A new season and a new race class has proven to be no challenge for 2016 CP130 Champion, Kasma Daniel Kasmayuddin. The PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor rider, technically the defending champion in the CP150 class, cruised through the first leg of 2017 at the Temerloh Industrial Park in Temerloh, Pahang.
Qualifying second on the grid alongside polesitter Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi, Kasma’s trademark quick start propelled him to the front of the group as the lights went out for the start of the 2017 season. Having successfully placed the rest of the 22-rider grid behind him at the first corner, Kasma hardly looked back as he stormed through the 20-lap race with a time of 14’38.563s.
Consistently the fastest rider on the grid, Kasma crossed the finish line with a hefty 4.256s margin ahead of his closest competitor.
“The race was won the moment I engineered a perfect start. That was what afforded me an easy race. All I had to do was maintain the pace,” said Kasma.
“Picking up maximum points is crucial for me in the first two rounds. I need to keep some points in the bank for the times when I may have to take a leave of absence due to a clash between the Cub Prix and the Spanish Championship schedule,” Kasma further explained.
Behind the 17-year-old Johorian, the heat of the competition blazed around Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi. Despite starting from pole position, the GiVi Honda Yuzy Racing rider struggled to break away from the second group in the first four laps, hemmed in by a cluster of Yamaha rivals.
A battle royale ensued, pitting Zaqhwan’s aggressive overtaking attempts against Fitri’s tight defensive riding.
In the final lap scrimage for the last two places on the podium, Fitri was pressured into crashing, but the second position was still denied to Zaqhwan. Forced to take evasive action by Fitri’s crash, Zaqhwan opened up the window for latecomer Ahmad Fazli Sham to slip through.
Fazli’s bit of smart riding delivered a 1-2 finish for team PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor with a time of 14’42.819s. Zaqhwan Zaidi had to be content in third with 14’42,864s.
In the CP115 class, the three main protagonists of 2016 were again the main actors in the first leg of the 2017 season. Defending champion Mohd Akid Aziz started his title defence on the right foot with a 11’22.325s victory. Akid’s team mate Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues narrowly lost out on the top honours when he crossed the finish line with a time of 11’23.145s, 0.820s behind Akid. Tengku Amirul Haffiruddin was forced to settle for third with 11’32.175s.
Finally, Idemitsu Kozi Yam Honda Racing’s Saiful Azhary Muhamad led the coterie of new talents in the Wira KBS category when he bagged the first chequered flag of the season with a time of 09’23.448s. In second and third place, PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha-AFB Tech duo Mohd Daniel Syahmi and Mohd Aiman Tahiruddin did themselves proud by clocking 9’23.203s and 9’26.615s respectively.
Round 2 of the 2017 PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship will take place in Tangkak, Johor on March 24 – 25.
Round 1 Results
CP150
1. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (JHR) Yamaha 14’38.563s 25pt
2. Ahmad Fazli Sham (PRK) Yamaha 14’42.819s 20pt
3. Md Zaqhwan Zaidi (SGR) Honda 14’42.864ss 16pt
4. Ahmad Afif Amran (TRG) Yamaha 14’49.183s 13pt
5. Abd Muhaimin Roslan (SGR) Yamaha 14’49.754s 11pt
CP115
1. Md Akid Aziz (KUL) Yamaha 11’22.325s 25pt
2. Md Haziq Md Fairues (SGR) Yamaha 11’23.145s 20pt
3. Tengku Amirul Haffirudin (TRG) Yamaha 11’32.175s 16pt
4. Md Hafienaz Md Ali (PRK) Yamaha 11’35.956s 13pt
5. Ahmad Syukran Aizat (TRG) Yamaha 11’38.218s 11pt
WIRA
1. Saiful Azhary Muhamad (JHR) Honda 9’23.448s 25pt
2. Md Danial Syahmi (TRG) Yamaha 9’26.203s 20pt
3. Md Aiman Tahiruddin (KUL) Yamaha 9’26.615s 16pt
4. Md Syafiq Aiman (JHR) Yamaha 9’27.037s 13pt
5. Md Anuar Ibrahim Pawi (PRK) Honda 9’27.538s 11pt
