#Riders from around the world to challenge for top honours in third season
The return of the much-anticipated FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship 2018 kicks off with Thailand’s Nakhonchaisri Circuit set to stage the curtain raiser round this weekend.
The new season will also see the return of top international riders and manufacturers all set to battle it out in the opening round of the Championship from 11 to 13 August 2018.
With a strong field featuring some of Asia’s best riders, the race for the FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship title is set to be an intense and action-packed affair this season.
Amongst those in the hunt include Malaysia’s trio of Mohammad Khairi Zakaria, Muhammad Habbibullah Saleh and Ahmad Daniel Haiqal, Japan’s Makoto Arai as well as Indonesia’s Pedro Wuner and Kenneth San Andres of the Philippines.
Spearheading Malaysia’s challenge is seasoned campaigner, Muhammad Habbibullah, more affectionately known as Gabit, who notes, “I am excited for the start of the new FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship 2018 season and really looking forward to the race in Thailand this weekend. Naturally, I want to move one step up and take the title so it will be super important to have a good start to the season!”
Meanwhile, amongst the favourites to contest for the accolade of Best International Rider are Lewis Cornish from the United Kingdom and Denmark’s Simon Vilhelmsen.
Ranked fourth in the world, the Dane notes, “I am happy to be racing the whole season after joining the last two rounds in Singapore and Malaysia last season. I raced the S1GP last year and the German Championship, now it is a good experience for me to race a full season in Asia. Some of the Asian riders are very competitive and fast, so it is not going to be easy to overtake. I am certainly looking forward to some serious competition!”
Due to the long weekend festivities in Thailand, proceedings for the first round of the season will commence on Saturday, 11 August with practice sessions, followed by qualifying and SuperChrono sessions on Sunday, 12 August. The two races (Moto 1 and Moto2) will take place on Monday, 13 August.
From Thailand, the FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship 2018 will travel to the Quirino Grandstand, Manila in the Philippines for Round 2 from 7 to 9 September and Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia for Round 3 from 26 to 28 October. Singapore’s KF1 Circuit in Kranji will host Round 4 from 23 to 25 November with the season finale round in Malaysia from 30 November to 2 December.
2018 FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship Calendar
Round 1
11 to 13 August
Thailand Circuit, Nakhonchaisri (Thailand)
Round 2
7 to 9 September
Quirino Grandstand, Manila (Philippines)
Round 3
26 to 28 October
Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara (Indonesia)
Round 4
23 to 25 November
KF1 Circuit, Kranji (Singapore)
Round 5
30 November to 2 December
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
