Pelumba muda berbakat, Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin menepati ramalan mampu mencipta kejutan dalam saingan CP130 Kejuaraan Cub Prix AAM Malaysia PETRONAS 2016 apabila berjaya muncul juara pada penampilan pertamanya dalam kelas tersebut di Litar Tapak Ekspo Pertanian Malaysia Serdang (MAEPS), Selangor, hari ini.
Pelumba PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor itu meneruskan rentetan kejayaan cemerlang memenangi gelaran CP115 pada musim lepas apabila selesa mendahului keseluruhan perlumbaan sekaligus berjaya mengetepikan cabaran rakan-rakan senior termasuk rakan sepasukan, Ahmad Fazli Sham yang menamatkan saingan di tempat kedua.
Sementara itu, Md Zaqhwan Zaidi (Givi Honda Yuzy Racing) yang mencatat masa terpantas pada sesi ujian masa, semalam menamatkan perlumbaan di tempat ketiga setelah berjaya mengetepikan cabaran sengit yang diberikan Abd Muhaimin Roslan dan Mohd Izzat Zaidi di sepanjang perlumbaan.
“Saya sangat gembira dengan kemenangan ini meskipun saya jangkakan persaingan yang lebih sengit. Mungkin ini disebabkan beberapa insiden di permulaan perlumbaan membantu saya untuk menjarakkan diri dengan pelumba lain dari awal lagi manakala persaingan sengit beberapa pelumba di belakang membantu saya untuk terus bersendirian sehingga ke garisan penamat,” jelas Kasma yang akan menginjak ke usia 16 tahun pada tahun ini.
Tambahnya, “Saya berterima kasih kepada pasukan kerana menyediakan jentera yang baik dan juga mempercayai kemampuan saya. Kemenangan ini tidak menjadikan saya selesa sebaliknya perlu bekerja lebih keras.”
Menyentuh tentang cabaran pusingan kedua di Pulau Pinang April depan, Kasma berkata,”Saingan pasti berbeza, tidak seperti hari ini. Pasukan lain pasti akan lebih bersedia. Walau bagaimanapun, apa yang penting adalah untuk saya memulakan perlumbaan dari barisan depan,” tambahnya.
Sementara itu, perlumbaan kelas Wira menjadi milik naib juara musim 2015, Tengku Amirul Haffirudin dari pasukan Motul Zeneos Yamaha YY Pang yang menewaskan Md Fareez Afeez (Felda PB Racing) manakala pendatang baharu kelas CP115 yang juga merupakan juara kelas Wira 2015, Md Harith Farhan Baharin (Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Racing) di kedudukan ketiga.
Saingan kelas Wira dikuasai oleh Mohd Shafiq Ezzariq (Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Racing) diikuti Md Qhuwarismi Md Nasir (Weststar Motorsport) dan S. Alif Nazirul S. Ismail (Persendirian) di tempat ketiga.
Keputusan
CP130
1. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor)
2. Ahmad Fazli Sham (PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor)
3. Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi (Givi Honda Yuzy Racing)
4. Mohd Izzat Zaidi (Motul Zeneos Yamaha YY Pang)
5. Norizman Ismail (Harian Metro Y-TEQ SCK Honda Racing)
CP115
1. Tengku Amirul Haffirudin (Motul Zeneos Yamaha YY Pang)
2. Md Fareez Afeez (Felda PB Racing)
3. Md Harith Farhan Baharin (Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Racing)
4. Md Hazieq Md Fairues (PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor)
5. Zaidi Mohd Zaifaizal (Motul Zeneos Yamaha YY Pang)
WIRA
1. Mohd Shafiq Ezzariq (Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Racing)
2. Md Qhuwarismi Md Nasir (Weststar Motorsport)
3. S. Alif Nazirul S. Ismail (Persendirian)
4. Saiful Azhary Muhamad (Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Racing)
5. Md Aiman Tahiruddin (PETRONAS Yamaha)
Kasma runs riot at MAEPS
Serdang, Selangor: Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin defied all expectations when he scored the opening win in Round 1 of the 2016 PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship held at the Malaysia Agro Exhibition Park (MAEPS) last weekend. Contrary to his seniors’ predictions of a tightly fought race, Kasma put in a dominating lights-to-flag performance that was reminiscent of his 2015 title-winning performance in the CP115 category.
Kasma lost out to Zaqhwan Zaidi in Saturday’s timed practice session but bounced back with a fast lap during the SuperPole to win the all-important pole position. He then successfully converted his prime starting position into a race performance that left his competitors in the dust.
Behind Kasma, senior riders Ahmad Fazli Sham, Zaqhwan Zaidi, Norizman Ismail, Abdul Muhaimin Roslan and Izzat Zaidi fulfilled their self-prophecy with a no-holds-barred battle for second position. The heat of the chase caused first Norizman and then Muhaimin to drop out of the chase, leaving Fazli and Zaqhwan in second and third positions at the finish line.
“Everyone was saying that there was no way I would be able to run away at the front, that the race would be bitterly fought. I turned a deaf ear to all those predictions and just focused on staying true to the script that my team manager Yong Ying Hoe had crafted for me. I had two things going for me this weekend, which was my fitness level and a super fast bike. Stealing the holeshot at the start of the race gave me the momentum I needed to brush aside the competition and focus on winning from the front,” said Kasma who officially turns 16 this year.
Kasma and Fazli’s 1-2 position has given team PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor with the best possible start to the season. The outfit that has brought about numerous national and Asian-level legends such as Chia Tuck Cheong and Mohd Faisal Yahya, now leads the team award with a 19-point margin over GiVi Honda Yuzy Racing.
In the CP115 category, poleman Tengku Amirul Haffirudin also enjoyed a strong start to the 2016 season when he won the 15-lap race ahead of Mohd Fareez Afeez and 2015 Wira Champion Mohd Harith Farhan Baharin. The age-capped Wira class saw newcomer Md Shafiq Ezzariq finishing at the top of the field with Mohd Qhuwarismi Mohd Nasir and S. Alif Nazirul S. Ismail in second and third positions respectively.
Results:
CP130
1. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor)
2. Ahmad Fazli Sham (PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor)
3. Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi (Givi Honda Yuzy Racing)
4. Mohd Izzat Zaidi (Motul Zeneos Yamaha YY Pang)
5. Norizman Ismail (Harian Metro Y-TEQ SCK Honda Racing)
CP115
1. Tengku Amirul Haffirudin (Motul Zeneos Yamaha YY Pang)
2. Md Fareez Afeez (Felda PB Racing)
3. Md Harith Farhan Baharin (Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Racing)
4. Md Hazieq Md Fairues (PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor)
5. Zaidi Mohd Zaifaizal (Motul Zeneos Yamaha YY Pang)
WIRA
1. Mohd Shafiq Ezzariq (Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Racing)
2. Md Qhuwarismi Md Nasir (Weststar Motorsport)
3. S. Alif Nazirul S. Ismail (Privateer)
4. Saiful Azhary Muhamad (Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Racing)
5. Md Aiman Tahiruddin (PETRONAS Yamaha)
