Ahmad Zamani Baharuddin almost achieved the impossible today when the Team PETRONAS Sprinta rider finished third in the first race and another third in the second race in today’s electrifying season finale of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Sepang. Despite his superb finishes however, Zamani stayed firm in his third position overall while Toshiyuki Hamaguchi went on to grab his second championship title with Australian Cameron Donald becoming the first runner up.

Unlike yesterday, today’s weather in Sepang was simply excellent with the track remaining dry and grippy throughout the day. The team’s mood was clearly buoyant as each team member had only one thing in mind – to help Zamani, Suhadi and Syahnas give their best performance yet in today’s exciting season finale.

Zamani, who started from the second row grid in fifth position, had a sizzling start during the first race to slot himself into second spot behind Hamaguchi, with Cameron Donald trailing closely in third and former GP250cc winner Osuma Mayazaki in fourth. The stage was then set for an explosive encounter when the top three race leaders (Hamaguchi, Donald and Zamani) having a go with each other battling furiously for position.

Clearly incensed with his lapse in concentration during the start, Cameron tried feverishly to recover his lost ground, only to be denied by Zamani’s spirited performance. He then made another try in the seventh lap and this time he was triumphant. But Zamani responded back with his own overtaking move and regained his lost spot. In lap 11, Cameron again gave another push. This time, there was no reply from the PETRONAS Sprinta rider.

Zamani recalled, “I started to feel like my rear tires were beginning to slide all over. I think its because I push the tires too hard, too early. But rather than throw away the championship if I fall, I decided to play it safe by maintaining in third and try to close down the gap and overtake in the few final laps.”

That did not materialize however, as the Aussie began distancing himself to fight with race leader Hamaguchi in first. The two traded the race lead several times, which in the end was won by Hamaguchi. Zamani’s teammate, Suhadi and Syahnas crossed the finish line in 7th and 13th, a respectable finish considering this is only their first full season in the Supersports category.

In the second race, Zamani again continued his podium streak when the birthday boy finished third in yet another closely contested engagement. From his fifth starting position, Zamani made full use of his competitor’s lapse in concentration to slot himself in the 2nd position behind Donald. Hamaguchi trailed closely in third followed by Miyazaki in fourth.

The following laps saw Zamani trading blows with Hamaguchi in the first few laps as he dropped a position to third. Later, he had to contend with Miyazaki as the former 250cc grand prix winner managed to slingshot past everybody and was seen challenging Zamani. The Malaysian rider somehow overshot in the first corner and later conceded, but the PJ-lad continued his fight and was rewarded within the dying laps.

Zamani said, “This race was definitely harder than the first. I made a mistake earlier that cost me the third position but I know I just had to be patient and wait for an opening. True enough, Miyazaki couldn’t keep his line and I am just very thankful.”

Teammates Suhadi and Syahnas ended their second Sepang engagement in 9th and 12th, capping their first Supersports season in 7th and 13th position overall respectively.

Clearly pleased with the team’s overall effort this season, Team Manager Saiful Amri Abdullah said, “Despite this being our first season together as a team, I am very pleased that the everybody played their respective roles with utmost professionalism. It’s been a great year for us and we’re glad it turned out to be a very fruitful season in the end. A big thank you to our sponsors PETRONAS who have stuck with us in our first season and to everyone for making this a great year in all.”

The following are today’s race results:

FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia, SuperSports 600cc:

Race 1:
1. Toshiyuki Hamaguchi JPN CBR 600RR 29:01.282s
2. Cameron Donald AUS YZF R6 4.197s
3. Ahmad Zamani MAS YZF R6 7.914s
4. Makoto Inagaki JPN YZF R6 10.026s
5. Chia Tuck Cheong JPN YZF R6 21.797s
..
7. Suhadi Ali Rahmat MAS YZF R6 31.197s
..
13. Mohd Syahnas Shahidan MAS YZF R6 1m 03.9s

Race 2:
1. Toshiyuki Hamaguchi JPN CBR 600RR 28:59.615s
2. Cameron Donald AUS YZF R6 0.3s
3. Ahmad Zamani MAS YZF R6 5.518s
4. Makoto Inagaki JPN YZF R6 6.954s
5. Osamu Miyazaki JPN YZF-R6 7.026s
..
9. Suhadi Ali Rahmat MAS YZF R6 25.717s
..
12. Mohd Syahnas Shahidan MAS YZF R6 45.932s

Overall Standings:
1. Toshiyuki Hamaguchi Fuchs Silkolene Xtreme Honda 185 points
2. Cameron Donald China Macau Zhong Shen Yamaha 161 points
3. Ahmad Zamani PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Yamaha 133 points
4. Chia Tuck Cheong China Macau Zhong Shen Yamaha 74 points
5. Toshiyuki Arakaki China Macau Zhong Shen Yamaha 65 points
..
7. Suhadi Ali Rahmat PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Yamaha 63 points
..
13. Mohd Syahnas Shahidan PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Yamaha 23 points