Kelebihan pengalaman membantu Mohd Affendi Rosli untuk mencatat masa terpantas pada sesi ujian masa CP130 pada pusingan terakhir Kejuaraan Cub Prix AAM Malaysia PETRONAS yang berlangsung di Litar Johor, Pasir Gudang, hari ini.
Pelumba PETRONAS Yamaha-CKJ itu mencatat masa terbaik 1’52.187s pada pusingan keempa mengatasi catatan Mohd Adib Rosley (Motul Yamaha YY Pang) yang terlebih dahulu mencatat masa terbaik 1’52.346s pada pusingan kedua.
Sementara itu, Norizman Ismail (Harian Metro Y-TEQ SCK Honda Racing) muncul pelumba ketiga terpantas dengan masa 1’52.453s.
Bagi Affendi, pengalaman terakhir beraksi dalam Kejuaraan Motosikal Asia (ARRC) di litar ini pada tahun 2008 banyak membantu memandangkan tidak ada banyak perubahan yang berlaku di litar ini.
“Litar ini memang merupakan litar kegemaran saya sejak dari dahulu lagi di mana saya sentiasa meraih podium di sini. Dapat kembali ke sini pada minggu ini, sudah saya berasa sangat gembira dan yakin mampu memberikan aksi yang terbaik,” jelas Affendi.
Tambahnya, “Pelumba yang pernah beraksi dalam saingan ARRC akan mempunyai sedikit kelebihan di sini kerana lebih mahir dengan perlumbaan di litar yang lebih lebar. Pada masa sama, keadaan litar ini agak mencabar kerana selain permukaan jalan yang agak kasar, laluan berbukit dan terdapat selekoh yang agak terselindung menjadi halangan kepada pelumba khususnya bagi pelumba-pelumba yang tidak pernah beraksi di sini,” jelas Affendi yang kini berada di kedudukan kedua keseluruhan dengan 84 mata.
Mengulas lanjut, Affendi berkata, “Sebenarnya negeri Johor tidak pernah mengecewakan saya. Saya sentiasa mendapat keputusan baik di sini termasuk sewaktu memenangi perlumbaan di Muar, April lepas. Saya berharap situasi sama akan berlaku esok. Pada masa sama saya turut memikul tanggungjawab untuk membantu pasukan kami meraih gelaran juara berpasukan setelah kecewa berada di tangga kedua pada musim lepas.
“Saya dan rakan sepasukan, Fitri (Mohd Fitri Ashraf Razali) akan cuba mengutip seberapa banyak mata pada perlumbaan akhir esok meskipun kami juga sedang bersaing untuk merebut gelaran naib juara keseluruhan CP130 ketika ini. Apa yang penting, saya juga berharap agar cuaca baik pada hari esok,” jelas Affendi lagi.
Dalam saingan CP115, Mohd Fareez Afeez (Felda PB Racing) mencatat masa terpantas dengan masa 2’00.796s diikuti Mohd Iskandar Raduan (elf Koyoko KC Racing) 2’01.013s dan juara keseluruhan CP115, Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor) ketiga, 2’01.216s.
Sementara itu, Mohd Khairul Ikhwan Ajis (Espada William Racing) muncul pelumba terpantas kelas Wira dengan catatan masa 1’59.327s diikuti Mohd Haziq Mohd Fairues, juara perlumbaan satu pengeluar Super Siri PETRONAS Yamaha 2015 yang beraksi buat pertama kali dalam kategori ini dengan masa 1’59.538s. Mohd Qhuwarismi Mohd Nasir (Weststar Motorsport) ketiga terpantas dengan masa 1’59.604s.
AFFENDI TO LEAD THE WAY
Md Affendi Rosli’s hard work paid off on Friday afternoon as he topped the CP130 practice and qualifying to start at pole position for Round 10 of the PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship at the Johor Circuit in Pasir Gudang, Johor on Saturday.
The competetive 30-year-old PETRONAS Yamaha CKJ rider recorded the quickest lap time of 1:52.187 on his fourth lap of the qualifying session on the 3.860 km long circuit.
Initially, in the first lap, championship leader, Ahmad Fazrul Sham (Yamalube AHM) took the fastest lap time before Affendi beat his time of 1:52.693. The seasoned rider will start at fourth place on the grid on Saturday.
Motul Yamaha YY Pang rider Md Adib Rosley will start second on the grid after logging in his best lap time of 1:52.346, with Norizman Ismail from Harian Metro YTEQ SCK Honda Racing trailing in third with 1:52.453.
Relieved to qualify for Saturday’s SuperPole, Affendi did not expect that he will start at pole.
“It is definitely a pleasant surprise for me,” he said.
On his target for Saturday’s race, Affendi said: “I hope to complete the race with at least a second place podium finish as the Johor Circuit in Pasir Gudang is among my favourite tracks.”
Affendi said he last raced in Pasir Gudang back in 2008 for the Asia Road Racing Championship and in 2006 for the Cub Prix Championship.
“Tomorrow (Saturday) will see a big burden for me as I will need at least a second place win in order to secure the team’s championship points.
“I’m still not that confident in the corners around the circuit,” he said, adding that Saturday will see a heated race among the top riders as the last race of the season.
Currently Affendi is ranked third overall in the CP130 standings with 84 points, while Fazrul Sham leads with 113 points.
Meanwhile, up and coming rider Md Fareez Afeez is set to have a competitive race after he dominated the CP115 practice.
The FELDA PB Racing rider clocked the quickest lap in 2:00.796.
Second fastest rider, elf Koyoko KC Racing’s Md Iskandar Raduan logged in his best time of 2:01.013, while third fastest was current championship leader Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (PETRONAS Yamaha Maju Motor) with a time of 2:01.216.
Kasma Daniel, currently the reigning champion, is expected to be crowned the overall champion following his points standing at 116.
Lastly, Khairul Ikhwan Ajis outpaced a dominant Md Haziq Md Fairues to secure the fastest lap in the WIRA category.
The Espada William Racing rider seized the timesheet in the fourth lap of the practice with 1:59.327, forcing Haziq to settle for second in 1:59.327.
Weststar Motorsport’s Md Qhuwarismi Md Nasir came in third with 1:59.604, while Nazirul Izzat Md Bahanuddin (elf Koyoko KC Racing) and Saiful Azhary Muhamad (Kozi Yam Honda Racing) completed the top five.
Timed Practice:
CP130
- Mohd Affendi Rosli (Yamaha) 1’52.187s 2. Mohd Adib Rosley (Yamaha) 1’52.346s 3. Norizman Ismail (Honda) 1’52.453s 4. Ahmad Fazrul Sham (Yamaha) 1’52.693s 5. Abd Muhaimin Roslan (Yamaha) 1’52.829s
CP115
1.Mohd Freez Afeez (Yamaha) 2’00.796s 2. Mohd Iskandar Raduan (Honda) 2’10.013s 3. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (Yamaha) 2’01.216s 4. Fairuz Nasir (Yamaha) 2’01.874s 5. Mohd Harith Farhan Baharin (Honda) 2’01.973s
Wira
- Mohd Khairul Ikhwan Ajis (Yamaha) 1’59.327s 2. Mohd Hazieq Fairues (Yamaha) 1’59.538s 3. Mohd Qhuwarismi Mohd Nasir (Yamaha) 1’59.604s 4. Nazirul Izzat Mohd Bahauddin (Yamaha) 1’59.864s 5. Mohd Shafiq Ezzariq (Honda) 1’59.887s
