PETRONAS Sprinta Racing’s Ahmad Zamani Baharuddin and Mohd Suhadi Ali Rahmat are out of contention for the FIM Asia Road Racing Championships’ (ARRC) SuperSports 600cc title but there will be no slowing down for the duo in the final round here this weekend.

This season has brought mixed fortunes for the team. After a successful Round 1 where Zamani took second place in Race 1 and Suhadi clinched victory in Race 2, the team struggled to achieve similar results.

Zamani is in sixth place in the standings with 75.5 points while the younger Suhadi is one rung below on 73 points. Both are hoping to secure a top five finish in the overall standings this weekend.

The two-month break between Round 4 and the final round here has given the team the opportunity to enrol their riders in the recent Yamaha Asean Cup Championship.

Team manager Saiful Amri said: “The local championship gave us the opportunity to try different set-ups and it also allowed our riders to stay in touch with their riding skills.

“Suhadi finished first overall, defeating riders on bigger bikes. He has proven that he is still keen to fight for a higher ranking in the ARRC.”

The final round in Zhuhai is one of the few times in which the championships will take place in winter conditions.

“Our chief mechanics can draw on their (World) GP experience on winter racing. They have identified key areas that require modifications such as tyre wear, engine configuration and suspension set-up,” said Saiful. “Both our riders have had experience racing in cold weather – Zamani on road racing and Suhadi in motocross. I don’t think they will have much problems adapting to the cold here.”