Malaysian Supermoto Series 2012 kick off Round 1 at USJ
The 2012 Malaysian Supermoto Series season got underway last weekend with its first round held at the Speedway PLUS Circuit in USJ, Subang Jaya. Brothers Mohd Al-Amirul Ashshahid and Muhammad Habibullah Mohd Salleh, better known as Gaban and Gabit respectively, got off to a flying start by securing two 1-2 finishes for KTM Planet Racing Team.
It was Gabit who in his KTM 450 SMR took the chequered flag ahead of his elder brother in a closely-contested 15-lap race in the S1 Open category for Unlimited Supermoto up to 700cc. Coming third behind them was CBK Maxima Kawasaki Racing Team’s Mohd Khairi Zakaria, whilst Kharil Syazwan Mohd Khair Affandi and Hazlanshah Mohd Nor, both of Chear Motor Kawasaki Racing Team, took fourth and fifth places respectively.
The two brothers clinched their second 1-2 finish in the lower S2 Open category for Unlimited Supermoto up to 250cc, though it was elder brother Gaban who crossed the line first in his KTM 250 SXF leading the race from start to finish. Mohd Khairi Zakaria and team mate Mohd Suhadi Ali Rahmat finished third and fourth on board their Kawasaki KX250FI respectively, with Khairil Syazwan Mohd Khair Affandi rounding up the top five.
Round 1 of the Malaysian Supermoto Series attracted a total of 41 riders and three of the country’s leading supermoto teams competing in seven categories. In addition to the S1 and S2 categories mentioned above, there are also the S3 open for unlimited supermoto up to 700cc (veteran class for age 45 and above); S4 for production supermoto unlimited up to 200cc; Kawasaki D-Tracker production bikes limited to 150cc; and Kawasaki KSR for both unlimited 110cc and production limited 110cc bikes.
The Series is promoted by Bike Nation Motorsports, jointly-promoted by Comma Motorsports, organized by the Langkawi Motorsports Club and sanctioned by the Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM).
Supermoto or also known as Supermotard, is motorcycle racing on a closed circuit that alternates between three types of track: flat track, motocross and road racing, using motorcycles designed for that purpose or generally modified off-road, motocross and dirt bikes. The motorcycles competing are fitted with road-racing wheels and tyres, while the riders wear a combination of road race and off-road equipment, normally road racing leathers and motocross helmets and boots. Racing speeds are generally less than 160km/h on short and technical tracks where rider skill is more important than just machine performance.
The 2012 Malaysian Supermoto Series will be run over 4 rounds with round 2 scheduled for 30 September, round 3 on 18 November and round 4 on 16 December. Round 4 will also coincide with the Malaysian round of the 2012 FIM Asia Supermoto Championship which will be held in the country for the very first time.
Official results
S1 Open – Unlimited Supermoto up to 700cc
1. Muhammad Habibullah Mohd Saleh (Gabit)
2. Mohd Al-Amirul Ashshahid (Gaban)
3. Mohd Khairi Zakaria
4. Khairil Syazwan Mohd Khair Affandi
5. Hazlanshah Mohd Nor
S2 Open – Unlimited Supermoto up to 250cc
1. Mohd Al-Amirul Ashshahid (Gaban)
2. Muhammad Habibullah Mohd Saleh (Gabit)
3. Mohd Khairi Zakaria
4. Mohd Suhadi Ali Rahmat
5. Khairil Syazwan Mohd Khair Affandi
S3 Open – Unlimited Supermoto up to 700cc (veteran above age 45)
1. Chong Fong Chun
S4 – Production Supermoto Unlimited up to 250cc
1. Abdul Wafi Hassan
2. Muhamad Adam Mohd Norrodin
3. Mohd Emy Nordin
4. Chew Wai Tuck
5. R. Suresh
Kawasaki KSR – Unlimited 110cc
1. Chew Wai Tuck
2. Mohd Emy Nordin
3. Eric Chia
4. Faizul ZahrinZakaria
Kawasaki KSR – Limited 110cc
1. Eric Chan
2. Chia Chee Peng
Kawasaki D-Tracker – Production Limited 150cc
1. Mohd Zahin Mohd
Pictures: Official release.
