Chrisantho Ratukore (#222) worked to get in touch with the lead group, and once he did he was able to maintain his position. He could not quite break into the lead, but stayed in the 6th to 9th group as he reeled off laps. When the race was in its closing stages with three left to go, he lost major ground and dropped three seconds behind the leaders to 9th. He tried as hard as he could in the final few laps but was unable to close the gap and finished in 8th.

The aforementioned group of Malahuan, Nillapong, Setiawan and Patchaeetron swapped and changed positions within the group constantly, and in the end Malahuan finished 13th, Nillapong 15th, Patchaeetron in 16th and Setiawan 18th.

Race 2: Malahuan on Podium in 2nd

Vorapong Malahuan is the reigning Thai national over-400cc champion and put the skills that led him to that title on display in Race 2. He made a strong start and reached 6th on the first lap to be included in the leading group from that point on. Honda's Muklada Sarpuech (#44) broke away in the lead on the opening laps and left 2nd place and lower behind. But she then had an issue with her machine and had to slow down, which brought the trailing group--including Malahuan--forward and made that the group battling for the lead. Malahuan was then in contention for a podium spot for the rest of the race.

After that the race developed into a closely-fought contest. The chaos that ensued led several riders to crash, but no matter how many times he swapped positions, Malahuan was able to maintain his place in the leading group. He was in 5th on the final lap before losing some ground in the now even more intense battle for the lead, and it looked like a podium finish was out of the question as he approached the final corner. But then two of his rivals crashed, allowing him to slot into 3rd and take the YZF-R25's third podium of the year. Faerozi and Suttipat made slower starts but did make it into the extra-long group at the front and recovered positions as their rivals crashed out, before Faerozi finished 7th and Suttipat 12th.

After the race however, it was determined that several riders had exceeded track limits on the final corner of the final lap and would receive penalties, changing the result order. This gave Malahuan 2nd and Suttipat a personal-best finish of 9th. Faerozi's penalty dropped him back to 12th, however. Nillapong finished 15th while Setiawan retired from the race.

UB150

Race 1: Filipino Rider Masato Fernando Finishes 3rd

The Uma Racing Yamaha Philippines Team's McKinley Kyle Paz (#123) was in 2nd overall in the title hunt with an eight point gap to the championship leader. He started the race from 8th and hoped to close the gap and take the title over the weekend, but in the race he made a slow start and had to contend from 17th position.

On lap 2 there was a major accident, and championship leader Md Akid Aziz (#13) was forced to retire from the race due to an issue with his machine. That gave Paz a chance at taking the title, so he rode as hard as he could to try to finish in the lead positions to get the points he needed. On lap 3 he had recovered to 9th, and by the mid-point of the race had made it to 6th with the podium positions in sight.

The race unfolded as most UB150 races do however, with a frantic pace that lasted until the end. The Uma Racing Yamaha Philippines team's Masato Fernando (#17), Yamaha Racing Indonesia's Aldi Satya Mahendra (#570) and Wahyu Negroho were all in the leading group, and as often happens the race was decided in the final corner of the final lap. Amidst the chaos Fernando managed to stay near the front and take his first podium since Round 3. Mahendra finished 5th and Negroho 10th. Paz crossed the finish line in 6th while his title rival crashed out, putting him in 1st overall with a 2 point gap to 2nd heading into Race 2.

Race 2: McKinley Kyle Paz Wins His First Championship

McKinley Kyle Paz began the final race of the season leading the championship title hunt by two points and it was an eventful race to say the least. Md Akid Aziz (#13), who was also in contention for the title, came across the line in 1st after the opening lap while Paz made a very slow start to come across at the opposite end of the field in 23rd. In UB150 races, it's almost always possible to aim for a win no matter your position however, which is exactly what Paz tried to do. He was in 6th by lap 2 while Aziz had dropped to 13th and then to 15th by lap 3. He then had a machine issue on lap 4 and had to retire from the race, bringing Paz ever closer to the championship trophy.

But in racing you never know what is going to happen until the checkered flag. Paz suffered his own accident on lap 7, when there was a multiple-rider crash in the leading group. He managed to avoid going down, but it was enough to cause his engine to stop. When the race was subsequently restarted, Paz found himself down in 18th.

At that point the challenges to Paz's potential title win came from the riders ranked 3rd and 4th. There was a 14-point gap to 3rd and a 15-point gap to 4th. If either of these riders were to finish near the front, Paz's championship hopes would be ruined.

On the final lap, the 4th-ranked rider was holding steady near the front, but in the final corner made contact with another machine and crashed out. The 3rd-ranked rider dropped back to 10th and eventually finished 16th, allowing Paz to come out on top of the points standings and win his first-ever championship title. Negroho came across the line in 13th while Satya came in 18th after suffering a crash, and Fernando also suffered a crash before finishing 20th.

ASB1000 RESULT Race.1

ASB1000 RESULT Race.2

ASB1000 RIDERS RANKING

SS600 RESULT Race.1

SS600 RESULT Race.2

SS600 RIDERS RANKING

AP250 RESULT Race.1

AP250 RESULT Race.2

AP250 RIDERS RANKING

COMMENT

Race 1

Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN
#76 Yuki Ito (ASB1000: 5th)

"Only being able to improve my time by four tenths across the three practice sessions was a problem. We didn't find a magical solution before qualifying, so we ended up qualifying 10th. Thanks to the team's help in Race 1 I got 5th, but the gap to the front guys was still really big. We'll try to improve in the warmup, and the idea in Race 2 is to help Broc win the title so I'll try as hard as I can to stay with the lead group."

#23 Broc Parkes (ASB1000: 12th)

"Today's result was totally unbelievable. I was riding in a big group and had a lowside at the last corner. Luckily I could restart and get some points, but now the gap's down to only 3 points. Looking at the race results, that's no surprise. All I can do in Race 2 is focus on finishing in front of the guy I have to beat."

Team Manager Yukihiko Kurata

"Broc's result isn't just disappointing for him, it's disappointing for the whole team. But it's not over yet. All we have to do is turn around and come back for Race 2 and stay in front of our rival to win it. Yuki started from 10th and improved to 5th, and I think he's picked up some hints on how to get into even higher positions for Race 2. As a team we'll look back at today's performance and analyze it to prepare as best we can for Race 2."

Yamaha Thailand Racing Team
#26 Peerapong Boonlert (SS600: 2nd)

"We had a small issue with the setup, so it became a battle with two Malaysian riders for the lead. I got passed on the last lap, but by the end my front tire was used up and the rear was sliding a lot, and there I made a small mistake and got passed. Race 2 is the last race of the year, so what I really want to do is wrap up my season with a win."

Theerapong Opaskornkul, Senior General Manager of Sales & Marketing Support

"Boonlert has already won the title and some of the pressure is off him now, so I think he came into this race in a very good frame of mind. But I think he wasn't able to hold his concentration all the way to the end. Of course the two guys he was up against were fast and his tires degraded quite a bit, but I think his racecraft and concentration suffered and that was a cause of him not winning. For Race 2 we'll work on that, and try to finish out his championship-winning year with a victory."

Hong Leong Yamaha Malaysia
#127 Kasma Daniel bin Kasmayudin (SS600: 3rd)

"I had a real chance at winning that one, I think, and that's because the bike, the tires and myself were all in good condition. My plan was to leave it until the last lap to make a move and get in front, but I made a big mistake. I mistook how many laps were left, and the race ended before I could go for a move. Race 2 might be my last race with this team, so of course I want to do anything I can to win it."

Team Manager Sean Wong Hong Siong

"Kasma Daniel is racing both here in the ARRC and in the CEV Moto2 championship, and the way the teams show the signboard is different between the two, and that's why he made the mistake with how many laps were left. Both the bike and rider were working so well together, and that makes me really disappointed, but we'll have some discussions before Race 2 so we won't repeat the same mistake. Race 2 might be Kasma Daniel's last race here, so we want to support him as much as we can toward getting a win."

Uma Racing Yamaha Philippines Team
Masato Fernando (UB150: 3rd)

"Starting from 20th on the grid, it was always going to be a big challenge, but I did my best to be with the front group. Honestly for this class, it wasn't that hard this time, and I'm so happy with the 3rd place result. I'm very thankful to my team and sponsors as well. In Race 2 my teammate is in the running for the title, so I plan to do my best to help him out!"

Race 2

Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN
#23 Broc Parkes (ASB100: 7th)

"Just like yesterday, it was a disappointing result. The race was tough and it felt like something was just missing. It was like I could pass people in the corners, but then I'd get passed back on the straights. That happened over and over, and at one point I made contact with another guy and ran off track. I got back on, but I'd lost a lot of ground. I think we've put a really good season together and we were really strong, but for a lot of reasons we lost points and in the end we missed out on the title. Really it was yesterday's race that had the biggest effect, but in the end today's race is what caused us to lose. All-in-all though, we've been able to have a great season thanks to Yamaha and to so many of our supporters. If I have another chance to try next year, I'll go for the title to say thank you to everyone who cheered so hard for us this year."

#76 Yuki Ito (ASB1000: 8th)

"Right from the start I was having trouble getting grip and that's why I was off the pace in 9th on the first lap. I got into 8th, but then when I tried to push I wasn't feeling the grip I needed and couldn't make up any more positions. Still, I wanted that 4th overall for the season so I pushed as hard as I could, but 8th was the best I could do and that made me keenly aware of some areas where I'm behind. But this was also my first full season racing 1000s and I've been able to get on the podium. Not only that but I did my personal best of six podiums in all. I couldn't win because I'm still lacking in some areas, but I still feel like I have room to grow, so if I can ride again next year, I want to prepare as best I can so I can take race wins and eventually the title."

Team Manager Yukihiko Kurata

"Considering yesterday's result, we needed to work hard on the setup in the warmup to arrive in the best shape possible for Race 2. But as you can see now, we didn't make that happen and that's why Parkes and Ito finished where they did. This season was the debut of the ASB1000 class and for us to win the Team title shows that both the riders and staff did a great job, and I think we showed the high potential our team has. That being said though, we missed out on the Rider title and finished 2nd. The fact that we couldn't make it is our entire team's responsibility. Ito had a hard time in the race and couldn't show us his true speed, finishing 8th and 5th overall for the season, but considering it's his first full season racing 1000s, he's taken to the R1 well and made steady progress. Finally, I want to say thank you for all the support our team has received this year. I'm sorry that we couldn't get the result everyone was expecting of us, but I definitely want to have another shot and even the score."

Hong Leong Yamaha Malaysia
#127 Kasma Daniel bin Kasmayudin (SS600: 1st)

"It was a very, very tough race, but I knew that to better my result from yesterday I had to make it a win. I tried to go for it on the last four laps of the race, but Norrodin made his move at the same time, so it was a battle between the two of us that lasted until the final corner on the last lap. I was leading as we came in, but he came up the inside and got ahead for a second. I knew if I stayed calm I could take it back, and I did that and got the win. I'll probably be parting ways with this team for next season, so I think this was a great present for the team in our likely final race together."

Team Manager Sean Wong Hong Siong

"It was a big battle between Kasma Daniel and Adam in the race and it made for an amazing show. Adam's strategy of getting into 2nd behind Kasma then piling on the pressure and catching him was great. When Adam took the inside and Kasma cut back across to take the win, that was a real spectacle. For Kasma that was one of his best races, I think. This season we've seen real growth not only from the riders but also from the team and staff. I think we'll be able to come back next year even stronger."

Yamaha Thailand Racing Team
#26 Peerapong Boonlert (SS600: 3rd)

"We changed the setup from yesterday and that gave me a good feeling, better than yesterday, so I could do laps in the low 39s consistently. Race 2 was another battle with the two Malaysian riders and the two of them had gotten even faster, so even though I led for most of the race, they caught me towards the end and I finished the same as yesterday in 3rd. I wanted to finish out the season with a win, so I'm disappointed. This season I took 8 wins, was on the podium in every race, and most importantly I won the title, so it's been a great season. I feel like I can still do better though, so I'll keep doing my best to be an even faster and stronger rider."

#146 Vorapong Malahuan (AP250: 2nd)

"First of all, I'm happy to be back in the ARRC. In Race 1 it was my first time back and there were some issues so I couldn't do the kind of race I wanted. But for Race 2 the team worked on speed on the straight and that let me hang with the lead group. It was still a hard race though, but following close behind my rivals presented a chance. I gained a position in the last corner and got onto the podium, so all I can say to the team is how thankful I am."

Theerapong Opaskornkul, Senior General Manager of Sales & Marketing Support

"First of all, with Vorapong in AP250, he's the Thai national over-400cc champion and has a lot of experience. In Race 2 we got to see that and it led him to 2nd. This was great for our team and from next season onward, I hope we can continue to improve not only in ARRC but in all kinds of motorsports and everywhere we compete. In SS600 Peerapong gave his all to try for a win. He'd been fast all weekend, but both Kasmayudin and Norrodin were strong too, so Peerapong missed out once again and took 3rd. But his championship win this season shows just how high his potential is and I'm extremely proud of him for his achievement."

Uma Racing Philippines Team
McKinley Kyle Paz (UB150: 16th)

"Now that the 2019 season is finished, I'm so glad to be able to say I won the UB150 title. I was riding for a completely new team this year and everybody racing out there was super aggressive, so it was a really difficult season. But I thought long and hard about what I needed to do to win and kept challenging myself to make that happen. Today's race was just unbelievable. In the last two laps another bike hit my rear tire. I didn't go down, but it stopped my engine. Somehow, I managed to restart but a lot of riders had already passed me. Then in the final corner a bunch of other riders crashed and I didn't know how I'd fare, but in the end my championship rivals didn't get any points, so that let me win it. I was really lucky!"