PETALING JAYA: Petronas Hong Leong Yamaha’s Mohd Zamri Baba is ready to get into the thick of things when the Petronas Asia Road Racing Championship heads to the iconic Suzuka International Circuit in Japan for the first time next weekend.
While Honda backed riders and Japanese wildcards may have a favourable advantage having been exposed to the 5.821km circuit through previous championships, Zamri insists the SuperSports 600cc competition is wide open especially with the introduction of Dunlop’s new Unbeaten-03 tyres.
“From a technical perspective, Suzuka is new for all of us. Experience is one thing but most of the teams do not have enough data to prepare the bikes until Friday’s practice session starts,” said Zamri.
“Not just that, we will run the race on new Dunlop tyres and it will take some time getting adjusted to it. With everyone starting from scratch, I feel confident about my chances this weekend.”
And the 30-year-old, who is currently in third in the overall standings with 85 points, plans to take full advantage in mastering the new tyres in a bid to bridge the gap against standings leader Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (120 points), Makoto Tamada and Katsuaki Fujiwara.
Zamri has been consistent in his seventh season competing in the premier class. He has been the top Yamaha rider so far, claiming five podium finishes out of six races.
“Everything has been going well but it could have been better. I’ve one victory in Indonesia but a DNF in Sepang (Race 2) cost me points in the standings,” said Zamri.
“With Azlan leading by 35 points, it’s clear I have a lot of catching up to do. Hopefully with the support of the team, I can continue my podium streak at Suzuka and remain in contention for this year’s SuperSports 600cc crown.”
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