Source: Supplied.

Yuki Takahashi took victory in race one of the SuperSports 600cc to extend his championship lead while title challenger Tomoyoshi Koyama crashed in round five of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on Friday.

The Musashi Boon Siew Honda poleman was seen struggling at the start of the race with eight riders battling for lead but his fortunes changed for the better when Taiga Hada clipped Koyama’s rear, causing both T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS riders to crash at turn one on lap seven.

From there the race was smooth sailing for Takahashi, who thrust his way to the front. He eventually completed the race to take his fourth straight victory for the season.

Jakkrit Swangswat (AP Honda Racing Thailand) moved up to second with 31’33.646s after teammate, Ratthapong Wilairot who was running second crashed with three laps remaining.

Meanwhile Yudhistira who got caught up behind Koyama and Taiga clawed his way up the field from seventh to third, snatching away the final podium from Makoto Inagaki (YELLOWCORN Akeno Speed Racing) and Takahashi’s teammate, Zaqhwan Zaidi who rounded up the top five.

Musashi Boon Siew Honda Racing’s Takahashi wrapped up the penultimate round of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship on a high note as he bagged his fifth consecutive win in race two of the SuperSports 600cc category at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.

The poleman eased to victory after closest challenger, Yudhistira (Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki) lost pace due to worn out tyres and excessive chatter with five laps remaining while title contender Koyama (T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS) struggled with a shoulder injury sustained in yesterday’s race.

Yuki rounded up the gruelling 15-lap battle 9.196 seconds gap ahead of Yudhistira in second place. Koyama who could only put out a strong pace in the first five laps rode through his pain and finished third to keep his championship hopes alive.

With this win, Yuki extended his point tally to 177 points, 44 points ahead of Koyama (T.Pro Yuzy Honda NTS) followed by Yudhistira third with 123 points. Yuki’s victory also meant that Musashi Boon Siew Honda Racing have successfully retain the Best SuperSports 600cc Team Award for a fourth consecutive year with 193 points.

Finson Motorsports Australia Yamaha teammates Aaron Morris and Michael Blair were 15th and 16th, while Callum Spriggs (Yamaha Finson Racing) crossed the line in 20th during race one. In the second race Morris and Blair improved to 14th and 15th, as did Spriggs in 17th.

In the Production 250cc races, Australia’s Brandon Demmery (Yamaha Finson Racing) was 17th in the opening race and then crossed the line in 19th position in the second encounter of the round.

2015 Asia Road Racing Championship
Round five – Losail, Qatar

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