Team PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Ahmad Zamani Baharuddin is looking forward to his final showdown with Asia’s top motorcycle racers in the final round of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Sepang circuit this December 14.

"I’m going out there this weekend to win - it’s as simple as that,” claim Zamani. “I’ve never had the chance to step on the top spot of the podium this season and I think with my home ground advantage, this weekend will change all that.”

Zamani have so far scored brilliant podium finishes in all rounds of the ARRC, but the 27-year old have not landed the top spot, yet. He cruised home to a 3-2 finish in the opening round in Pasir Gudang, secured yet another 36 points with a 2-3 finish in Sentul, Indonesia and ended 3-4 in the last round in Zhuhai, China. He has undoubtedly planted himself firmly into the third overall spot with 101 points thus far but the P.J lad is still unsatisfied.

He said, “I’m banking on from last year’s experience – with the crowd cheering and knowing my family is in the stands rooting for me, I think I can bank on the vibes and hope to finally lay my hands on the first place trophy. But I’ve got a hunch it’s going to be a wet race this Sunday judging from changeable weather we’re currently experiencing in Malaysia. Let’s just wait and see.”

Zamani finished a brilliant 2nd place finish last year behind Yusuke Takeyama when Hamaguchi was forced to opt out in the first race after crashing heavily during the morning warm up session. He however could not sustain his momentum in the second race when he finished just outside of an all Japanese lead finishers in fourth.

"This year is definitely different, a really good change if you ask me. The team has been giving us (the riders) their best. Their commitment and focus is clearly displayed throughout the season in which we have yet to experience any mechanical problems. With the strong support and backing from PETRONAS, we will ultimately do our best to perform this weekend. Everything seems to be in place and as riders, we couldn't ask for more."

Team Manager Saiful Amri Abdullah agrees, "In some ways we are not perfectionist but we do expect the best performance from each and every member of the team. The overall team performance will in some ways or another indicate at what level the team is at and the potential that we have to go further. We entered this season not knowing what is in store for us but still we participated with a clear objective in mind, which is to perform at our very best. It has been a great season and we do believe it will be a good final race too. PETRONAS have been supportive of us from the first round of competition and we thank them for their active support throughout the year.”

Current Standings for Supersports 600cc category:

1. Toshiyuki Hamaguchi Team Fuchs Silkolene Extreme 131 points
2. Cameron Donald China Macau Zhong Shen 121 points
3. Ahmad Zamani Baharuddin Team PETRONAS Sprinta Racing 101 points
4. Toshiyuki Arakaki China Macau Zhong Shen 65 points
5. Hendrianshah China-Macau Zhong Shen 58 points
6. Chia Tuck Cheong China-Macau Zhong Shen 53 points
7. Suhadi Ali Rahmat Team PETRONAS Sprinta Racing 47 points
8. Kuan Meng Heng Yamaha Racing Malaysia 45 points
9. Abd Rahim Sidek Yamaha Racing Malaysia 35 points
10. Ichiro Asai China-Macau Zhong Shen 34 points
11. Yukihiro Aoyagi Team Fuchs Silkolene Extreme 25 points
12. Mohd Syahnas Shahidan Team PETRONAS Sprinta Racing 16 points