After nine months of enforced inactivity, Zaqhwan finally gets to scratch that racing itch as the Boon Siew Honda Racing Team confirms his entry into the MSBK1000 for the upcoming Malaysia Superbike Championship. The 2-times Asian 600cc champion is more than relieved to be back in action. “I watched in frustration on the sidelines when my peers and rivals revelled in the competition at the first round of the 2020 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. My frustrations mounted as the Covid-19 pandemic forced one postponement after another in the ARRC calendar. Things came to a head when strict border controls and quarantine procedures finally forced the ARRC organizers to abandon the 2020 season. By then, I was just about ready to concede that there will be no racing for me this year. Luckily, the team has agreed to field my entry into the Malaysia Superbike Championship. Even though there will only be two rounds, at least it is a chance for me to practice my race craft,” said Zaqhwan. However, Zaqhwan will not be racing on the much-touted Honda CBR1000RR-R which was supposed to be his ride in the 2020 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Instead, Zaqhwan will be entering the competition using the 2019 Honda CBR1000 RR on which he had mounted his 2019 campaign in the ARRC. “Of course I was hoping to get into the saddle of the new bike! But with the sudden lock down all over the world, it was logistically quite impossible to make any decent arrangements but however, I am just glad that our 2019 bike is still race ready!”said Zaqhwan.
The Horizon Racing Team has announced a 5-rider line-up for the team’s 2020 campaign in the Malaysia Superbike Championship. This season, the team’s stable of upcoming young riders will comprise of four Malaysian riders and one Indian rider. They are #98 Amir Izzat Bin Rozali, #81 Muhammad Zulhelmi Bin Faiz, #55 Abdullah Qayum Abd Razak , #14 Mohd Emy Bin Nordin Ahmad as well as #90 Mohamad Mikhail Ahmed Salih from India. However, the team has yet to announce its bid for the MSBK 1000 premiere class with defending champion Farid Badrul still held in abeyance while sponsorship issues are being ironed out.
With less than a week to go before the season opener of the 2020 Malaysia Superbike Championship finally revs off, the Hiap Aik Suzuki Racing Team has announced its 2-man line-up for the MSBK1000 class. Malaysian superbike riders CY Khoo and Tee Wee Jin are looking forward to finally getting back on track with new sponsors and partners coming in to boost their performance. “Even though it is a short season, there will be a number of exciting challenges in store for us. The organizers have announced a change in tyres, we will be using Dunlop this year. Additionally, our Suzuki has been completely rebuilt. We also have new sponsors on board, especially the lubricants technology of Mobil1 Racing. I have not had a chance to put this new bike through its paces yet. Everything’s going to happen this weekend during the race meet,” said Jin. Meanwhile, CY Khoo is relishing the swirling rumours that top guns Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and Zaqhwan Zaidi will be part of the MSBK1000 line-up this year. “If the rumours are true, they will certainly bring a new level of competition to the race and I am really looking forward to crossing swords with them,” said Khoo.