12 Oct 2011 Penultimate ARRC Battle in Zhuhai

The 2011 Petronas Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) nears its climax as the highly competitive series heads to the Audi Zhuhai International Circuit, China for the penultimate round this 14 to 16 October.

Leading the SuperSports 600cc battle would be none-other than Japanese ace, Katsuaki Fujiwara. The Manual Tech BEET Kawasaki Racing rider has had a good run so far winning five out of eight races in the past four legs to sit on top of the standings with 146.5 points. But with 100 points still up for grabs and the race this weekend marking his first time to the 4.300 kilometer circuit, Fujiwara is not invulnerable; especially not with Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (Boon Siew Honda Racing Malaysia) on the grid.

Currently the most on-form rider from the Malaysian camp, Azlan has finished each and every round on the podium except for Race 2 of Round 3 held at the Madras Motor Race Track, India and Round 4 at the Autopolis International Racing Course, Japan. As a result, the 27-year old now stands second in the standings with 114 points and is still in contention for the SuperSports 600cc title.

Others capable of halting Fujiwara’s dominating pace include Decha Kraisat. Despite missing out on the Indonesian leg due to injuries, the Yamaha Thailand Racing was quick to recover ground winning both races in India and Race 1 in Japan and though chances are slim, the defending Champion is confident he still has the chance to catch up to Fujiwara and Azlan and fight for the title. What's more he had good memories racing at the Audi Zhuhai International Circuit where he appeared Champion for both races last season.

As for the Underbone 115cc category, Rafid Topan Sucipto of Yamaha CKJ TJM Racing proceeds to Zhuhai with high expectations of defending his 168 points lead from defending Champion, Hadi Wijaya who sits in second spot with 136 points, separated by just 25 points.

With the title chase is still wide open, Promotions Director, Ron Hogg believes the heat is on as it’s hard to predict which rider will dominate the race. “The penultimate leg will be the deciding game on the riders’ title chances. It will be a make or break situation for the riders who are in contention for the coveted crown. I can give the assurance that this weekend’s race will be another exciting affair. Malaysian fans can catch the Race 2 actions live on Astro SuperSport this Sunday at 2.30pm,” said Ron.