Round 2 of the Malaysia Superbike Championship will be held at Sepang International Circuit this weekend. The race will once again see the actions of riders in the MSBK1000 A and MSBK1000 B race categories as they ride alongside to take the winning spot.
Round 1 ended with two winners in the MSBK1000 A race category for the weekend, Azroy Hakeem Anuar of Boon Siew Honda Racing in Race 1 and Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin of Yamaha Gen Blu Racing Team Asean in Race 2.
The battle between the duo was fiery in both races as Azroy and Kasma entangled in an exchange of position in the last few laps.
It was an expected move between the duo who are well-versed with the layout of the Sepang circuit coupled with their experiences as professional riders.
Commenting on the race, Kasma said, “In the race of Round 1, I tried to be consistent with the lap time and focused on my riding. I tried to make fewer mistakes during the ride. The best part of being in MSBK for me would be the opportunity to test many settings and new parts of the machine which would be useful for my performance in ARRC.
“Although there are differences between the machine used in ARRC and MSBK, some parts like the settings are pretty similar. The differences would be like the chassis and the ARRC machine is definitely a better machine compared to the MSBK’s which is more difficult to ride due to the speed differences.
“This season is different for me overall. There were more riders last season in MSBK1000 A and it was more competitive. For the coming rounds, I will try to be smart in my moves and calmer on the machine.”
As for the MSBK1000 B race category, Khoo Chee Yen emerged victorious as the Weekend Champion after taking a win in Race 1 and finishing podium at third spot in Race 2.
Although the riders were equally competitive, Khoo Chee Yen managed to pace ahead of them. Currently, he holds a total of 41 points and is charged up to do better in the coming race. Last season, Chee Yen collected a total of 143 points in all three rounds.
Commenting on the race, Khoo Chee Yen said, “The biggest difference this season would be the entry list of the MSBK1000 B race category. It is good to see many of the old riders back in the scene which means greater challenge for me.
“However, the number one contender this season for me would be Radzi Omar from FGRT who is highly experienced and a fast rider. Last season, it was a close competition too with him as well as Md Syukri. I won’t underestimate newbies like Raja Nazeem and Amir Izzat as well.
“For this season, I am still using the same machine as I did in the last 4 years ago but I might have a new machine coming for Round 2. Keeping my fingers crossed and hopefully with the new machine, I will be able to improve my performances. I have very experienced race engineers, two of them from Sportriders & FTA Performance Singapore and a group of TOC juniors.
“With them, I have gained unlimited support and advice needed for the race weekend which I am truly grateful for. This season, I hope to win the championship and will try not to make the same mistakes like last season. I started big but ended up feeling disappointed during the final round where I lost the championship.”
