AKID AZIZ CROWNED CHAMPION

Round 9 of PETRONAS Malaysian Cub Prix Championship took place at Kompleks Sukan Permotoran Tangkak this evening. Md Akid Aziz of PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha – CKJ Racing crowned Champion in the CP150 race category.

Earlier this afternoon in the Super-Pole session, Afif Amran of PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha – CKJ Racing clocked in fastest at 43’798s consequently taking the pole position on the grid for the final race session. At the second spot was Muzakkir of ONEXOX TKKR Racing Team which his best lap time at 43’821s followed by Akid Aziz of PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha – CKJ Racing Team at the third spot on the grid with his best lap time ta 44’088s.

Photo : Official Malaysia Cub Prix

During the race earlier this evening, Muzakkir was quick to find his footing at P1 at the first turn. At P2 was Afif followed by Haziq at P3. Before the first lap ended, Afif overtook Muzakkir and took over the lead position. At P4, Akid tried to close the gaps with Haziq. Azroy who was at P5 went on to chase Akid down. With each lap, the gap between Afif and Muzakkir began wider. At the end of lap seven, Azroy managed to inch closer to Akid. At the end of lap eight, Muzakkir lost control and moved into P5.

At P3, Akid began finding the right moment to strike Haziq but Haziq seemed steady, defending his position. On the eleventh lap, Akid succeeded in overtaking from the inside for a moment before he was struck down by Haziq. With seven more laps to go, Afif was leading with a gap of 1.205s but Akid went on with his determination to make it champion of the season. On the fourteenth lap, Akid charged at Haziq from the inside once again before accelerating on. With the title already in hand, Akid moved closer to Afif with a gap of 0.552s. With two more laps to go, Akid got closer to Afif with a gap of 0.552s. On the final lap, Afif confidently made one final lap before concluding the race at 14’37:265s followed by his teammate Akid Aziz who reigned champion today with his second-finish on the podium at 14’37:985s.

“This season has been an awesome one for me. Throughout the nine rounds, I have made it to the podium except for one in round 1. The rest of the rounds were truly a blessing for me and I am thankful to my team members and mechanic for providing such an amazing machine this season. They have also been very supportive of my endeavours throughout and have always been a boost to my esteem. I didn’t feel any pressure, especially towards the last two laps. I only stayed focused to get onto the podium and in making sure that my machine did not give away. From yesterday and this morning, there were a couple of issues with the machine, so I tried my best to manage it as much as I could for the race earlier.”

Afif who took the win for today’s race said, “During the race earlier, I wanted to give my 100%. That was the plan. I planned to repeat the same strategy like last season. Thankfully, everything went well as planned. My team mate and I worked together for sure. We had a discussion and it depended on the situation during the race. I thank my team for the endless hard work and support this season for such a wonderful achievement.”

At third place was Haziq Fairues of PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Maju Motor, clocking in at 14’38:924s.

For the CP125 race category, Md Irfan Haykal Amidi of Bad Lab Honda KC Racing marked his winning moment at the Tangkak circuit.

In the Shoot-Out session that was held earlier today, Irfan Hakyal of Bad Lab Honda KC Racing marked the fastest lap time at 45’541s which gave him the privilege of being the pole-man for the race followed by teammates Khairi Ashraf and Fareez Afeez of Jetron Yamaha YYPang Racing Team with their fastest lap time at 45’898s and 46’014s respectively.

During the race earlier, Fareez was quick to take P1 followed by Irfan at P2 and Khairi at P3. But before the lap ended, Irfan was seen aggressively hunting Fareez before taking P1 followed by the riders of YYPang team who were equally competitive. At the end of lap 4, Irfan was way ahead of riders from the same team with a gap of 3.5s with Khairi ahead of Fareez. At P4, Hafiza tried to close the gaps and was chased after by Shafiq Ezzariq.

The race heated up but Irfan maintained his positions at P1 and only had to go to complete without any mistakes. At P2 and P3, Fareez tried to inch closer to Khairi but the latter never gave up. At the end of lap nine, Irfan already drew a gap of 5.2s from Khairi. At P4, Hafiza avoided pressure from Shafiq. With five laps to go, Syukran overtook Shafiq and went on to chase Hafiza. At the final lap, Irfan went on with his amazing performance before concluding the race at 11’34:381s.

Commenting on the race, Irfan said, “It was a highly challenging feat today. At the very beginning itself, I had a good fight with YYPang team to find my position ahead of them. The circuit was in good condition today. It was not like yesterday. It was not too hot and it also didn’t rain. So, it was good. I made some changes to the setup of my machine. I tried a new setup and that worked very well for me. To me, the YYPang riders were really competitive and strong and they definitely injected some pressure at the beginning but I am truly grateful to have dominated the circuit today.”

Finishing second was Khairi Ashraf, clocking in at 11’40:948s.

Taking the second place was Md Hafiza Rofa of ONEXOX TKKR Racing Team at 11’46:707s.

Meanwhile, Adib Arsyad of Yamaha Estremo 27 Racing made it to the top spot on the podium at Tangkak circuit for the Wira KBS race category.

In the qualifying session that was held yesterday, Adib Arysad of Yamaha Estremo 27 Racing marked the fastest lap time consequently taking the pole position on the grid. That added on to his advantage during the race. At the second and third spot were Firdaus Effendy of AS25 Honda Racing Team and Akif of Bad Lab Honda KC Racing.

During the race earlier this evening, Akif was quick to take lead at turn one before Adib and Farish overtook him. Meanwhile, at P4 was Iqram who was constantly pressured by Emil at P5. At the end of lap five, the three riders in the front troop managed to draw a gap of about 2 seconds with the troop behind them. Adib steadily stayed on at P1 and did not budge from his position and did not give him an opportunity to strike. Nevertheless, Farish went on to pressure Adib.

With five more laps to go, Akif on the other hand tried to find ways to overtake the two riders ahead of him but Adib and Farish guarded their positions well. The rivalry between Farish and Adib became more intense and at the final lap, Farish was quick to grab the opportunity to strike from the inside but Adib did not give up. At the last turn, Adib overtook Farish but unfortunately, the act caused Akif to fall and Emil grabbed the opportunity to move into P3. Adib went towards the finish line to bag his first win for the season, clocking in at 9’33:957s.

Commenting on the race, Adib said, “I am thankful to my family who has always been there to support me. During the race earlier, I did not think much. My aim was to win. My strategy for today was to maintain my position at P1 and manage my pace well. The circuit today has been really good compared to before. For my machine, there has not been any major difference in the setup, only some minor changes to the suspension. Although my contender, Farish, has been really good today, I stayed focused and won.”

Taking the second spot was Farish Iqmal of Bad Lab Honda KC Racing, logging in at 9’34:332s.

Emil Idzhar Ezuan of Yamaha Estremo 27 Racing clocked in at 9’35:648s.

Top 5 Winners
Final Race

CP150

1. Ahmad Afif Amran, PETRONAS SPRINTA YAMAHA – CKJ RACING, 14:37.265

2. Md Akid Aziz, PETRONAS SPRINTA YAMAHA – CKJ RACING, 14:37.985

3. Md Haziq Md Fairues, PETRONAS SPRINTA YAMAHA MAJU MOTOR, 14:38.924

4. Azroy Hakeem Anuar, HONDA YUZY ESTREMO TEAM, 14:39.517

5. Md Muzakkir Mohamed, ONEXOX TKKR RACING TEAM, 14:44.430

CP125

1. Md Irfan Haykhal Amidi, BAD LAB HONDA KC RACING, 11:34.381

2. Md Khairi Asyraf Mahmood, JETRON YAMAHA YYPANG RACING TEAM, 11:40.948