IT’S A HELMI AND AZROY SHOW IN MSBK600
Race 3 for the MSBK600 class got off under wet racing conditions with Azroy Hakeem Anuar on pole. The race, which was delayed by 20 minutes, presented the 600cc riders with challenging racing conditions.
Shigenaga Toranosuke from Chunetsu Racing was the first to fall prey to the slippery track surface when he crashed out on the warm-up lap.
Another lightning fast start from Helmi Azman carried him into the holeshot at Turn 1 and placed the race lead firmly in his hand. 0.2 seconds behind Helmi, title contender Azroy Hakeem Anuar kept pace. With a 40 point lead at the top of the championship ladder, Azroy could afford to take things easy in the final two races.
However, Azroy was clearly not one to rest on his laurels. The Boon Siew Honda Racing Team rider slipstreamed past Helmi for the lead on Lap 5, setting the stage for a 2-bike duel in the closing laps.
The battle between the two riders came to a head in the final lap when Helmi expertly negotiated his way past a gaggle of backmarkers and attached himself firmly to Azroy’s rear wheel. The two riders were pushing the envelope on the wet track as Helmi slipped into the lead at Turn 11. Neck to neck down the back straight, Azroy managed to tuck into the inside line at the Turn 12 hairpin and hung on to his position to take his first win of the weekend with 25’07.379s.
Hong Leong Yamaha’s Ahmad Afif Amran settled into his customary solo position in third. Khurana Dhiraj Tan and Oh Kah Beng finished fourth and fifth respectively.
The most impressive rider on the 600cc grid was rookie Shahrol Syazras Shahrol Yuzy. Racing astride the 600cc machine for the very first time, Syazras’s consistent laptimes was good enough to put him within the top five in the qualifying and Race 1. Unfortunately for the young rider, Syazras crashed out of Race 2 and fell victim to the wet track in Race 3.
Further behind, another 600cc rookie, Mohd Akid Aziz, also struggled in the rain. Akid, engaged in a fierce battle against Khurana Dhiraj Tan for P5 until he highsided on Lap 5.
The 600cc race of the season was declared as a wet race. The rain from earlier in the day had subsided but there were still patches of wet on the track. However, the riders were free to use their choice of wet tyres or slicks. The majority of the grid opted to stay on slicks.
Azroy wasted no time getting into the holeshot in Race 4 but lost the lead on Turn 3 when Ahmad Afif Amran surprised him with an unexpected attack.
Unlike his previous 600cc rides, Afif looked to be on fire in the final MSBK race of the season. The Hong Leong Yamaha rider stretched out a 2.6 second gap within a lap, leaving Azroy to deal with Helmi Azman in P2 and P3.
However, a blistering fast lap from Helmi Azman on Lap 2 closed the gap against Afif. With Azroy in tow, the two Honda riders pushed Afif down to third on Lap 3 and regained control of the race pace. Helmi took a third win from the weekend with a 1.7s gap in front of Azroy Hakeem Anuar.
Azroy completed his title-winning season in second place followed by Afif, once again, in third. Mohd Akid Aziz rode a solitary race in fourth while Shahrol Syazras Shahrol Yuzy triumphed over his tussle with Khurana Dhiraj Tan to cross the finish line in fifth place.
Boon Siew Honda Racing Team’s Azroy ended the season with 211 points. Helmi Azman moved up to second overall with 171 points and Afif Amran in third overall with 126 points.