16 Oct 2011 ARRC SS600cc Race Report: Fujiwara clinches 600cc title in Zhuhai

Katsuaki Fujiwara rode flawlessly to clinch his first PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) SuperSports 600cc title at the Audi Zhuhai International Circuit, host to the penultimate round of the 2011 season today.

The Japanese national who had mastered the elements on Saturday and Friday had a great start in Race 1. Having earned himself pole position yesterday, he was able to steal the holeshot and dominate the race from start to finish, concluding it with 29:31.502s.

Equally impressive was Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah. The Malaysian youngster made full use of his front row start to quickly tail Fujiwara while the rest of the field got caught up in a commotion at turn 1 of the first lap.

With five more laps to go, Hafizh attempted to make a pass on Fujiwara but the soft suspension installed on his Yamaha almost threw him off balance. This allowed his senior to further gap himself and put an end with a 4.147s advantage while Hafizh finished second with 29:35.649s.

Third with 29:41.947s was Mohd Zamri Baba who got the best of compatriots and former teammates, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (Boon Siew Honda Racing Malaysia) in fourth and Ahmad Fuad Baharudin (Bike A.R.T Kawasaki Racing) fifth with 29:42.196s and 29:42.677s respectively.

Race 2 was tough on Fujiwara. Not only he had to defend his position from Zamri Baba who was determined to fight for the chequered flag but he had to fend off Chalermpol Polamai (Yamaha Thailand Racing) and Azlan Shah.

But Fujiwara proved he is no pushover as he successfully defended his line to the end and completed the 18-lap race with 29:38.042s while Chalermpol finished second with 29:38.107s and Zamri Baba third, 29:38.195s.

"I am very happy and proud not only to win both races here in Zhuhai but also because I am now the 2011 SuperSports 600cc Champion. This was not an easy race because rivals were very fast here and also this is my first time racing on this circuit. This makes the victory sweeter and I would like to thank everyone in Manual Tech BEET Kawasaki Racing and all the sponsors for giving me a great bike and endless support! Thank you very much!," said an elated Fujiwara.

Bagging 50 points from this leg, Fujiwara celebrates his title with 196.5 points followed by closest competitor, Azlan Shah second and Zamri Baba third with 140 points and 107 points respectively.

Manual Tech BEET Kawasaki Racing also leads the team standings with 196.5 points while Boon Siew Honda Racing Malaysia takes second place with 147 points. Third comes in Yamaha Thailand Racing wiht 143.5 points.