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TOC HKMTOYO Racing Team

  • Round 2 of the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship saw see-saw results for the TOC Automotive College-backed TOC-HKM Racing Team.

  • However, the team’s technicians did a great job to restore one heavily and another slightly damaged bikes.

  • Team rider Amirul Hafiq Azmi won the Superstock Race 2 and finished 2nd in the Superbike Race 2 at the Sepang International Circuit.

In campaigning in the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship Round 2 at the Sepang International Circuit,  TOC HKM Racing Team had started the event well initially; Amirul Hafiq Azmi fought his way up the field from his 11th qualifying grid to finish 2nd behind a hard-charging Azroy Hakeem, in Saturday’s Superstock Race 1.

The team’s BMW S 1000 RR was well-prepared has the speed and Amirul Hafiq has the skill but Azroy was already too far in front to chase down.

However, he crashed spectacularly in the subsequent Superbike Race 1 and destroying the bike in the process. He was holding on to 3rd position at that moment.

His teammate Muhammad Jamalul Tarmizi, on the other hand, was caught in a see-saw battle with Thailand’s Michael Muesel, often swapping positions. However, just a handful of laps left to go, Muhammad Jamalul overshot a corner and low-sided in the gravel trap. He was able to pick the bike back up and crossed the line in 15th. (Please click on the link below for a detailed report.)

2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) Round 2 (Saturday)

Not a very good day to remember.

TOC HKM Racing Team’s crew worked through the early Sunday morning to repair Amirul Hafiq’s bike for Race 2 of the Superstock and Superbike categories.

In Superstock Race 2, Amirul Hafiq once again charged up the field and closed the gap to Azroy Hakeem and shadowed the latter from Lap 5. Amirul Hafiq made his move by outbraking Azroy into Turn 4 (a great feat by its own) and pulled away immediately to win the race.

Next was Superbike Race 2. While Azlan Shah Kamaruzan and Rajini Krishnan of India blasted off into the distance, Amirul battled with a number of riders into 4th. Rajini then overshot Turn 9 and dropped to fifth. That meant the Swiss rider Jonathan Serrapica was in 2nd. Amirul hunted down Serrapica mercilessly and passed the rider to take 2nd spot which he held on until the finish.

Muhammad Jamalul also rode a smart race on the TOC HKM Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R to cross the line in 6th.

Sunday’s comeback showed the experience and resilience of the team and they did an amazing job to go from a trashed bike into a race-winning machine. In fact, pundits in the paddock were adamant that it was the end of the TOC HKM Racing Team for this round following the previous day’s misfortunes.

But this demonstrates what we’ve been harping about in the last few articles: If Certified Technicians are important outside the racetrack, they are crucial (to the stage of performing miracles) during a race weekend. To cite what Dato’ Ahmad Razlan Razali said during our interview last week, the developments in racing activities creates a huge demand for certified and trained technicians. The results today showed what he said was correct.

The TOC Automotive College upped the ante in projecting their branding from this round, by putting up boards of their Bina Bakat program and also the Superbike Technician Course in the paddocks.

Please visit TOC Automotive College’s Facebook page or their campus (map below) or call call (+603) 7960 8833 for more information. Likewise, you can find more information about the TOC Bina Bakat Program here, or email info@toc.edu.my. Please click on this link for further information on the TOC Superbike Technician Course.

  • TOC HKMTOYO Racing Team leads the Superbike standings.

  • The team is formed through the TOC Technical College and HKMToyo Racing Team.

  • Round 1 of the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship marked the first outing for the team.

The TOC HKMTOYO Racing Team was recently constituted, concurrently with the launch of TOC Automotive College’s (TOC) Motorcycle Technician Training course. (Please click here for our coverage.)

As TOC believes that technical training does not only involve repairing vehicles, as motorsports is seen as the ultimate way for the school to impart knowledge and training to their students in a fun way to face the challenges associated with racing. As such, they have also a racing division called School of Motorsports. This division has spawned four-wheeled racing champions in the past and it is only natural that they extend it to two-wheeled motorsports as well.

Headed by Team Principal Mohd. Najuib Alias, HKMTOYO Racing Team is the defending MSBK champion from 2017. The team had also worked with MARA for industrial training in the past thus the tie-up with TOC Automotive College for the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship makes sense, if not inevitable.

The newly formed team combines the technical skills, knowledge and experience of the HKMTOYO Racing Team and personnel from TOC. TOC had also secured the services of Malaysian GP legend and current MX trainer at Most Fun Gym “Foreman” Oh Kah Beng as the Motosports Director to supervise the team and provide MX training.

Four riders are contracted to the team for the Superbike and Superstock classes.

In the Superbike category, Ramdan Rosli raced in the FIM CEV Moto2 Championship in Spain. He was also a wildcard rider in the World Moto2 championship between 2014 to 2016. He rides the BMW S 1000 RR.

The second rider is Muhammad Jamalul Tarmizi, riding the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.

As for the Superstock category, Amirul Hafiq Azmi and Nasarudin Mat Yop are the riders.

In Race 1 of the Superbike class, Ramdan took it easy at start of the wet race, falling behind Rajini Krishnan of Team RACR and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman of Chia Motor PJ. Soon, he was able to find his rhythm and started stalking the second-place man, and eventually passing Azlan Shah with 4 laps remaining to finish 2nd.

Muhammad Jamalul rode a steady race to finish 5th, for a tally of two TOC HKMTOYO bikes in the Top 5.

As for Race 2, Ramdan had started strong and was in a three-way battle among Rajini and Azlan Shah. However, Rajini crashed at the start of Lap 3, leaving the two other riders to fight it out. Unfortunately, Ramdan had started to slow from that point with brake problems and allowing Azlan Shah to ride away 2 seconds faster per lap.

As for Muhammad Jamalul, he went one better this time and came home in fourth.

“There was no front brake. The lever came all the way back to the handle grip,” lamented Ramdan. “The only I could make it work was to hold the lever back slightly but I still didn’t have full braking power.”

That was amazing feat considering the monumental challenge.

In the Superstock category, Amirul Hafiz Azmi finished in 5th in Race 1 but forced to retire in Race 2, while his teammate Nasarudin May Yusop picked up 3rd in Race 2.

The TOC HKMTOYO Racing Team now leads the riders’ and teams’ championship in the Superbike Category of the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) as the series heads into the Ramadhan and Hari Raya Puasa break.

PICTURE GALLERY

The Malaysia Superbike Championship 2018 (MSC) will see the TOC HKMTOYO Racing Team competing in the Superbike and Superstock categories.

A four-bike team comprises Mohd Ramdan Rosli, Muhammad Jamalul Tarmizi, Amirul Hafiq Azmi, and Nasarudin Mat Yusop.

Team TOC HKMTOYO Racing will start tomorrow’s races from P2 and P5 in Superbike and P2 and P10 in Superstock.

The newly-formed TOC HKMTOYO Racing Team is ready to set a name for themselves in the Malaysia Superbike Championship 2018 (MSC) this year. With a four-bike team and a list of the nation’s formidable riders and teaming up with the TOC Automotive College, they’re ready to take on the MSC series with full force. (more…)

Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman will start the first round of the Malaysia Superbike Championship 2018 (MSC) tomorrow from pole position.

Riding for the Chia PJ Kawasaki racing team, Azlan stormed through the qualifying session.

The 33-year-old set the fastest time of the day on board Chia PJ’s Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.

Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman together with the Chia PJ Kawasaki racing team has stormed through the first qualifying session in the first round of the Malaysia Superbike Championship 2018 (MSC) earlier today. He has obtained the first pole position of the season after just one week of riding the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. (more…)

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