21 Jun 2013 Pan Delta ZIC Superbike Race 2: Glamourous dance steps
At 14:00 on 16 June 2013, with a huge crowd in the grandstands and warm sunshine, the ZIC Superbikes takes to the grid.
After yesterday's wet race, today's weather change is much welcomed. The riders are all hoping to return to their normal forms this afternoon, in front of a huge crowd and their team or personal guests in the VIP rooms.
The usual suspects, Huang Shi-Zhao, Dan Kruger and Li Zheng-Peng, lines up 1, 2 and 3. At 14:00, the warm-up lap starts and compared with yesterday's wet track when it served not much real purpose, this time it really counts.
The red lights are off and the race begins. Huang Shi-Zhao makes a very good start and is off to a good lead. Dan Kruger moves to his left at the start and both he and Li Zheng-Peng are swarmed by the rest of the field. But with a wide track, both are able to recover their positions quickly. At the end of lap 1, Huang Shi-Zhao leads Dan Kruger by 1.5 seconds and Li Zheng-Peng by 5 seconds.
Second time around and Dan Kruger has hauled himself up to Huang Shi-Zhao's tail and ready to make a move. But Huang is wise to his moves and blocks him off. Lap 3, Huang Shi-Zhao pushes and the gap is now 1.5 seconds again.
On lap 5, Li Zheng-Peng is passed by Malaysian young rider Mohd Rosli. Next lap, Huang is once again back in Dan's sights and his lead is no longer safe. At turn 8, Huang makes a small mistake and Dan Kruger cuts into the inside line and passes Huang Shi-Zhao, but the next corner is a left turn which allows Huang to return the favour.
On lap 9, Dan Kruger wants to overtake around the outside as Huang is blocked by a backmarker, but he gets himself forced off the track and on to the grass, losing some valuable time. When he returns, the gap has grown to a second. Although many backmarkers are in front of them, the race is up.
At the chequered flag, Huang Shi-Zhao wins once more, Dan Kruger is second, 1.8 seconds behind. No. 46 Rosli is third while Li Zheng-Peng finishes in 4th place.