KUALA LUMPUR: National riders Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and Akid Aziz did the nation proud by emerging as overall winners in their respective categories in the Asia Road Racing Championships (ARRC) at the Buriram Circuit in Thailand today.
Azlan finished third in the SuperSports 600cc race behind winner Apiwat Wongthananon, while Anthony West took second. Azlan won his second SuperSports title with 155 points, two more than second-place Zaqhwan Zaidi, who finished the race at seventh.
Azlan, whose last championship win came in 2013 prior to his move to the Moto2 World Championships, said he was cautious throughout the race.
"Our team worked hard throughout the night to prepare the bike as it had not worked that well in the first race," said the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki Racing rider.
"I knew I had to finish as high as possible to keep my chances alive.
"I was also careful not to push the tires too hard. I am happy our strategy worked out as planned."
Meanwhile, Akid became the first Malaysian to win the Underbone 150cc class since Affendi Rosli in 2009.
Akid (UMA Racing Yamaha Maju Motor) finished seventh in the race today, bringing his total points to 177. Wahyu Aji Trilaksana came in second in the overall standings 12 points adrift while Akid's teammate Haziq Md Fairus was third on 141 points.
This is Akid's second title this year after the CP115 category of the PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship.
Translated from Berita Harian