Reiterberger tops accident-halted ARRC at Mandalika

2023 FIM Asia Road Racing Championships
Round Four – Mandalika, Indonesia

Asia Superbike 1000cc Race 1

The opening Asia Superbike bout kicked off in stifling heat at Mandalika with Markus Reiterberger momentarily in front, before Zaqhwan Zaidi made a surprise move into the lead.

Zaqhwan maintained this position through lap two, now with Azlan and Kasma in tow. Reiterberger was now running fourth while Haruki managed his pace in fifth.

Reiterberger began making his moves as the race progressed and with seven laps to go, it was all about managing the tyres in the sweltering conditions. As the race passed the halfway mark Reiterberger hit the lead and set about stretching a gap over Zaqhwan.

Meanwhile in sixth, Aussie Lachlan Epis was on the charge and moved past Yuki Ito. Kasma was playing catch up too and tried to close the gap to Haruki.

Azlan was recovering from a slot start to the race and had closed down the riders ahead of him and with two laps to go he squeezed past Epis.

Heading into the final lap Reiterberger had an almost five-second lead. Second place went down to the line between Andi and Zaidi, with Zaidi losing out by less than a tenth of a second.

Markus Reiterberger

“My start was not so good. Anyway, it still arrived at the first position at the first corner. I braked at a latest possible point and suddenly and I saw the red Honda passing by from the inside and realised, oh, it was late and it definitely destroyed my rhythm a little bit. I nearly crashed at turn three but I tried to manage it as much as possible. I felt amazing on the machine and I didn’t push too much. I tried to do a constant smooth flow till the end. The machine was very fast and I thank my team for such an awesome machine. At the moment, it is easy to ride but like I said, the plans can change very quickly. We have to keep an eye open for the race tomorrow.”

Lachlan Epis crossed the line seventh.

Asia Superbike 1000 cc Race 1 Results

Asia Superbike 1000cc Race 2 Cancelled

Noguchi Haruki, who finished second with SDG Honda Racing at the Suzuka 8 Hours, crashed at turn ten in the second Superbike race at Mandalika, which led to the cancellation of the race so he could be given medical attention on the circuit. We believe he suffered severe injuries and is in critical condition at a hospital in Lombok.

Reiterberger leads the series on 143-points.

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Asia Superbike 1000 cc Standings

SuperSports 600 cc Race 1

The opening Supersport 600 race saw Helmi Azman claim the win, leading home a distant Idham Pawi and Soichiro Minamimoto.

Behind the podium-getters, Keito Abe and Arbi Aditama closed out the top five, with Nakarin Atiratphuvapat not far off in sixth.

Helmi Azman

“It was a great job by the team who has prepared an excellent machine. I was not very comfortable yesterday but I am truly grateful that I was able to do great today. It was a really hot day today and the race was tough partly because of the weather. In the beginning, I tried not to push too much to manage the tires. Also, with the experience from yesterday, we have a flat tire, twice so I tried to control the pace today. It was not until the last two laps that I pushed further and I am very satisfied for today’s win.”

SuperSports 600 cc Race 1 Results

SuperSports 600 cc Race 2

Minamimoto was the victor in race two, 0.515-seconds clear of Nakarin who was chased to the line by Adenanta.

Azroy Hakeem and Keito Abe tounded out the top five, with Arbi Aditama not far off in sixth, but the rest of the field more distant.

Soichiro Minamimoto

“Today’s race was only 8-laps and it was tough. We any issues with the rear tires and I was able to keep a good pace until the final lap. We know we were strong and I waited till the last two laps to push further. So, finally I managed to win. I am extremely happy and I want to thank the team and all the Yamaha supporters.”

Pawi holds the Supersport lead, however Nakarin and Minamimoto are tied on 120-points in second, with Keito Abe not far off on 115, and Helmi Azman on 113.

SuperSports 600 cc Race 2 Results

SuperSports 600 cc Standings

Asia Production 250 cc Race 1

Herjun Atna Firdaus topped the opening Asia Production 250 race, 0.570-seconds clear of Aldi Mahendra, with Wahyu Nugroho claiming third.

Rheza Arens just missed out on the podium in fourth, less than two-tenths away from a podium, but it was a bigger gap to fifth placed Faerozi, and larger again to Cao Viet Nam who led the group of riders from sixth through tenth.

Herjun Atna Firdaus

“In the beginning of the race, I tried to manage my tire but at the same time, I enjoyed the race and went on a good speed to ensure that there is a comfortable gap between me and the rider behind me. It was a good race to be honest, taking the win at my home- circuit. There is another race tomorrow so, will keep my fingers crossed.”

Asia Production 250 cc Race 1 Results

Asia Production 250 cc Race 2

It was another win in race two for Herjun Atna Firdaus, this time even more dominant, winning by 2.440-seconds.

Ahrens narrowly held onto second, just 0.046 clear of Irfan Ardiansyah, with Nugroho, Kiandra and Iyoshi all not far behind.

Herjun Atna Firdaus

“In the beginning, it was not so good. I hit another rider and that made me lose my position. But I believed in myself and I had a good pace here so I took a step-by-step approach to move upstream into P1. Eventually, I managed to make a gap. With that, I was able to stay focus and continue to race without much pressure.”

Ahrens now leads the standings on 155-points, Firdaus clawing closer in second with 149-points, and Pratama a distant third on 100-points.

Asia Production 250 cc Race 2 Results

Asia Production 250 cc Standings

Underbone 150 cc Race 1

The hard fought Underbone class saw Izzat Nazirul claim the race one win, from Akid Aziz, with nothing to separate the duo.

John Emerson rounded out the podium, making it a Yamaha 1-2-3.

Izzat Nazirul

“I am extremely happy with the win today. It was truly a tough one especially at the last turn, knowing that another rider was close behind. Nevertheless, I am glad that my strategy worked today. It was all about being among the front troop and maintaining the momentum. There is another race to go tomorrow and so we shall see how that goes.”

Underbone 150 cc Race 1 Results

Underbone 150 cc Race 2

Race two in the Underbone class saw Laksana take the narrowest of wins over Bahauddin.

Just 0.056s off the leading duo was Zainul Fuadzi, holding off Aditya Fauzi for the final podium position.

Arai Laksana

“I thank Pak Haji Putra for gifting me this wildcard opportunity. For that reason, I did not want to disappoint the team. It was a tough battle with many extremely good riders and I could only do my best. I am very happy with the win today.”

Bahauddin holds a clear lead in the standings on 136-points, closest is Wardhana on 79-points and Wawan Wello on 72 – tied with Vittoni.

Underbone 150 cc Race 2 Results

Underbone 150 cc Standings

TVS Asia One Make Championship Race 1

Hiroki Ono was untouchable in the opening TVS Asia One Make race, claiming victory for Japan ahead of compatriot Taiyo Saito by a massive 7.352-seconds.

Second through fifth were hard fought between, Saito, Rosli, Malahuan and Aldy, with Rosli claiming the final podium position.

Hiroki Ono

“As the race began, I pushed 100% and in the middle of the race, I made sure that I kept a distance with the troop behind. It was not very easy and I have to keep the tires for Race 2. I foresee that it would be much tougher tomorrow. Overall, I am very happy to be back here and join the team for yet another excellent challenge.”

TVS Asia One Make Championship Race 1 Results

TVS Asia One Make Championship Race 2

Hiroki Ono took the race two win as well, by a narrower but still over five-seconds and collected a new lap record to boot.

Runner-up was Malahuan, with Ramdan Rosli half a second off in third. The rest of the field were much more distant, Decky Aldi closest in fourth 11.236s off the leaders

Hiroki Ono

“I am so happy today to have made a new lap record at 44. But Race 2 was very easy for me as I began pushing 100% from the start. With that, I managed to draw a fine gap ahead of the troop. This weekend started difficult for me to be honest but I changed some settings and also my riding techniques which helped me during the qualifying session. I am very happy and thanks to the TVS Team as well as my Japanese fans and sponsors.”

Malahuan now holds a narrow lead of 126-points over Ramdan Rosli (118). Decky Aldy third on 112-points.

TVS Asia One Make Championship Race 2 Results

TVS Asia One Make Championship Standings