It was certainly a glorious weekend for Singapore has they had their inaugural FIM Asia SuperMoto Championship with grandeur at the KF1 Karting Circuit . The race saw excellent performances from riders all around the world but it was the United Kingdom’s Lewis Cornish that clinched the ultimate title.
The city was greeted with heavy downpour and lightning, making it impossible to carry on with Moto2 hence it was canceled due to safety reasons. Results and points are based on Moto1.
While the maiden title was given to Cornish, riders close to home Khairi Zakaria and Muhd Habibullah flourished for the Malaysian team, with Khairi bagging third place, ahead of Habibullah who came in fourth. Denmark’s Simon Vilhelmsen came in between at second place.
Scoreboard leader Cornish dominated qualifying rounds and the podium once again with a record of 23:31.018.. The Briton stepped up his game knowing the Vihelmsen trailed behind closely, earning his victory way earlier as the Danish capped his run at 23:58.602.
“My front brake overheated and it stopped working. I returned to the pit twice hoping that this would solve the problem but it did not happen. It was really tough without the brakes.” said Vihelmsen.
“We will replace the brake fluid, and we will have to try again. If this continues, I think it is just not my day today and will try my best the next round in Malaysia.”
As for Cornish, he was delighted to be the winner. “Coming into the second lap, I knew that he (Vilhelmsen) was facing some difficulty with his bike, causing him to fall behind. But I continued to distant the gap from the other riders, especially with the rest catching up.”
Habibullah made a brilliant comeback from his injuries, impressing the viewers.
“The wound still hurts, especially during the race. I did not perform well during the Free Practice, Qualifying and SuperChrono session. However, I was in luck that Yasushi, Khairi and Trakarn fell behind at the first corner, and soon after distant themselves from me,” said Habibullah.
Compatriot Khairi struggled when Japan’s Yasushi Matsumoto blocked his path throughout the whole race but nonetheless he managed to finish with a good run.
“He blocked my path a few times, and with Trakarn right behind taking his chances to surpass, this created more tension throughout the race.”
The Malaysians will be tackling their home soil this weekend with an aim to achieve greater. The final round of the championship will be held in Bukit Jalil, Malaysia on 16 and 17 December 2017.