ARRC: Zaqhwan Zaidi Takes First Win of the 2017 Season

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ARRC: Zaqhwan Zaidi Takes First Win of the 2017 Season

2016 Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) Champion took the first victory earlier today at the Johor Circuit
The MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider took his Honda CBR600RR for the win in Race 1 of 2017

MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda rider and 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Champion Zaqhwan Zaidi started his 2017 title defence perfectly with a win in Round 1 of the SuperSports 600cc Asian category. Starting from pole position, the 22 year old rider from Selangor, Malaysia earned a satisfying but challenging victory with close battles from the runner up, Taiga Hada from the RAMA Honda by NTS T.Pro Ten 10 outfit from Japan.

With tricky conditions hitting the Johor Circuit for the first three days of practice, Zaqhwan again reminded everyone why he was last year’s champion on board his Honda CBR600RR. Upon setting the fastest lap times for two out of the three practice sessions, he then continued his momentum in Race 1 just 0.739 seconds ahead of Taiga Hada.

“The weather condition made things a little tricky for us. Due to the rain on the previous day, there were patches of mud on the track. I think the uncertainty about grip slowed everyone down. The weather condition will play a big role in the qualifying and race outcome tomorrow (Saturday),” he said.

The final podium spot went to another Japanese rider Yuki Ito from the Yamaha Racing outfit who crossed the line 3.552 seconds behind the race winner. The number 76 rider had an almost uninterrupted race finishing ahead of another Malaysian rider, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman. Check out the race highlights below.

https://youtu.be/xkiy1w7ramA?t=288

Azlan Shah who continued his racing career in the ARRC with the Manual Tech Kawasaki Racing team showed great results finishing in P4. The 33 year old hailing from Klang blamed a wrong tire choice for the race which resulted in him crossing the finish line with a gap of 8.031 seconds behind Zaqhwan Zaidi.

The boys will hit the track again tomorrow for Race 2 which will start at 3pm local time. Stay tuned to Bikes Republic for more ARRC updates.

Photo source: ARRC

Editor Info

Sep Irran

A passionate individual when it comes to anything related to two wheels (or sometimes more), he enjoys the chaotic and magical world of motorsports as much as riding leisurely to the shops on his beloved Vespa. With an education-based background, he is always eager to learn and share about the poetic arts of motorcycling.