Top Malaysian superbike rider Ahmad Zamani Baharuddin stayed well in contention for the Supersports 600cc title chase after snatching a well-deserved podium in the first race and finished fourth in the second race in today’s electrifying round 3 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship here in Zhuhai, China.

Zamani spearheaded Malaysia’s challenge against the region’s best in front of millions viewers in a televised live telecast across the entire Chinese mainland. Cameron Donald secured victory in the first race while Hamaguchi followed through in second. Team PETRONAS Sprinta teammates Suhadi Ali Rahmat and Mohd Syahnas Shahidan were also among the top ten finishers securing 8th and 10th positions respectively.

Starting from the first row, Ahmad Zamani powered his machine into the first corner during the first race but was met with stiff resistance from the front-runners. Zamani kept his cool and trailed closely behind ex-500cc MotoGP racer Toshiyuki Arakaki in fourth. While Arakaki made several audacious moves challenging for second position several laps later, Zamani simply maintained his consistency throughout the first few laps but kept an ever-watchful eye on his gap.

Race leader Cameron Donald and Toshiyuki Hamaguchi by now are having their own fight at the top. By the sixth lap, Zamani started to make his own move but his bold overtaking didn’t go down well with the Japanese. The two then had a go with each other that lasted right till the last corner of the final lap. Trailing closely behind Arakaki in fourth, Zamani had a small window to overtake and he used that opportunity with decisive accuracy to overtake from the inside line, which left the 38-year old Japanese clambering for ground and Zamani a well-deserved spot on the podium.

Zamani later recalled, “It was quite challenging at first but his (Arakaki’s) racing line was predictable and I managed to find a spot towards the last corner. It was still very close and I thought we could have made contact, but I held on and emerged in front to the chequered flag.”

In Race 2, Zamani continued his good form when the 27-year old finished 4th in yet another closely fought race. With an excellent jolt from the starting grid the moment the red lights went out, Zamani gained straight from two positions from the static fourth to second. He trailed behind Cameron Donald into the first two laps. Hamaguchi continued his relentless pressure and was rewarded in the first corner of the third lap. Riding on used tyres, Zamani continued slipping behind Hamaguchi and was soon caught up by Arakaki in the 11th lap. His fourth position continued to the end of the 16-lap race.

He recalled, “I think we had some setup issues for the second race. We were using the new tires on the front and an old model on the rear in anticipation of the afternoon heat, as opposed to using both new tires during the first race. This obviously did not work but it should be a good learning experience for us here in this circuit.”

The team’s disappointment in the second race for not making another podium appearance was somewhat eased by the vast improvements shown by their 18-year old rider. Suhadi Ali Rahmat today proved to be the next generation of Malaysian racer when he brilliantly finished fifth after a hard fought battle from his 12th starting position. Gaining a few precious positions after the start, Suhadi was constantly on the rise lap after lap until his fifth place finishing, making him the second best Malaysian finish.

Team Manager Saiful Amri Abdullah spoke on the team’s latest star addition. “Suhadi seems to be increasing in experience and this round is a further testament to his dedication. Overall, this has been a very fruitful engagement for us in China. After all the hard work and extra efforts we have put in for this round, to be able to come home with some hard-earned championship points for the team is really very satisfying. We will now have to concentrate very, very hard for the last race in Sepang this December. We look forward to some tremendous home support by then.”

Despite the 3-4 finish in today’s race, Zamani drops a notch to third overall with 101 points courtesy of the excellent finishes from Australian Cameron Donald. Toshiyuki Hamaguchi is still comfortable in first with 135 points while Cameron moves up a notch with 121 points. With just 20 points separating Zamani from the second overall, Team PETRONAS Sprinta Racing has everything to play for when the championship moves to its final round in Sepang International Circuit this December 12 – 14, 2003.

Full Race Results, FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Zhuhai International Circuit, China
Race 1:
1. Cameron Donald AUS YZF R6 27.13.461s
2. Toshiyuki Hamaguchi JPN CBR 600RR +3.318s
3. Ahmad Zamani MAS YZF R6 +14.487s
4. Toshiyuki Arakaki JPN YZF R6 +14.576s
5. Ichiro Asai JPN YZF R6 +24.291s
6. Yukihiro Auyagi JPN GSX-R600 +24.655
7. Chia Tuck Cheong MAS YZF R6 +27.472
8. Suhadi Ali Rahmat MAS YZF R6 +36.812
9. Hendrianshah INA YZF R6 +1m 08.290s
10. Mohd Syahnas Shahidan MAS YZF R6 +1m 08.817s

Race 2:
1. Cameron Donald AUS YZF R6 27.16.749s
2. Toshiyuki Hamaguchi JPN CBR 600RR +4.735s
3. Toshiyuki Arakaki JPN YZF R6 +10.066s
4. Ahmad Zamani MAS YZF R6 +11.705s
5. Suhadi Ali Rahmat MAS YZF R6 +23.654s
6. Chow Ho Wan CHI YZF R6 +24.125s
7. Yukihiro Auyagi JPN GSX-R600 +24.892s
8. Kuan Meng Heng MAS YZF R6 +35.462s
9. Chia Tuck Cheong MAS YZF R6 +29.283s
10. Alex Cudlin AUS YZF R6 +41.541s
..
13. Mohd Syahnas Shahidan MAS YZF R6 +1min 19.832s

Overall Standings:
1. Toshiyuki Hamaguchi Fuch Silkolene Xtreme Honda 135 points
2. Cameron Donald Yamaha Racing Malaysia Yamaha 121 points
3. Ahmad Zamani PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Yamaha 101 points
4. Hendrianshah China Macau Zhong Shen Yamaha 65 points
5. Toshiyuki Arakaki China Macau Zhong Shen Yamaha 58 points
..
7. Suhadi Ali Rahmat PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Yamaha 47 points
..
11. Mohd Syahnas Shahidan PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Yamaha 16 points