ARRC ROUND 3:PRACTICE REPORT

A new pitlane, shrubs cleared off, and new tyre walls made up the bulk of the upgrades at the newly-refurbished Madras Motor Race Track. Increased visibility has boosted the riders’ confidence and clearly Malaysia’s Mohd Zamri Baba was the first to benefit from the improved track conditions.

Zamri, who had won the SuperSports 600cc race here in 2010, lists the Madras Motor Race Track as one of his favourites. The 2011 track record of 01:44.100s posted by Decha Kraisart was erased when Zamri clocked a new fast lap of 01:44.025s.

“The track still lacks grip but there certainly has been improvements. The heavy rain over the past two nights made things a lot tougher because there was a lot of mud left on the track surface after the rain had dried up. I am no longer surprised by the new track record. Over the past two years, it seems like every time the championship reaches a host venue, new lap records are consistently created. This shows the level that the bike has improved within such a short frame of time,” said Zamri.

Championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman posted second fastest with 01:44.328s followed by Katsuaki Fujiwara with the third fastest time of 01:44.651s. Fujiwara is on a make-or-break mission this round as he fights to prevent Azlan from pulling ahead in the title chase. Thai rider Thitipong Warokorn, racing for the first time in Chennai, surprised even himself when he posted fourth fastest with 01:44.675s. Makoto Tamada checked in with the fifth fastest time of 01:45.044s.

For more info and results, please visit www.asiaroadracing.com

A new pitlane, shrubs cleared off, and new tyre walls made up the bulk of the upgrades at the newly-refurbished Madras Motor Race Track. Increased visibility has boosted the riders’ confidence and clearly Malaysia’s Mohd Zamri Baba was the first to benefit from the improved track conditions.

Zamri, who had won the SuperSports 600cc race here in 2010, lists the Madras Motor Race Track as one of his favourites. The 2011 track record of 01:44.100s posted by Decha Kraisart was erased when Zamri clocked a new fast lap of 01:44.025s.

“The track still lacks grip but there certainly has been improvements. The heavy rain over the past two nights made things a lot tougher because there was a lot of mud left on the track surface after the rain had dried up. I am no longer surprised by the new track record. Over the past two years, it seems like every time the championship reaches a host venue, new lap records are consistently created. This shows the level that the bike has improved within such a short frame of time,” said Zamri.

Championship leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman posted second fastest with 01:44.328s followed by Katsuaki Fujiwara with the third fastest time of 01:44.651s. Fujiwara is on a make-or-break mission this round as he fights to prevent Azlan from pulling ahead in the title chase. Thai rider Thitipong Warokorn, racing for the first time in Chennai, surprised even himself when he posted fourth fastest with 01:44.675s. Makoto Tamada checked in with the fifth fastest time of 01:45.044s.

For more info and results, please visit www.asiaroadracing.com