FIERY STRIDE COMING SOON!
The MAM Malaysia Superbike Championship is coming back this weekend at Sepang International Circuit. Waiting in anticipation to circle the laps once again are the riders of MSBK600 race category who are highly motivated, ready to inject pressure and driven to succeed.
Md Helmi Azman of Boon Siew Honda Racing Team went all out last season to grab the bigger chunk of the pie when he bagged the podium spot in all races with four wins including a hat-trick before marking his territory in the race category as the champion. For Helmi, he knows the tricks and trades too well and although it was not an easy feat riding alongside teammate, Khairul Idham Pawi for the first two rounds and Md Hakim Danish of SIC Racing in the final round, but he rose above the challenge and completed the season with a total of 180 points. KIP took second overall with 90 points in hand. At third spot overall was Japanese rider, Soichiro Minamimoto of Yamaha Gen Blu Racing Team Asean who made quite an impression in his debut season with a total of 75 points.
Commenting on the upcoming race, Helmi said, “For me, MSBK has always been about getting the mileage needed to do better as a professional rider. It opens up pathways of opportunities that are much-needed especially in enhancing our riding techniques and preparation for the next level. The MSBK platform is known for being the top superbike championship in Malaysia and as such holds quite a standard that potentially helps us in gauging our own benchmark and performances. For the upcoming race, I am aiming for the overall championship title but again, I have a feeling that defending my championship is not going to be an easy task especially with the season’s entry list. Definitely, I will go all out to do my best especially with my machine being in a good condition. My team has done a great job over time and they have also been finding ways to improve wherever possible so I am quite confident for the coming race. Sepang circuit is a fine circuit and of course, being a home-ground for me, I would not say it is going to be a smooth ride considering the many other Malaysian riders who will be coming in as well. But, let’s see how it goes this time around.”
This season promises an even more exciting chapter especially with the inclusion of fresh faces alongside seasoned riders from the local and the wider Asian grounds. While the level of competitiveness has always been striking among the riders in the race category, it is presumed that this season’s battle will see an enhanced version of nip and tuck which will raise the benchmark of excellence even higher. Season 2024 will see the inclusion of countries such as Philippines and Thailand with the likes of McKinley Kyle Paz, Apiwath Wongthananon and Thanat Laoongplio, who are all participants in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship taking part in the stride.
Commenting on the championship, Apiwath said, “This would be my first-time racing in the MSBK championship and I am quite excited to get some exposure from the riding experience. The main reason for participating is definitely while having the feel of riding in another championship, it is also to expand my mileage further for the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. This would be a suitable ground and championship to practice before ARRC comes to Malaysia. For sure, it would give me some valuable insights on the circuit as well as the techniques needed to be more accurate in my calculation of risk taking. To me, Sepang has been a rather difficult ground and I know for sure that the local riders have greater advantage but I will do my best though. I will utilise my experiences and strengths to maximise my performances. My goal in every championship is to be the champion so, I will go all out to do whatever in my capacity to be the best.”