Asia Road Racing Championship

FIM Asia Road Racing Championship
FIM ARRC Official Logo
Category Motorcycle sport
Region Asia
Inaugural season 1996
Classes
  • SuperSports 600cc
  • Asia Production 250cc
  • Underbone 150cc
  • Suzuki Asian Challenge
Official website www.asiaroadracing.com
SuperSports 600cc
Constructors Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha
Tyre suppliers Dunlop
Riders' champion 2017 Malaysia Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman
Teams' champion Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing
Constructors' champion Kawasaki
Asia Production 250cc
Constructors Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha
Tyre suppliers Dunlop
Riders' champion 2017 Indonesia Gerry Salim
Teams' champion Astra Honda Racing Team
Constructors' champion Honda
Underbone 150cc
Constructors Honda, Yamaha
Tyre suppliers Dunlop
Riders' champion 2017 Malaysia Md Akid Aziz
Teams' champion UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor
Constructors' champion Yamaha
Suzuki Asian Challenge
Constructors Suzuki
Tyre suppliers Dunlop
Riders' champion 2017 Thailand Punchana Kulrojchalalai
Constructors' champion Suzuki

The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is the regional motorcycle road racing championship for Asia, held since 1996.

This championship is part of the production-based category of racing, similar to the Supersport World Championship, British Supersport Championship and AMA Supersport Championship. Modified versions of road-going motorcycles available to the public are featured in the race.

The championship is currently divided into three open-make classes and one mono-brand developmental classes. The open-make categories are the SuperSports 600cc, Asia Production 250cc and Underbone 150cc. The developmental class, the Suzuki Asian Challenge, race on single-make motorcycles.

Overview

The Asia Road Racing Championship was first organized in 1996 as part of an Asian-wide initiative boost the development of the sport of motorcycle racing in the continent. The championship received the endorsement of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM, "International Motorcycling Federation") in 1997 and has been recognized since as the Asian continental championship for the FIM.[1]

The commercial rights are owned by Two Wheels Motor Racing, with FIM Asia as the sports sanctioning body.

Each season consists of six rounds with two races organized per round.[2]

Circuits

The championship tours in Asia but is open to riders from all nationalities.

The Asia Road Racing 2017 season consisted of 12 races at 5 circuits in 5 Asian countries.

Other venues that had previously hosted the Asia Road Racing Championship included:

2017 race classes and motorcycles

Race class Honda Kawasaki Suzuki Yamaha
SuperSports 600cc CBR600RR ZX-6R 600 GSX-R600 YZF-R6
Asia Production 250cc CBR250RR Ninja 250R YZF-R25
Underbone 150cc Model numbers differ in different market regions
Suzuki Asian Challenge GSX-R150/Satria F150

Chronology: winners and race classes

1996–1999

The road racing series began on 2-stroke engines.

Year Series Production 250cc (2-stroke) Sports Production 150cc (2-stroke) Underbone 125cc (2-stroke) Underbone 110cc (2-stroke)
1996 Malaysia Shahrol Yuzy Ahmad Zaini Thailand Direk Achawong Thailand Somkuan Raemee
1997 Malaysia Chow Yan Kit Thailand Direk Achawong Thailand Niphon Saengsawang Thailand Eakrach Punbuppha
1998 Japan Youichi Nakajima Thailand Direk Achawong Thailand Eakrach Punbuppha Thailand Amporn Siriphat
1999 Japan Naoto Ogura Thailand Direk Achawong Thailand Eakrach Punbuppha Thailand Surapong Boonlert

2000

The gradual shift to 4-stroke engines began in 2000 when the SuperSports 600cc class replaced the previous 250cc bikes as the premier class of the championship.[4]

Year SuperSports 600cc (4-stroke) GP125 (2-stroke) Underbone 125cc (2-stroke) Underbone 110cc (2-stroke)
2000 Malaysia Chia Tuck Cheong Thailand Suhathai Chaemsap Thailand Surapong Boonlert Thailand Thammanoon Sillapakul

2001–2002

Year SuperSports 600cc (4-stroke) GP125 (2-stroke) Underbone 125cc (2-stroke)
2001 Malaysia Chia Tuck Cheong Thailand Direk Achawong Malaysia Mazlan Khamis
2002 Japan Toshiyuki Hamaguchi Thailand Suhathai Chaemsap Malaysia Mohamad Hisham Ngadin

2003

Year SuperSports 600cc (4-stroke) Underbone 125cc (2-stroke)
2003 Japan Toshiyuki Hamaguchi Malaysia Mohamad Hisham Ngadin

2004–2005

Year SuperSports 600cc (4-stroke) Underbone 125cc (2-stroke) Underbone 115cc (4-stroke)
2004 Japan Toshiyuki Hamaguchi Malaysia Ahmad Fazli Sham Indonesia M. Fadli Immammuddin
2005 Japan Toshiyuki Hamaguchi Malaysia Ahmad Fazli Sham Indonesia Doni Tata Pradita

2006

Year SuperSports 600cc (4-stroke) Underbone 115cc (4-stroke) Underbone 115cc (Under 21)
2006 Japan Toshiyuki Hamaguchi Indonesia Gilang Pranata Sukma Indonesia Feizy Juniardith

2007–2011

Year SuperSports 600cc (4-stroke) Underbone 115cc (4-stroke)
2007 Thailand Decha Kraisart Indonesia Wahyu Widodo
2008 Japan Toshiyuki Hamaguchi Indonesia Owie Nurhuda
2009 Thailand Chalermpol Polamai Malaysia Mohd Affendi Rosli
2010 Thailand Decha Kraisart Indonesia Hadi Wijaya
2011 Japan Katsuaki Fujiwara Indonesia Rafid Topan Sucipto

2012–2014

Year SuperSports 600cc (4-stroke) Underbone 115cc (4-stroke) Asia Dream Cup
2012 Japan Ryuichi Kiyonari Indonesia Hadi Wijaya Japan Hikari Okubo
2013 Malaysia Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman Indonesia Hadi Wijaya Japan Hiroki Ono
2014 Malaysia Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi Indonesia Gupita Kresna Wardhana Malaysia Khairul Idham Pawi

2015–2016

Year SuperSports 600cc (4-stroke) Asia Production 250cc (4-stroke) Underbone 130cc (4-stroke) Asia Dream Cup Suzuki Asian Challenge
2015 Japan Yuki Takahashi Japan Takehiro Yamamoto Indonesia Gupita Kresna Wardhana Thailand Mukhlada Sarapuech Indonesia Andreas Gunawan (Indonesia)
2016 Malaysia Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi Thailand Apiwat Wongthananon Indonesia Wahyu Aji Trilaksana Japan Hiroki Nakamura Indonesia Jefri Tosema

2017

Year SuperSports 600cc (4-stroke) Asia Production 250cc (4-stroke) Underbone 150cc (4-stroke) Suzuki Asian Challenge
2017 Malaysia Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman Indonesia Gerry Salim Malaysia Md Akid Aziz Thailand Punchana Kulrojchalalai

Notable achievements

The Asia Road Racing Championship is a mix of well-known riders racing against upcoming talents from the Asian region. Some of the big names that have contributed to the growth of the sport of road racing in Asia include Katsuaki Fujiwara, Ryuichi Kiyonari,[5] Yuki Takahashi and Noriyuki Haga.[6] In 2016, Anthony West was the latest addition in the roster of internationally recognized names.[7]

This formula of pitting upcoming talents against seasoned campaigners have resulted in a number of successes. In recent years, riders from the Asian region are beginning to make their breakthrough into the MotoGP arena. These include:

  • Shahrol Yuzy Ahmad Zaini (250cc, 1996 to 2002)
  • Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (Moto2, 2013 to 2015)[8]
  • Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah (Moto2, 2011 to 2017; MotoGP, 2018 to present)
  • Thitipong Warokorn (Moto2, 2013 to 2015)
  • Rafid Topan Sucipto (Moto2, 2013)
  • Doni Tata Pradita (Moto2, 2013)
  • Khairul Idham Pawi (Moto3, 2016; Moto2, 2017 to present)[9]
  • Hiroki Ono (Moto3, 2013 to 2016)

On July 4 to 11, 2016, five young riders from the Asia Production 250cc class became the first batch of riders to be trained at the VR46 Academy in Italy as part of the Yamaha|VR46 Master Camp. They were Peerapong Loiboonpeng (21, Thailand), Imanuel Putra Pratna (19, Indonesia), Galang Hendra Pratama (17, Indonesia), Soichiro Minamimoto (16, Japan) and Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin (16, Malaysia).[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "Road Racing - FIM ASIA". Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  2. ↑ Asia Road Racing Championship 2016 (ARRC)
  3. ↑ "The Marlboro Asia Pacific Philippines leg at Subic Bay - by Paul Peczon". www.dot.com.ph. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  4. ↑ "New Categories For FIM Asia Road Racing". Utusan Online. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  5. ↑ Ltd., Crash Media Group. "Kiyonari to compete in Asia Road Racing Championship | BSB News". Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  6. ↑ Ltd., Crash Media Group. "Haga signs with Suzuki for Asia Road Race Championship | WSBK News". Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  7. ↑ "Motorcycling Australia: News Single". www.ma.org.au. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  8. ↑ "Kamaruzaman To Join Honda Team Asia For Remainder Of FIM Moto2 World Championship". www.roadracingworld.com. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  9. ↑ "Honda Worldwide | Motor Sports | MotoGP | Honda Riders Close Up | Moto3 Khairul Idham Pawi Honda Team Asia". world.honda.com. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  10. ↑ Ltd., Crash Media Group. "Rossi takes Master Camp riders to Misano | MotoGP News". Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  11. ↑ Sports, Dorna. "Five rising stars head to VR46 Master Camp". www.motogp.com. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
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