The 2nd Timed Practice session for the SuperSports 600cc class during Round 5 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Zhuhai was an exciting affair with all riders vying with each other in their bid for the best starting position.

Nearly all riders charted vast improvements in their personal best times. SuperSports 600cc 2-times champion, Toshiyuki Hamaguchi, bounced back from his crash during the 1st Timed Practice session on Friday to grab pole position by setting the fastest laptime of 01:40.697 and setting a new track record for the Zhuhai International Circuit.

“I had to qualify on my spare bike because my normal machine was damaged beyond repair following yesterday’s high speed crash. I am very satisfied with my results today. I was doing a constant 01:41 laptime throughout most of the qualifying practice session, but managed to crack the 01:40 range at the very last minute before the end of the session. The team has prepared the spare bike very well and I am confident of going from pole to victory in both races tomorrow,” said Hamaguchi.

While many of the Malaysian and Indonesian riders are struggling to adapt themselves to the weather conditions, Hamaguchi said that the weather in Zhuhai is perfect for racing. “The bike performs better in this sort of weather. Last year, the race in Zhuhai was held in the summer and I faced a major overheating problem with my Honda. That explains how I only clocked 01:42.045 last year but managed to set a new track record this year,” he continued.

2nd fastest in the SuperSports 600cc class was Australian rider Cameron Donald with a laptime of 01:41.844 while Japanese riders Takuma Yamamoto and Makoto Inagaki were 3rd and 4th fastest respectively with 01:42.102 and 01:42.268. “A position on the front row is all I need for race day. Hamaguchi has always been fast during qualifying, but he will find it hard to get away from the leading pack during race day,” Cameron Donald issued his challenge.

The best performing Malaysian was Ahmad Fuad Baharuddin from team Yamaha Racing Malaysia. Fuad clocked 01:42.905 and will start the race from 2nd row in 6th grid. Likewise, Mohd Suhadi Ali Rahmat was 7th fastest with 01:42.965.

Fuad said, “During the first half of the practice sessions, I was clocking a constant 01:43 but I was pushing myself very hard to do 01:42. Midway through, I returned to the pit and spoke to my team manager, Kuan Meng Heng, who advised me to relax and go with the flow of the bike instead of trying to push the bike beyond its limits. After that brief motivating session, I was surprised with my own results,” said Fuad who is one of the riders who charted the best improvement as compared to the 2003 season. Last year, Fuad’s personal best was 01:44.819 while his fastest lap this year was 01:42.905.

Meanwhile, Fuad’s team mate Abdul Rahim Sidek who stands 2nd overall and is the highest ranking Malaysian in the championship standings, crashed out of the practice session after only 13 laps out on track. “The crash was an unforced error on my part and I think I had been trying too hard when I lost traction and landed on the gravel,” said Rahim who walked away from the crash uninjured. However, Rahim will have to start the race from 12th of the grid with his personal best laptime of 01:44.188.

Here's the starting grid order for tomorrow's races: Report and picture by Two Wheels Motor Racing (TWMR).