It was a day to remember for Japanese rider Makoto Tamada as he finished first in both the races of the SuperSports (600cc) category in the third round of the Petronas Asia road racing championship on Sunday at the Madras Motor Race Track near here.
Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and Md. Zamri Baba finished second and third respectively in both the races.
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There was quite a bit of drama in the last race (race 2) of the day in the 600cc section. Astride a Honda, Tamada — who was leading the field — skid and fell at Corner 5 during the 10th lap. The race was red-flagged immediately. The other racers later informed the stewards that the track had been littered with oil leaking from Tamada’s bike. The stewards then deemed the track to be unsafe and called off the race.
Rajini Krishnan, the lone Indian in the 600 cc section, finished 17th in both the races. Only the top 15 (in all categories) get points.Tamada emerged with minor bruises on his elbow, back and legs.
“I am alright,” he said. The 36-year-old, one of the senior-most riders here, said his fall could have been due to the ground temperatures. “Although it ended on the wrong note, I still finished first in both the races and Azlan is still on top of the championship standings. The team is very happy and we will continue to work hard in the remaining rounds,” he added. The first race in the SuperSports section was as engrossing as the second. It started with Zamri Baba taking the lead.
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Towards the middle, Tamada and Azlan were exchanging leads. In the last lap, Tamada took charge and pipped Kamaruzaman for the second place. According to the rules of FIM (The International body for motocycles), if two-thirds of the race hadn’t been completed, the riders will get only half the points.
The fourth round will be held in Suzuka (Japan) from August 30 to September 1.
The results:
SuperSports (600cc): Race 1: 1. Makoto Tamada (Jpn), 2. Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (MAS), 3. Md. Zamri Baba (MAS); Race 2: 1. Tamada, 2. Kamaruzaman, 3. Md. Zamri Baba. Underbone (115cc): Race 1: Ahmad Afif Amran (MAS), 2. Hadi Wijaya (Ina), 3. Ferlando Herdian (Ina); Race 2: 1. Md. Affendi Rosli (MAS), 2. Ahmad Afif Amran (MAS), 3. Hadi Wijaya (Ina). Asia Dream Cup: Race 1: 1. Hiroki Ono (Jpn), 2. Dwi Md. Dwi Satria (Ina), 3. Khal Khairul Idham Pawi (MAS); Race 2: 1. Hiroki Ono (Jpn), 2. Gerry Salim (Ina), 3. Md. Fitri Ashraf Razali (MAS).