LOCAL online biking community Bikesrepublic.com held Malaysia’s first ever two-wheel Time Trial event earlier this month at the Sepang International Circuit.
Two sessions were held on Sunday, April 7, with the first session organised in partnership with the Ducati Club of Malaysia (DCM), followed by the second session later in the afternoon held in conjunction with the ‘S1000RR and Friends’ track day event organised by the BMW Motorrad Club of Malaysia. The nation’s first ever ‘dedicated time attack’ for superbikes saw close to 100 bikes descend onto the circuit, out of which 50 riders participated in both sessions.
The idea behind the Bikes Republic Time Trial (BRTT) event was to provide avid track riders an avenue to see where they stand among their peers, and a tool to discover ways to improve their lap times and riding skill. As is already well known, circuit riding requires high levels of precision and skill which is honed by participating in such an event. The precise and accurate style of riding also leads to highly improved on-road riding skills as well.
The only way to measure such improvements and achievements is with the use of accurate time keeping and basic telemetry, both of which were provided during the BRTT sessions. Each rider was only required to pay an affordable price of RM50 during registration at each session accompanied by a refundable RM100 deposit. After which, each rider was given a timing transponder to be attached to their respective bikes in order to get accurate lap times recorded over a span of two hours in each session.
Things got off to a great start in Session 1 with DCM. Besides seeing red everywhere in the pit garage, the other unmistakable Ducati trait in this session was the sound of roaring V-twins and rattling dry-clutches filling the air. Many DCM members were already experienced on track, so it was not surprising to see fast lap times on the timing board very early on. Though the perfect weather did not pose any issues, the session was stopped a few times – a safety requirement by Sepang.
International Circuit in the event of a fallen rider on track. But this did not hinder many of DCM’s finest riders who turned up in machines like the classic 916, modern brutes such as the Monster, Streetfighter, Hypermotard, and even a Panigale for tearing up the circuit.
As the circuit time allocation for DCM came to an end, many of the riders were able to improve on their lap times significantly thanks to the accurate timing provided and published by organisers. The accurate timing sheets also gave the opportunity to recognise the session’s top three fastest riders. Coming in third place riding a Ducati 848 was Nor Azmi who posted a lap time of 2:49.866. Second place was claimed by Farid Sezli who posted a lap time of 2:43.912 on a Ducati Multistrada 1000 DS, an incredible feat for a bike that was engineered for on and off road versatility. Ultimately, the session’s top honours went to one of DCM’s youngest club members, Wan Rafie, who posted an incredible lap time of 2:29.651 with his Ducati 1198 SP.
While still high from the first session’s excitement, Session 2 of the inaugural BRTT kicked off almost immediately in the late afternoon. This time, Session 2 traded the sound of roaring Italian V-twin for the more linear and meaner sounds of German and Japanese in-line four-cylinders. The BMW Motorrad Club of Malaysia’s ‘S1000RR and Friends’ track day event brought out many of the club’s infamous S1000RR owners to pit their machines and riding skills against comparable 1-litre bikes such as the Kawasaki ZX10R, MV Agusta F4, and the Yamaha R1.
Less powerful bikes like the Triumph Daytona, Yamaha R6 and the Kawasaki ZX6 had their time to shine as well, but these are all bikes that rely on a rider’s skill to maximise its potential. The late afternoon clouds thankfully did not open to rain, giving riders in this session a much cooler track as compared to Session 1’s early afternoon scorcher.
The skill level amongst riders in Session 2 was obviously high as session stoppages was considerably less than that of Session 1. This was also evident with the incredibly fast lap times posted by participants in this session. It also saw some of the most exhilarating and competitive rides ever seen around the circuit, with some immediately checking the playback reels on their GoPro cameras after each stint alongside the timing data provided by BRTT organisers to see where they can improve.
Like in Session 1, the timing data gave clear indicators for riders in Session 2 on their position amongst the group and how they could improve their lap times before the session’s end at sunset.
Claiming the session third fastest overall time was Motorrad Club member Abdul Rahman Johari with a laptime of 2:31.414 on his BMW S1000RR, followed by fellow club member and S1000RR owner CY Khoo in second place with a time of 2:28.665. Claiming the session’s fastest overall time and the day’s fastest time was invited guest rider Aswarie, lapping the Sepang Circuit at an unbelievable time of 2:22.261 with his Kawasaki ZX10R.
The founding members of the online community have stated their intent at organising more BRTT events, with the aim of organising even more diverse events than just a Time Trial on a regular basis. “There is an obvious lack of events that engage and nurture bikers to improve their riding skills, and to better understand their machines. Through the BRTT and other events that we currently have in the pipeline, we aim to foster a spirit of togetherness where everyone can learn from each other in a safe environment. We hope this will translate to safer riders on the road, and ultimately fewer accidents,” said Adam Muza, co-founder of the increasingly popular web portal and social community.
Complete timing results and standings from the BRTT event can be obtained online at www.bikesrepublic.com.
