COMPETITIVE STRIDE IN MSBK1000
The season opener of the Aeon Credit MAM Malaysia Superbike Championship will be back this weekend at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit. MSBK1000 A and MSBK1000 B riders are fuelled up to embark and embrace the twist of fate that comes with the new season.
It was an exciting scene in the MSBK1000 A race category last season when Thai lad, Nakarin Atiratphuvapat of Honda Racing Thailand defeated home-ground rider, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman of Horizon Racing Team with a 174-point finish. With both of them out of the race for the coming round, it’s the much-needed advantage for Kasma Daniel who finished third last season with a 6-point difference to score the big sweep this season. Having said that though, the entry list with a total of 14 riders from 6 different countries may not be as easy as it seems.
Kasma said, “I don’t think I have the advantage here as it is not as easy as it may seem because there are strong contenders like Azroy and he is known to be highly competitive especially on Sepang grounds. I will only stay focused on building the momentum and creating a consistent pace throughout the race. My preparations are the same, mostly revolving around fitness training and building my stamina. For the 1000cc machine, that is one of the most important criteria. As for the machine, many of us know that Yamaha has not produced a new R1 therefore the machine that I will be riding is the same like the last 2 years. So, the challenge is pretty heavy since Honda and BMW have come up with a new machine. Nevertheless, I will still be as competitive as possible and try to be on the podium in all the races.”
As for the MSBK1000 B race category, a total of 6 riders from 3 countries will participate in the challenge. Last season’s championship lead, Md Fahmi of FGRT Project will take a leap into the MSBK1000 A race category whereas 1st and 2nd runner up, Md Azlly Shaari and Heng Si Kiat will not be participating in the coming round. Theva Kumaran of Mobilub Suzuki Racing Team and Alvinderjitsingh on the other hand will be back once again to make the most of their participation.