The CP130 title hunt in the 2016 PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship has come to an end at the penultimate round in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan with young Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin emerging with a new record as the youngest rider to win the premiere class of the motorcycle racing series.
The team PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor talent claimed the crown after finishing second behind Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi of team GiVi Honda Yuzy Racing. Starting the race from third on the grid, a quick start gave the hole shot to Kasma. However, he was hard pressed to keep his position as pole sitter Zaqhwan latched on to his rear tyre.
The Johor-born rider hung on to the reins up to Lap 10 when Zaqhwan succeeded in getting past his defenses. The two riders were absorbed into the duel, almost unaware that third placed Mohd Affendi Rosli was rapidly encroaching into their track space. Kasma made a half-hearted attempt to regain the lead at the start of Lap 13, but his efforts were negated by a decisive move from Zaqhwan.
With five laps remaining on the lap chart, Zaqhwan rode a strong defensive race that left Kasma with no opportunities to overtake. The GiVi Honda Yuzy Racing rider rode home to his first victory of the year with a time of 13’58.890s. A mere 0.085 seconds behind Zaqhwan, the talented former CP115 champion finished second to become the newest and youngest CP130 Champion in the PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship series.
“I just want to thank my team for this achievement,” said a delighted Kasma after receiving his trophy from YAM Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin Ibni Tuanku Muhriz, the Raja Muda of Negeri Sembilan. “They equipped me with a really good bike and allowed me to race to my full potential.”
At the point of his victory, Kasma was 16 years, 1 month and 20 days old. This accomplishment erased the previous record held by Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah who was crowned CP130 champion when he was 16 years and 6 months old. Kasma is also the third teenage wonder to win the premiere class behind Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi who was 18 when he won in 2014 as well as Hafizh Syahrin.
Team PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor Racing has also successfully locked out the top two positions in the CP130 class. Even though Ahmad Fazli Sham crashed out of the race, his second overall ranking has been confirmed. As the 2016 season races to its grand finale in Taiping next month, the rest of the grid will be fighting for third overall position in which Norizman Ismail is now nominally in control with 97 points.
Round 10 of the 2016 PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship will take place in Taiping, Perak on November 19 and 20, 2016.
