Champion in waiting
Malaysian rider Mohd Khairi Zakaria will need to aim for outright victories at this weekend's third and fourth rounds of the FIM MAXASIA Supermoto Championship.
Currently fifth in the standings after the first two rounds in Thailand last month, Mohd Khairi has 74 points, just 7 points adrift of championship leader Tang Tong Trakarn of Thailand. From the four heats held in Thailand, he finished third, fourth, first and tenth.
The top five riders in the championship all have a mathematical chance of winning the title so Japanese riders Kaneko Ryuta, Mitoma Susumu and another Thai, Suntarowat Pongsaphat, are all in the running for the overall title.
In it's inaugural year, the Asian Supermoto Championship brings together the region's top supermoto riders. Two riders are chosen to represent their respective countries that include Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Mohd Khairi however, was the sole Malaysian rider to compete in rounds 1 and 2 though he will be joined by compatriot Muhammad Habibullah at this weekend's race at the Speedway PLUS Circuit in USJ Subang Jaya.
"It (the title) can go anyone's way and this is not made any easier with a grid comprising the region's best riders. I have the advantage of racing on home ground and I intend to make the most of this," said Mohd Khairi who rides for the CBK Maxima Kawasaki Racing Team.
The FIM MAXASIA Supermoto Championship is promoted by MAXASIA Co Ltd, while the Malaysian round of the championship is promoted by Bike Nation Motorsports. In addition to the glory of being crowned Asian supermoto champion, the title winner will also represent Asia in a round of the World Supermoto Championship in 2013.
This weekend's race will also see the running of the fourth and final round of the Malaysian Supermoto Series with Muhammad Habibullah and his elder brother Mohd Al-Amirul Ashshahid having a clear shot of winning the S1 (Open class for Unlimited Supermoto up to 700cc) and S2 (Unlimited Supermoto up to 250cc) class titles.
The race will also see local riders competing in five other classes: S3 open for unlimited supermoto up to 700cc (veteran class for age 40 and above); S4 for production supermoto unlimited up to 200cc; Kawasaki KSR for both unlimited
110cc and production limited 110cc bikes; and the Kawasaki D-Tracker 150cc class.
