Yuki Ito is determined to put a bitterly disappointing 2014 behind him and claimed he is motivated than ever ahead of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship opening round at the Sepang Circuit this weekend.
The PETRONAS Hong Leong Yamaha rider missed out on his maiden SuperSports 600cc crown to Malaysian, Zaqhwan Zaidi by a single point in a closely fought season finale in Qatar despite scoring three wins and three podiums last year.
It was a dramatic end to a thrilling season that saw Honda secure their third successive constructors award with Zaqhwan’s victory being their third riders’ title after Ryuichi Kiyonari (2012) and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (2013).
Even though Yuki openly admits he is still haunted by how the title slipped his hands, the Japanese rider maintains an optimistic mindset for the upcoming season, saying he is better prepared for the challenges that lies ahead.
“I came very close and it is a pity we lost in the end. It was more disappointing to know we lost by a slim margin but I’m ready to put that behind me and start fresh in 2015. I am much more motivated, physically and mentally stronger to win this year’s championship,” he said.
Yuki is further boosted by a strong run in the pre-season test two weeks ago that saw him top the SuperSports 600cc overall timesheets at Sepang ahead of his rivals.
“We had a positive outing during the pre-season test. We ran a lot of laps and discovered a good base setup. Of course there is room for improvement because we did not meet the 1 minute 4 seconds target. Nevertheless I believe this is a good start and I’m sure we can make more improve this weekend,” he said.
Despite the departure of heavyweights, Katsuaki Fujiwara and Makoto Tamada who announced their retirement at the end of last season, Yuki made emphasis the 20th edition of the ARRC is not going to get any easier with the arrival of world level riders such as Noriyuki Haga, Yuki Takahashi and Mark Aitchison.
And speaking of his targets, Yuki has every intention of winning at Sepang, a track he has yet to score a victory despite many times finishing on the podium.
“We are faced with an uphill task of going against many world class riders such as Takahashi and Haga this year. Additionally we have to deal with local favourite, Zamri Baba who has constantly been strong. But this does not deter me from trying to win both Race 1 and Race 2 at Sepang. This is the home-race for Hong Leong Yamaha and PETRONAS, our title sponsor and I want to make them proud.”
Practice sessions will kick off on Friday followed by the Qualifying sessions on Saturday and the race on Sunday. Entrance to Round 1 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is free to the public.
YUKI SEMANGAT MULAKAN AKSI DI SEPANG
Yuki Ito mahu melupakan kekecewaan musim 2014 bagi menghadapi saingan pusingan pembukaan Kejuaraan Motosikal Asia FIM di Litar Antarabangsa Sepang, minggu ini.
Pelumba PETRONAS Hong Leong Yamaha itu terlepas gelaran juara SuperSports 600cc ke tangan Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi dengan perbezaan hanya satu mata pada perlumbaan akhir di Litar Losail, Doha, Qatar sekalipun meraih tiga kemenangan dan tiga lagi podium sepanjang musim lepas.
Kemenangan dramatik Zaqhwan juga menyaksikan pasukan Musashi Boon Siew Honda meraih tiga gelaran juara individu dan berpasukan berturut-turut selepas Ryuichi Kiyonari (2012) dan Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (2013).
Meskipun akui masih kecewa dengan kegagalan tersebut, pelumba Jepun itu optimis dan lebih bersedia menghadapi cabaran musim baru ini.
“Saya begitu hampir untuk memenangi gelaran namun tewas di penghujung perlumbaan. Sudah tentu ia sangat mengecewakan apabila tewas dengan jurang mata yang begitu hampir. Saya sudah melupakan kesedihan tersebut dan cukup beemotivasi dan bersedia dari segi fizikal dan mental untuk memulakan saingan musm ini,” jelas Ito.
Keyakinan itu ditambah dengan keputusan sesi ujian pra-musim yang menyaksikan Ito muncul pelumba yang melakukan catatan masa terpantas.
Meskipun tanpa kehadiran pelumba pilihan seperti Katsuaki Fujiwara dan Makoto Tamada yang mengumumkan persaraan pada penghujung musim lepas, Yuki percaya saingan musim 2015 semakin sengit dengan kehadiran pelumba kelas dunia seperti Noriyuki Haga, Yuki Takahashi dan Mark Aitchison.
Bercakap tentang sasaran pada minggu ini, Yuki berharap dapat meraih kemenangan di Sepang di mana dia masih gagal meraih kemenangan sekalipun telah beberapa kali menaiki podium.
“Kami menghadapi tugas berat pada minggu ini terutama dengan kehadiran Takahashi dan Haga selain pelumba pilihan, Mohd Zamri Baba yang kita tahu kehandalannya. Namun ini tidak mematahkan semangat untuk saya memenangi Perlumbaan 1 dan Perlumbaan 2. Malah perlumbaan ini juga ibarat berlumba di halaman sendiri kerana saya beraksi bersama pasukan Hong Leong Yamaha dan ditaja oleh PETRONAS. Saya mahu menghadiahkan kemenangan kepada mereka.”
Sesi Latihan Bebas Kejuaraan MotosikalbAsia FIM akan bermula pada hari Jumaat, 17 April diikuti sesi kelayakan pada Sabtu dan perlumbaan akhir pada hari Ahad. masuk dan parkir adalah percuma.
