Md Zaqhwan Zaidi memulakan saingan pusingan pembukaan Kejuaraan Cub Prix AAM Malaysia PETRONAS musim 2016 dengan cemerlang apabila mencatat masa terpantas pada sesi ujian masa kategori CP130 yang berlangsung di Litar Tapak Ekspo Pertanian Malaysia Serdang (MAEPS), Selangor, hari ini. Pelumba Givi Honda Yuzy Racing itu mencatat masa terpantas 48.979s mengatasi pelumba muda yang baru beralih ke kelas CP130, Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin yang mencatatkan masa terbaik 49.059s .
Pelumba PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor itu bagaimanapun terlebih dahulu mencipta kejutan pada sesi latihan pertama di sebelah pagi apabila mencatat masa terpantas 49.505s. Sementara itu Md Hafiz Nor Azman (Harian Metro Y-TEQ SCK Honda Racing) ketiga terpantas dengan masa 49.289s.
Bagi Zaqhwan, dia gembira kerana kembali ke prestasi terbaik sebagaimana ketika bergelar juara keseluruhan pada musim 2014.
“Saya berterima kasih kepada seluruh pasukan kerana tidak berhenti melakukan persiapan sebaik musim lepas tamat. Kerja keras semua membantu saya untuk kembali ke prestasi terbaik pada minggu ini dan saya harap ia akan berterusan pada perlumbaan sebenar nanti,” jelasnya.
Mengulas tentang cabaran pada hari ini, Zaqhwan berkata, “Cuaca begitu panas dan suhu mencecah sehingga ke 40 darjah. Cengkaman tayar tidak begitu baik dengan suhu panas seperti ini, ditambah dengan faktor permukaan jalan. Saya sudah mencuba semaksimum mungkin untuk mencatat masa lebih baik, namun tidak berjaya. Jika mencuba dengan lebih laju, tidak mustahil akan terjatuh,” jelas Zaqhwan yang gagal untuk mengatasi catatan terbaik litar milik Hafiz yang dilakukan pada musim lepas dengan masa 48.322s.
Sementara itu, naib juara musim 2015, Tengku Amirul Haffirudin bermula dengan baik apabila mengungguli kelas CP115 setelah muncul pelumba terpantas dengan catatan masa 49.661s.
Pelumba Motul Zeneos Yamaha YY Pang itu berkelebihan 0.261s di hadapan Azroy Hakeem Anuar (Givi Honda Yuzy Racing) yang mencatat 49.922s diikuti juara kategori Wira musim lepas, Harith Farhan Baharin (Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Honda Racing) dengan masa 49.999s.
Dalam kategori Wira, tiga pelumba Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Racing berada dalam kelompok lima pelumba terpantas dengan Mohd Shafiq Izzariq mencatat masa terpantas 51.012s.
Saiful Azhary Muhamad dan Md Anuar Ibrahim Pawi mencatat masa keemppat dan kelima terpantas, masing-masing dengan masa terbaik 51.986s dan 52.011s.
Md Qhuwarismi Md Nasir (Weststar Motorsport) mencatat masa kedua terbaik dengan masa 51.170s diikuti Mohd Afizi Supaat ((Espada William Racing) ketiga, dengan masa 51.569s.
Ujian Masa
CP130
1. Md Zaqhwan Zaidi (Honda) 48.979s
2. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (Yamaha) 49.059s
3. Md Hafiz Nor Azman (Honda) 49.289s
4. Abd Muhaimin Roslan (Yamaha) 49.344s
5. Norizman Ismail (Honda) 49.346s
CP115
1. Tengku Amirul Haffirudin (Yamaha) 49.661s
2. Azroy Hakeem Anuar (Honda) 49.922s
3. Mohd harith Farhan baharin (Honda) 49.999s
4. Zaidy Md Zaifaizal (Yamaha) 50.051s
5. Md Fareez Afeez (Yamaha) 50.061s
WIRA
1. Md Shafiq Ezzariq (Honda) 51.012s
2. Md Qhuwarismi Md Nasir (Yamaha) 51.170s
3. Md Afizi Supaat (Yamaha) 51.569s
4. Saiful Azhary Muhamad (Honda) 51.986s
5. Md AnuarIbrahim Pawi (Honda) 52.011s
Zaqhwan Zaidi back in form; Tops CP130 practice
Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi took the 2016 PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship into high gear when he came out with guns blazing at the season opening round currently underway at the Malaysia Agro Exhibition Park (MAEPS) in Serdang, Selangor this weekend. The GiVi Honda Yuzy Racing rider seems to be back in form after taking a short hiatus for a 6-month stint as a Moto2 rider in the World Championships. Zaqhwan clocked 48.979s on the 1.11km temporary race circuit to take provisional pole in the CP130 class.
Zaqhwan credits his strong first day performance to his team’s high level of preparedness. “It took a while for me to get back into the groove when I came back to Cub Prix for the second half of the 2015 season. But this year, the team has been conducting nonstop tests during the season break to prepare our new bike. We (the riders) were barely out of our racing suits as the team took us for training and testing on many different track environments.”
The 21-year-old rider was the only one who managed to pace below the 48 second mark. CP130 newbie duo Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin and Md Hafiz Nor Azman were second and third fastest with times of 49.059s and 49.289s respectively. With ambience temperature soaring to almost 40 degrees in the afternoon, none of the CP130 contenders were able to break the 2015 lap record held by Hafiz Nor Azman (48.322s).
“The heat turned the track surface very slippery. Under those conditions, I feel that my best lap was already on the limit,” said Zaqhwan who is expecting a tightly contested race during the Finals. “Both Kasma and Hafiz, though new to the CP130 class, are highly talented riders whose abilities are even acknowledged at the regional Asian level. However, with the top-10 all clocking within a second of each other, even if Kasma were to steal the lead, it would be difficult for him to pull away.”
Abdul Muhaimin Roslan and Norizman Ismail completed the top five in the CP130 class while defending champion Ahmad Fazrul Sham finished a disappointing 14th place and has missed out on the first CP130 SuperPole of the season.
In the CP115 class, team Motul Zeneos Yamaha YY Pang retained their dominance at the MAEPS circuit when Tengku Amirul Haffirudin picked up the fastest time of the class with 49.661s followed by Givi Honda Yuzy Racing’s Azroy Hakeem Anuar with 49.922s and 2015 Wira champion Md Harith Farhan Baharin third fastest with 49.999s. Finally, Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Racing’s Md Shafiq Ezzariq topped the timesheets in the below-17 Wira class with a time of 51.012s.
Timed Practice (Top 5):
CP130
1. Md Zaqhwan Zaidi (Honda) 48.979s
2. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (Yamaha) 49.059s
3. Md Hafiz Nor Azman (Honda) 49.289s
4. Abd Muhaimin Roslan (Yamaha) 49.344s
5. Norizman Ismail (Honda) 49.346s
CP115
1. Tengku Amirul Haffirudin (Yamaha) 49.661s
2. Azroy Hakeem Anuar (Honda) 49.922s
3. Mohd harith Farhan baharin (Honda) 49.999s
4. Zaidy Md Zaifaizal (Yamaha) 50.051s
5. Md Fareez Afeez (Yamaha) 50.061s
WIRA
1. Md Shafiq Ezzariq (Honda) 51.012s
2. Md Qhuwarismi Md Nasir (Yamaha) 51.170s
3. Md Afizi Supaat (Yamaha) 51.569s
4. Saiful Azhary Muhamad (Honda) 51.986s
5. Md AnuarIbrahim Pawi (Honda) 52.011s
