THE GAME IS ON ONCE AGAIN
Round 1 of the Aeon Credit MAM Malaysia Superbike Championship will take place at PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit this weekend. Md Izam Ikmal is thrilled to keep his championship momentum from last season and fight off the highly competitive troop in the Berjaya Sompo YAMAHA R15M Race Elites race category.
It is a tough feat racing in a race category with a large troop swamping in at the same time but Izam was fearless in taking risks and careful to not make any errors. That resulted in victory at the top spot for Izam last season with a total of 92 points to his name however, the race category being an unpredictable one adds on to the challenge more so with highly competitive riders in the entry list like Arash Tsunami and Abdullah Qayyum who both took the second and third place respectively with a total of 90 and 71 points.
Leaving dexterity aside, the other challenge would be the type of machine which is comparatively different from the underbone machine that the riders are familiar with. The riders who are mostly an extension of the PETRONAS MAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship may be extremely skilled with the underbone machines however, it takes additional effort and capacity to adapt to a different riding technique required in this race category. Who will be the next promising rider in the race category?
Izam said, “For this season, I will just be extra careful since I have other targets as well in the PETRONAS MAM Malaysian Cub Prix and IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. For MSBK, I will utilise it as a training ground to enhance my riding techniques and but at the same time train up to ensure that I am on par with the other contenders. I want to make the cut once again for sure. For me, in terms of the machine, I don’t find any difference between the underbone and tank machine. I can adapt pretty quickly. Also, since I am riding the AP250 in ARRC, this would not be much of a problem for me. I believe I have the experience that is needed for this race category but whatever said and done, it also boils down to the situation during the race. So, let’s see how it goes.”
As for Arash, he said, “For me, the challenges this season may be far greater than the last but I am all out to give the fiercest competition I can to the other riders. Of course, there is also the challenge of the machine especially that I am more suited to the underbone machine. As such, racing on a tank machine means handling my riding techniques which is different especially when entering the corners because the machine gets heavier. My weakness is probably the qualifying session but again, I will do my best to get the best lap time. My strength I think are the strategies on the last lap – I am pretty good at following the front group.”
Qayyum on the other hand said, “Last year was super intense and everyone brought on their A-game. This year too, I am expecting an even tighter battle especially with the new talents coming in and everyone levelling up. For me, consistency and bike setup are key and of course, handling the pressure too counts. There is a big difference between riding the underbone machine and a tank bike – it is all about agility and quick handling, also, it is faster, heavier and more demanding especially on braking. I believe that I am good at adapting. I learn the tracks and setups quickly and I am also very focused during race. There are weaknesses as well. I am still working on launching more aggressively and not losing out in the first few corners. I have to work hard on closing the gap.”