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Motorsports: Jazeman to make MME debut
By : Arnaz M. Khairul
Jazeman Firhan Jaafar
HE has achieved a number of milestones in single-seater racing in his impressive season to date in Formula BMW Asia, and yesterday Jazeman Firhan Jaafar confirmed what could be another piece of history in the making.
The 14-year-old yesterday accepted a last-minute inclusion as part of defending champions R3 Motorsports |
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Motorsports: KL Tower team well-prepared
MEMORIES of gearbox failure while in second spot four minutes from the end of last year抯 Petronas Syntium Merdeka Millenium Endurance race (MME) broke their hearts but the KL Tower Racing Team are back. Aiming for a finish in Class B (production cars between 1,601cc and 1,800cc) won抰 be enough for the team in the 12-hour race at the Sepang Circuit tomorrow.
Drivers Admi Shahrul Ahmad Saffian, Khaidi Kamaruddin and Azwan Ahmad will be aiming to top the class on board their Proton Satria GTi.
"Last year was frustrating. We were in second spot all the way, but four minutes from the end, the gearbox broke. This time, we抮e well prepared but you can never tell in an endurance event," said Admi.
Admi, 37, is the most experienced among the trio, having won the overall title with TVR Racing in 2002 and also competed for Lotus in the 2003 and 2004 editions of the race.
The team is managed by Admi抯 wife Natasha Idha Dahlan and is backed by Lanson Enterprise Sdn Berhad and Motul, which is their official lubricant supplier. |
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Stoner on track for title
MISANO: Australia's Casey Stoner (pic) can all but wrap up the world title with victory in the new San Marino MotoGP on Sunday.
The Ducati rider has a 60-point lead over second-placed Valentino Rossi with six races left.
The only rider to have missed out on a world title with such a lead was Mick Doohan, who led by 65 points with five races left in 1992 before injury struck.
However, Stoner is among a number of riders to have criticised this weekend's track at Misano as too bumpy.
The track, which last hosted premier class racing in 1993, is actually near Rimini in Italy and not in San Marino but the name is used to distinguish the new race from the Italian MotoGP.
Formula One used to have an Italian and San Marino Grands Prix but the San Marino race at Imola has been ditched this year. In contrast, MotoGP has added a second Italian race this season to reap the benefits of a Rossi-obsessed nation.
Rossi has won the last six Italian MotoGPs in a row at Mugello but the San Marino race is more of homecoming as Misano is close to the town of Tavullia where he grew up.
揑 want to win to give some joy to my fans, |
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Fuad and Decha team up to prevent a Japanese sweep
SEPANG: Malaysia抯 Ahmad Fuad Baharudin and Thailand抯 Decha Kraisart will team up with a strategy to prevent a Japanese domination of the SuperSport 600cc races in the fourth round of the Petronas Sprinta FIM Asian Grand Prix, which begin at the Sepang circuit (north tack) today.
The unprecedented move by the two ace riders of the Petronas Sprinta Yamaha outfits of the two countries came about after Toshiyuki Hamaguchi brought in long-time partner Makoto Inagaki into the championships to help him in his quest to become the champion for the sixth consecutive time.
The duo have now struck a deal to work together in the remaining rounds of the championships.
揑n the opening two rounds, Decha and I were still able to take on Hamaguchi one-on-one, |
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Pua sedang mengganas  |
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MotoGP: Stoner sambar petak depan
MISANO ADRIATICO, Itali |
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Malaysia抯 Ahmad Fuad happy despite being only fourth fastest
SEPANG: Malaysia抯 Ahmad Fuad Baharudin (pic) is confident of a podium finish in the fourth round of the Petronas Sprinta FIM Asian Grand Prix despite being only fourth fastest in the SuperSports 600cc qualifying session at the Sepang International Circuit here yesterday.
The Petronas Sprinta Yamaha Malaysia rider clocked 1:07.561. He was happy with his performance since it allowed him to start in the front row for today抯 race.
Japan抯 Makoto Inagaki of Babie抯 Sports Racing set the fastest time in qualifying after clocking 1:06.825 while Thai rider Decha Kraisart of Petronas Sprinta Yamaha Thailand was second fastest with a time of 1:07.138.
Defending champion Japan抯 Toshiyuki Hamaguchi of Babie抯 Sports Racing clocked 1:07.207 for the third fastest time.
However, Ahmad Fuad had to resort to a change in engine settings to prevent being left far behind the front-runners.
揥e changed the engine settings and my lap time was slightly faster compared to Friday抯 session, |
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Qatar MotoGP race to be held at night next year
MISANO: Next year's Qatar Grand Prix will be the first MotoGP race to be held at night, officials said on Friday.
Organisers believe the season opening race on March 9 will be the biggest lighting project in the world for any sporting event.
揟his is obviously a major project for Qatar and we are proud to be able to say we will hold the first Grand Prix event under lights, |
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Rival Rossi settles for second place on the grid
MISANO: MotoGP championship leader Casey Stoner bagged his fourth pole position in a row in yesterday's qualifying session for the San Marino Grand Prix.
The Ducati rider recorded a time of 1:33.918, with Italian Valentino Rossi second in 1:34.094.
揑 wasn't so happy with the lap and didn't expect to be in pole position but there we go, |
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Stoner menang lagik.....
menang world championship |
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 toner tightens grip on World Championship
With eighth win
The Misano MotoGP visit ended with Ducati Marlboro's Casey Stoner extending his World Championship advantage to 85 points with a plus four second victory at the Gran Premio Cinzano diSan Marino e della Riviera di Rimini.
The return of racing to Italy's Adriatic coast saw the unstoppable Aussie secure maximum points for the eighth time this year,controlling the race from pole, while his closest title rival Valentino Rossi disappointingly retired early on with engine problems after starting second on the grid.
It was also another fantastic day for the ever improving RizlaSuzuki team as they filled the other two podium spots |
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Hamaguchi still leads despite crash at Sepang
SEPANG: Heavy downpour before the race affected SuperSports 600cc championship leader Toshiyuki Hamaguchi's performance as he crashed out of Race 1 and only finished fourth in second race in Round 4 of the Petronas Sprinta FIM Asian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit here yesterday.
But the Babie's Sports Racing rider, who is also the defending champion, still remained on top of the standings.
Hamaguchi's team-mate Makoto Inagaki won Race 1 in 34:29.651 ahead of Thai riders Suhathai Chamsub (34:31.542) and Chaelermpol Polamai (34:44.953). Hamaguchi crashed out at Turn One in the third lap.
 | Under attack: Thailand's Decha Kraisart leads the pack during Race 2 of the SuperSports 600cc championship in Sepang yesterday.
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Thailand's Decha Kraisart of Petronas Sprinta Thailand, one of Hamaguchi's closest rivals in the championships, won Race 2 in 29:09.617. Inagaki came in second in 29:10.568 while Petronas Sprinta Malaysia's Ahmad Fuad Baharuddin was in 29:10.599.
Hamaguchi played it safe in Race 2 and posted a time of 29:19.345 for fourth place, taking his tally in the standings to 153 points. Kraisart is in second place on 123 followed by Ahmad Fuad (120).
The 28-year-old Ahmad Fuad still believes that he has a chance to win the title.
揂lthough I did not get on the podium in both races, I am pleased with my results, |
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Stoner wins it
MISANO: Australian rider Casey Stoner (pic) took another stride towards his first world championship title by outclassing the field to claim his third consecutive Moto GP victory here yesterday.
The Ducati rider started from pole position and as early as the first lap left most of his rivals in his wake before coming over the finish line nearly five seconds ahead of fellow Australian Chris Vermeulen, on a Suzuki.
American John Hopkins, also on a Suzuki, finished third in what was the 13th leg of the 18-race GP series of the motorcycling world championship.
Stoner's third win in a row, following victories in the USA and Czech Republic, and eighth of the season means he has now stretched his lead to a massive 85 points over Italian rival Valentino Rossi, in second place.
Rossi, whose championship winning ambitions are disappearing with every race, had another day to forget |
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A1 team aim for a more consistent show
By S. SIVABALAN
PETALING JAYA: A1 Team Malaysia are hoping to improve on last season抯 performances when the new season of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsports kicks off at the end of the month.
The 11-round season will start at Circuit Park, Zandvoort in Holland on Sept 30.
Drivers Alex Yoong and Aaron Lim who helped Malaysia finish sixth overall last season will once again represent the team.
Last season, Germany emerged as champions with 128 points followed by second placed New Zealand on 93 points and third-placed England on 92 points. Malaysia finished sixth with 55 points.
[table=314][tr][td] [/td][/tr][tr][td]Pumped up: A1 Team Malaysia driver Alex Yoong (left) and Aaron Lim strike a pose during the press conference at the Carcosa Sri Negara Wednesday. |
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Motor Racing: A1 Team eye top three finish
By : Arnaz M. Khairul
AFTER two significantly impressive seasons, A1 Team Malaysia have set their sights on a modest top three finish this time around although in the back of their minds they want to be fighting for the title.
The new season flags off in Zandvoort, the Netherlands on Sept 30 and without Fairuz Fauzy as an option this time around.
The team will again be banking mostly on the seasoned Alex Yoong to deliver.
Aaron Lim isn抰 seen as quick enough yet and will again be under a back-up programme with an eye of providing the 20-year-old several slots in one of the 11 race weekends this season.
Having returned from testing at the Silverstone Circuit last weekend, the team will go through their final pre-season test on Sept 18-19 at the same track.
This time using the new regulatory biofuel which will be compulsory in line with a new environmental policy introduced this season.
But while the question on everybody抯 lips is whether Aaron would be pushed into the deep this season, taking on race duties which he didn抰 get to do last season, the team抯 targets mean it would be risky as well as too early.
"Hopefully, Aaron will be ready this season. But in order to be ready, he needs to do more races in Europe.
"Once he抯 done that, he will raise his confidence and that will make a difference," said Alex, at the team抯 season launch in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Aaron did jump right into a Formula V6 Asia car and cruise straight to victory in his first race of the year last month, but the lack of funding has resulted in his race time being limited, something that will continue to hamper his chances of even sneaking into a race in A1.
"Aaron抯 raced go-karts in Europe and he knows how competitive it is there.
"Now he really needs to do a lot of car racing in Europe in order to be ready," added Alex.
Aaron isn抰 too hurried in his own approach, his mind firmly set on the next round of the Formula V6 Asia at the Chengdu Circuit in China next weekend.
He will be content with learning the ropes in A1 in the Friday rookie sessions before jumping into a race seat.
"I think if I were to be given a shot at a race, the team would first look at how I perform in the rookie sessions of Friday.
"Right now, my focus should be to do well in those sessions and show the team I抦 improving," said Aaron. |
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Azizi zooms past Haniff in Round 3
PETALING JAYA: Azizi Anuar of Team Samudera won Round 3 of the NFC Speedway Championship for the Under-25 category at the Speedway Circuit in the Bukit Jalil Sports Complex on Saturday.
Azizi beat Round 1 and 2 winners |
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Motor Racing: Jazeman hopes to go back to the top
PETALING JAYA: Teenage racing sensation Jazeman Jaafar (pic) is determined to climb back to the top of the points standings in the fourth leg of the Formula BMW Asia Series at the brand new Chengdu Goldenport Circuit in China this weekend.
Jazeman lost the lead in the overall standings after a controversial disqualification robbed him of a brilliant win in the last leg in Sentul, Jakarta, in July.
Jazeman made a brilliant start in the season opener at Sepang by winning his inaugural race to become the youngest-ever winner of a Formula BMW race. He went on to take the lead in the series all the way through 11 of the 12 races.
However, an engine-performance discrepancy found in both his and team-mate James Grunwell抯 CIMB Team Meritus Racing cars resulted in them being stripped of their 1-2 finish in Race 12. Jazeman currently trails by one point behind his Thai-based team-mate Grunwell, who leads the overall standings on 400 points.
揑t was frustrating to have the Race 12 win taken away from me in Sentul. We struggled through Saturday with poor luck and the team and I put in a lot of effort to get back into winning form on Sunday. To be disqualified was a big blow as I think James and I drove well in the races, |
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MotoGP crown beckons for Australian
LONDON: Even if Australian Casey Stoner does not take his first MotoGP title in Portugal this weekend, Italian rival Valentino Rossi has already conceded defeat.
揟o be honest the championship is almost out of reach for us, especially when Stoner is so strong, |
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Stoner hampiri kejuaraan MotoGP
ESTORIL, Portugal |
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Post time 24-8-2007 10:55 PM
Post time 31-8-2007 11:15 AM
