The Heat is On

The Malaysian GP kicks off with the practice sessions at the Sepang International Circuit on Friday as McLaren's Lewis Hamilton tops the timing sheets in both the sessions ending the day with the fastest lap of 1 minute 38.127 seconds in the second practice session, off by just 0.151s slower than his lap time in the first session.

7 time World Formula One Champion, Michael Schumacher emerged second fastest at the end of Practice 2, with a time of 1 minute 38.533 seconds with Jenson Button trailing behind closing the gap of 0.363 seconds from the leader; completing the top three on the time sheets.

Kimi Raikkonen making a come back to the Formula One Championship managed to get a good timing in the first practice session for the day, clocking it in at 1 minute 39.128 seconds, hence was off to a slower close to Practice 2 when he only managed to cling onto 15nth placing coming in slower at 1 minute 39.696 seconds.

The Red Bull Racing-Renault team did not perform well at the end of the day, managing with 7th and 10th placing by Webber and Vettel respectively. Fernando Alonso, of team Ferrari on the other hand, found the edge of a good setting to the car, managed to finish 6th fastest at the end of Practice 2.

Daniel Ricciardo from team STR-Ferrari is looking to repeat his good streak after a good race finishing 9th overall at the recent Australian Grand Prix, by improving his time in Practice 2 at Sepang International Circuit, finishing 5th fastest with a time of 1 minute 38.853 seconds, just 0.681 seconds off from the leader.

Practice 3 will start tomorrow, 24th March 2012 at 1300hrs Malaysian Local Time before the racers go head on for the Qualifying Sessions at 1600hrs Malaysian Local Time.

Can Red Bull Racing turn up the heat for McLaren? Sunday's race is expected to flag-off at 1600hrs Malaysian Local Time. The race will run over a gruelling 56-laps of the 5.543-kilometre Sepang International Circuit with an expected rainy weather conditions of a high 32 degrees Celsius.

For those who are still wanting to get their hands on those tickets to the hottest race happening this weekend, you can head on to the Dengkil R&R E6 highway (southbound) between 0900-1800hrs. For more info, log on to www.malaysiangp.com.my.

Weider HSV-010 Rules Sepang Circuit

Round 3 of the 2011 Autobacs Super GT Series was held at the Sepang International Circuit from 18-19 June 2011. The pilots for Team Weider HSV-010, Takashi Kogure and Loic Duval, drove a superb race from start to the chequered flag.

The team started from pole position after securing it during the GT 500 qualifying session. Takashi Kogure secured the pole position during a blasting pace set in the Super Lap session with a time set at 1 minute 55.984 seconds; 1.227 seconds faster than their lap time in the Qualifying session.

Team Weider HSV-010 completed the Race to 46-laps of the 5.542-kilometre Sepang International Circuit with a total time of 1 hour 33 minutes 34.849 seconds, followed by Team S Road MOLA GT-R, drivers Masataka Yamagida and Ronnie Quintarelli, in second, while Keihin HSV-010's Toshihiro Kaneishi and Koudai Tsukakoshi finishing third, just 14.198 seconds and 32.487 seconds behind, respectively.

In the GT-300 category, drivers Nobuteru Taniguchi and Taku Bamba of Team Hatsunemiku Goodsmile BMW, drove their BMW Z4 GT3 to victory, completing the race in 1 hour 34 minutes 10.601 seconds, with a total of 42-laps round the Sepang track. The team practically lead a great race throughout till the final 3-laps of the race.

The BMW was challenged closely by team JIMGAINER Dixcel Dunlop 458 lead by Tetsuya Tanaka and Katsuyaki Hiranaka, during the closing stages of the race with Tetsuya Tanaka closing up on the Z4. Both teams were bumper-to-bumper, with just 1 last lap to the cheqeured flag.

It was a close battle at the end of the race, with the Ferrari 458GTC settling for second placing, 0.776 seconds behind the Z4. Yutaka Yamagishi and Hideki Yamauchi of Team Pacific NAC Ikamusume Ferrari in their Ferrari F430 managed to finish third, 46.432 seconds away from the leader.

The teams are now headed back to Japan for the next race of the 2011 Autobacs Super GT Series which will be held at Sugo Circuit from 30-31 July 2011.

Auer Scores EutroInternational's 100th Win

Austrian youngster Lucas Auer, scored his 100th win at the Asian Festival of Speed held at the Sepang International Circuit from 28-29 May 2011 in the JK Racing Asia Series Round 5 handing the trophy to EuroInternational owner, Antonio Ferrari.

Auer, in a media interview said that the win is for the team.

Auer's dominance in the Series is proven when he bagged another win in Round 6 in the afternoon's race, extending his lead to 116-points in the championship standings.

The young Austrian has managed to bag five wins out of the six races held at the Sepang International Circuit, stating that he is confident racing in Sepang. He added that this is a result of consistent testing held back here in Sepang and he enjoyed a good line here.

"The weather has been good. With the exeption of the rain during the qualifying session, it's been sunshine all the way", he added.

Irfan Ilyas of team PETRONAS MOFAZ Racing meanwhile, was contended to settle with second placing in both races Round 5 and 6. However, he has stated that he might face a greater hurdle debuting next in Sentul International Circuit as the series heads over to Indonesia.

Irfan during the press conference stated that he has never raced in Indonesia, and he is nervous heading there next. Though, he is confident that after a few rounds of practice there, he will be able to pull-off finishing for podium.

Teammate Nabil Jeffri, coming in third in Round 6, looks forward to a better race next in Sentul International Circuit, as he is still set for the championship this year, with a lot of catch up to do.

The JK Racing Asia Series is currently the only Junior Formula that provides a unique opportunity where the drivers are given a platform to compete in front of the Formula 1 fraternity. On three occasions that the JK Racing Asia Series will support the Formula One Grand Prix, which will be held at Malaysia, Singapore and India.

Malaysian Super Series 2011

Round 2 of the Malaysian Super Series sees the domination of Dilantha Malagamuwa, scoring his double win in both rounds 1 and 2 last weekend. The Sri Langkan driver now faces tougher battle in the remaining rounds as he prepares life without his mean Lamborghini LP560 machine.

Dilantha, in a post race interview, said that his LP560 will be used for the GT Asia Championship, which means, he will only make do with his Porsche 994 to continue in the battle for this years' championship.

"It will be different now that I will not have the Lambo. It's going to be very difficult as the other drivers are clearly much faster this season. It's going to be very tough", the two-time MSS Champion added.

It always has been a close battle between Dilantha and his close friend, three-time MSS champion, Mok Weng Sun of Clear Water Racing Singapore, who managed to score third and second placing for round 2 and tipped to be the strongest driver for the next three rounds in the absence of Dilantha's Lamborghini.

Malaysian Azlan Shah Kamarulzaman was denied the opportunity to deny Australian Glen Allerton from winning the opening round after the second and final race was cut short by rain, giving him only half points for victory.

Azlan, who came in second in the opening race, was only awarded 12.5 points for his win in Race 2 with Allerton getting 10 points and taking the Australian total haul for the round to 35 points against Azlan's 32.5 points.

Azlan said that it was unfortunate that the race had to be cut short due to the rain, as he was already leading the race on Lap 3, going all out for the win after starting from second on the grid.

Allerton, who rides for Team Looi Motor Singapore riding a BMW S1000R said that he was happy with the win and that it was a good decision to stop the race in view of the safety of the riders.

"It was getting slippery and I had to be very cautious in my approach to keep pace with Azlan", Allerton added, in his debut for the Malaysian Super Series.

Malaysia to have Moto2 wildcard rider

Sepang International Circuit is spearheading a second MotoGP Wildcard programme that will see a local rider competing in the new Moto2 class at the upcoming 2010 Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix which will be held at Sepang International Circuit from 8-10 October 2010.

The collaboration between SIC, Two Wheels Motor Racing, PETRONAS and Japanese chassis provider, MORIWAKI, which came to Sepang International Circuit recently for a development test, made the entry possible for ARRC Championship Rider Mohd Zamri Baba as he had a unique experience to test the Moto2 bike earlier today at Sepang International Circuit along with his teammate Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman.

As another landmark move in Malaysian Motorsports history, SIC and its partners - TWMR, PETRONAS, Dunlop, Moto Milia, Motorsports Association of Malaysia, AAM and the Youth and Sports Ministry - brokered the inaugural GP wildcard programme last year which saw Elly Idzlianizar Ilias and Muhammad Zulfahmi Khairuddin granted wildcard entries to compete in the 125cc at the 2009 Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

SIC CEO, Razlan Razali said that the programme for next year's Moto2 GP Wildcard ticket will still continue as this year's entry is an added bonus. In the 2011 plan, SIC had offered to the top three finishers in the 600cc Supersports Championship category of the Malaysian Super Series a seat for a selected group for a final selection for the wildcard ticket in the Moto2.

Commenting after the Moto2 test earlier today, both Zamri and Azlan agreed that the Moto2 bike is ever more challenging than their Yamaha R6 bikes which they usually ride in the ARRC and the Malaysian Super Series Supersports Championship.

Introduced this year in replacement of the World 250cc category, the Moto2 GP championship runs bikes with both engines and chassis provided by a single manufacturer from the Honda Racing Corporation.

For Zamri, it was a lifelong dream that finally came through and a perfect incentive for him after his sensational performance scoring the first victory for Malaysia this season at the just concluded Round 4 of the Asian Road Racing Championship in Madras.

"It will be a fantastic and unprecedented Malaysian MotoGP come October with a local representative in the 125cc by Fahmi and now Zamri Baba in the Moto2. We expect a full support of the Malaysian motorsport fans to make the 20th edition of the Malaysian MotoGP the biggest ever", Razlan Razali added at the press conference held at Sepang earlier today.

Sepang will be hosting Round 15 of the MotoGP Championship from 8-10 October 2010, and are offering tickets from as low as RM30 for fans to enjoy top class entertainment on and off track at the 2010 Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

For the local fans, it would be a rare opportunity to see their own local hero Zulfahmi and now Zamri Baba to test their skills with worlds best at home soil apart from catching the other top Malaysian riders in action at the support races.

Azlan and Kuhara double victory

Defending champion Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman kept his hopes alive in retaining the Malaysian Super Series (MSS) 600cc Supersports crown with a spectacular performance at Round 3 in Sepang yesterday with a double victory for the second successive time this season.

Azlan, who missed the opening round in April earlier this year, took a double victory at Round 2 in July, hauls the gap closer with championship leader Mohd Suhadi Ali Rahmat with just two more rounds to go for this years' season 2010.

Suhadi, on the other hand, had to settle with the double second placing who finished the race behind Azlan. The former 2009 Superstock champion added another 40 points to stay 10 points ahead of Azlan Shah in the championship standings.

Rathapong Walairot, the younger brother of Moto2 rider Rathapak Walairot who upstaged Azlan and Suhadi in the qualifying session on Saturday, topped the Junior Category, though was unable to equal the race pace of the two Malaysian riders.

Azlan who was representing the PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Racing, said that the championship battle was still an open affair to the rest of the riders including Thailand's Suhatchai Chaemsap and his teammate, Zamri Baba, who was missing from the round as well.

In the Superbike Championship, defending champion Yasuhiro Kuhara also managed to score a double win to add another 50-points to his total championship points as he closes in to his third MSS title. The Japanese rider for Team HKL Racing has now 145-championship points and looked strong to seal the crown at the next round during the Round 4 which will be held during the Malaysian GP as support races.

Ahmad Zamani Baharuddin managed to open up a gap of 25-points ahead of Ramon Azrem in the Superstock Championship category after a second placing in Race 1 and a winner in Race 2. Ramon, will have to perform well in the next two rounds to snatch the championship title away from Zamani when he did not finish the race in the second heat, although winning the first race.

The next round will be held as support races to the 2010 Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix from 8-10 October 2010, and the final round in November.

Mizz Nina Performs at 2010 MMER

Motor Racing fans were entertained by Mizz Nina at the Mall Area at Sepang International Circuit during the 2010 Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race. The concert was proudly presented by Digi and Tuners in conjunction with the Tuners Fest 2010 held here.

Aside from having Mizz Nina, there were fun filled games and contests set up for spectators at the Welcome Centre with activities like colouring contests, dance competition and many more for those spectators with accompanying children. The side events held during the 2010 MMER at Sepang International Circuit was a success with many entries from participating schools for the Dance Competition.

A&W was one of the many sponsors for the events held, whilst kids and families entertained with special appearance by the A&W Bear as well as "Upin dan Ipin" mascots special appearances.

An autoshow was also held as among the events lined up for the weekend at Sepang International Circuit, where 60+ cars will be competing in several categories such as Standard Modified, Extreme Modified, Open Modified, VIP Concept, Best Lighting and K-Car.

The race weekend's side track events was a partnership between SIC and an online automotive magazine portal, Pro Tuners.

Tunku Hammam Crowned MMER Champion

Tunku Hammam Tunku Sulong, won his second Merdeka Millenium Endurance Race title as his Arrows Racing Team upstaged the favorites Audi Works Team at Sepang International Circuit last weekend.

The partnership between former European GT3 champion, Christopher Haase and top Dutch driver, Peter Kox, the Arrows Racing Team drove a perfect race to the chequered flag in a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560, although starting from second on the grid, alongside pole sitter, Porsche Club Singapore Racing, led by Mok Weng Sun.

The Audi Race Experience Team Joest, featuring multiple Le Mans winners, Frank Biela and Marco Werner and WTCC driver Daryl O'Young, had to contend themselves with second placing, but vows to return stronger in next year's MMER to complete their mission for the top spot on the podium.

Tunku Hammam, in an interview during the post race conference, stated that the win this year is certainly much competitive as compared to the last one. He was delighted to win the title again, which he won his first title in the 2002 MMER, partnering Tommy Lee and Briton, Nigel Albon for Naza-Jaseri Racing Team.

"It would definitely be much harder if Mok was still in the race. They definitely had the faster car. But, this race is not about out and out speed. It's an endurance race!, he added.

It was heartbreaking for the partnership between Mok Weng Sun, Craig G. Baird and Richard Lietz, in their Porsche RSR, when it had mechanical problems, just after completing 119 laps round the 5.543-kilometre track of the Sepang International Circuit.

The Porsche Club Singapore Racing team started the race from pole position and was already breaking away from their rivals before their car came to a halt due to mechanical problems. The Kencana Racing Team, which also had a promising run, was also forced out by a similar problem with their Porsche machine.

The race was flagged off by Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek at the strike of midnight, joined by Miss Malaysia World Thanuja Ananthan and top singer Faradina Mohd Nadzir.

This year's MMER was filled with drama and suspense, as jinxed Empire Motorsports continued for a third year after their Lotus 2-11 bursts into flames during refueling, bringing their challenge to an abrupt, just after completing 56-laps. The team had faced a similar situation in last year's race, when electrical problems ignited their engine, and in the previous year, 2008, a broken wheel nut in the final hour brought their challenge to an end.

Defending champions, Team PETRONAS Syntium, which had Tatsuya Kataoka, Fariqe Hairuman and Melvin Moh, failed to finish the race, when their BMW Z4M Coupe encountered a mechanical failure just 80-minutes away from the chequered flag.

The Honda Malaysia Racing Team won the Touring Production Class Race, whilst Team Tracy Sports, featuring Masatama Kawaguchi, Masayuki Ueda and Adam Han in their Honda S2000, won the Sports Production Class Category.

Tunku Hammam added at the end of the post race press conference that he hoped to return in next year's MMER, but still unsure, whether it would be the same partnership.

"Hopefully, with these guys again and hopefully, we will get a better car or we can use the same car to race next year.", he added.

Porsche Club Singapore Takes Third Successive Pole in MMER

Porsche Club Singapore Racing will start tomorrow's 2010 12-hour Merdeka Millenium Endurance Race at Sepang International Circuit for the third consecutive year.

Lead by two-time Malaysian Super Series Supercar champion, Mok Weng Sun, the team clocked a total time of 6 minutes 17.346 seconds around the 5.543-kilometre Sepang International Track, while Arrows Racing Team, starts second on the front row of the grid.

The Porsche Club Singapore Racing failed in their bid to retain the overall title last year despite starting from pole position, after winning the MMER in 2008. The team eventually finished third after they have encountered mechanical problems in the first hour of the race, having spent 35 minutes in the pits repairing the damage.

"I started from pole position in 2008 and won the race so I am really hoping to repeat that performance at the race tomorrow", Mok Weng Sun, during the post qualifying press conference at the circuit.

He added that were not able to retain the title in 2009 despite starting from pole position. He hoped that he will be at the drivers press conference tomorrow after the race.

MOFAZ Racing, which features the Fauzy brothers, Fairuz and Farriz; and Rizal Ashram Ramli were the fastest in the Sports Production Class, clocking the total time of 7 minutes 8.563 seconds, 14th overall in the qualifying time sheets.

The Honda Malaysia Racing Team will start tonights midnight flag off from 17th on the grid, as they were the fastest in the Touring Production class with a total time of 7 minutes 16.757 seconds.

Thanuja Anandthan, Miss Malaysia Miss World 2009/2010, will flag the race off at midnight tonight, with 36 cars on the starting grid.

Key to winning an Endurance Race

Participants of the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race are busy setting and testing their cars as the 12-hour endurance race draws near. The teams main concern is their car's reliability to endure the 12-hour duration of the race, which can be affected by many different factors.

Race driver, Fairuz Fauzy from Mofaz Racing Team, said that the team's main source of worry right now is the durability of the Pirelli Tyres, unlike previous seasons, tyre makes were not standardised.

Fairuz, who will be partnering with his brother Farriz Fauzy and former German F3 driver Rizal Ashram Ramli, said that the change of tyres basically means that all the teams taking part in the 2010 MMER will have to start from ground zero.

"We all have to calibrate the cars according to the tyres. So far, quite a few teams have been struggling with the tyres as they tend to wear out after only eight or nine rounds. Imagine how it will be in a 12-hour race. It is a really big challenge for us and the other teams in getting the best out of the tyres and trying to ensure that they last longer.", he added.

This year's MMER will see participation from experienced endurance racers likes of Frank Biela, Marco Werner, Peter Kox, Christopher Haase, Daryl O'Young, Matthew Marsh, Tatsuya Kataoka, Nobuteru Taniguchi and Masataka Managida.

Aside from Fairuz, who is currently the test driver for Lotus F1 Racing team, this year's MMER witnesses the participation of many other top names in the world of motor racing, including winners of the prestigious 24-hour LeMans Race.

Honda Racing's Biggest Challenge

Former A1GP Team Malaysia Driver, Aaron Lim and his Honda Malaysia Racing Team (HMRT) expressed that the team's biggest challenge quest for the race title this year's Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race (MMER) is the extended nocturnal driving hours.

This year's 11th edition of the 12-hour endurance race held at the Sepang International Circuit will have the drivers race seven hours in darkness of night of the 5.543-kilometre track and just five hours of daylight.

Aaron said that the night driving demands extra attention and focus from the drivers, thus putting more stress and pressure on them.

"Rain may also be an additional challenge for us, and it is unpredictable", he added, in clear reference to the heavy three-hour early morning downpour in 2006. The downpour may have been the reason behind the organisers decision to switch the event from its midnight start to an 1100hrs start from the following year.

The HMRT will be backed and fully supported by a full-fledged local crew of 22 personnel from its Honda Malaysia plant in Melaka and its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. The team will be competing in the Touring Production Class, which will feature a host of Honda Civic FD2s, Honda Integra DC5s and the two-litre Toyota Altezza.

Aaron added that the other challenge for this year's 11th edition 2010 MMER would be the restrictions to one tyre maker, Pirelli, for all the competitors.

HMRT team leader, Loh Chin Wooi said that the team's preparation, which includes the training of 11 new members, have been progressing smoothly. He added that the new members will need to learn new ropes when they were selected to join the HMRT, to acquire new skills, beyond their usual day job.

"Of course, we are fully confident that the senior members in the team will be able to share and impart their knowledge onto the new members", adding that he is confident that his three drivers will be taking the team to the top of the podium.

The 11th edition of the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race will be flagged off at midnight on 8 August 2010 and the chequered flag will be out 12-hours later at noon on the same day.

Audi Works Team debut at 2010 MMER

The 2010 Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race (MMER) gets more interesting when Audi Race Experience Team Joest driven by two former LeMans winning drivers confirms their entry this year. It is no surprise that they are the crowd's favorite for this year's MMER.

Dato' Mokhzani Mahathir, owner of the Kencana Racing Team and 2007 overall champion is delighted with the high-profile team's entry in the MMER.

"I think this is the first time that a factory works team is taking part in the MMER. This is something that we should be proud of as we can learn from how an established team presents itself for the race.", he added.

The Audi Race Experience Team Joest will be anchored by the driving brilliance and experience of former winners of the Le Mans Endurance Race, Frank Biela and Marco Werner. Their participation gets mote powerful and complete, with Daryl O' Young, former Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion gets behind the wheel.

This years' participation turns into a world class event, seeing other top racing names including Peter Kox, Christopher Haase, Richard Lietz, Craig Baird, Matthew Marsh, Dominic Farnbacher, Tatsuya Kataoka, Nobuteru Taniguchi and Masataka Yanagida.

The list of entrants extends with participation of Malaysian drivers in this year's 2010 MMER, with former Formula One driver, Alex Yoong, the current Lotus F1 Racing test driver Fairuz Fauzy, Meritus team owner Firhat Mokhzani, GT3 Asia driver Tunku Hammam Sulong, Eddie Lew, Wong Yew Choong, Keifli Othman and former equestrian champion, Ashraff Dewal.

In last year's race, the PETRONAS Syntium Racing Team scored a sensational 1-2 finish with the triumvirate of Tatsuya Kataoka, Manubu Orido and Malaysian youngster Johan Adzmi in a BMW Z4M Coupe.

Dato' Mokhzani added that the traditional midnight start of the race is great, as it gives the drivers at least seven hours of cool driving, so it's less physically taxing.

Reigning Champion Dominates the Race Weekend

Yasuhiro Kuhara of Team HKL Racing, two-time defending champion, was in a class of his own, when he won both races comfortably in the Superbikes Category. This is his second double victory as he had two wins in Round 1.

Meanwhile, in the Supersports Championship category, the PETRONAS Yamaha Racing Team came in full force for Round 4 as they put their top three ARRC riders, Azlan, Mohd Zamri Baba and Ahmad Fuad Baharuddin to join youngster Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah, to put an end to the domination of the Idemitsu Honda Racing Team in Round 1.

Azlan and Zamri both, won both races one and two, giving the team a sensational 1-2 in both races.

The competition is ever more heated up, when Sepang International Circuit, offered a golden opportunity for the top three finishers in the Supersports Championship to be part of the selection for the 2011 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix Moto2 wildcard riders.

Azlan is happy with the win in both races, and expressed that it was a great team effort that paid off for the win. He added that he hoped to retain his title for this season's Malaysian Super Series.

Zamri, added that the team aims to maintaining their win in the next three races, and confident that they will have the opportunity to do well in the overall championship, even though, they have lost 50 points in Round 1.

It was also a big day for the newly-established Kajang Racing Team as their rider, Mohd Syahnas Shahidan, brough his MV Agusta machine to a double podium finish, taking second and third placing in race 1 and race 2 respectively in the Superbikes Category.

The former ARRC rider with PETRONAS Yamaha Racing Team, Syahnas, said that the team did not do too well during the opening round.

"But we took a double podium today, and that is a fantastic result indeed. We hope to do even better in the next round", he added.

It can't get any hotter in Sepang

Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, 2008 Supersports Category Champion, of the PETRONAS Yamaha team tops the qualifying sheets in the Supersports Championship at the round 2 of the Malaysian Super Series at Sepang International Circuit today by clocking 2 minutes 14.629 seconds round the 5.543-kilometre track.

Azlan made himself clear that his advantage was his experience and knowledge of the track that paid off with not only qualifying first on the grid, but it was his best personal lap round the track.

"I, myself, was suprised. I am happy with the performance of the bike and the hot and dry weather really suited us well.", he added.

His rivalry teammate, Zamri Baba, clocked 2 minutes 15.003 seconds, and they would be sharing the front row of the starting grid tomorrow with Walairot Rathapong and Suhatchai Cheamsap, who both clocked 2 minutes 15.247 seconds and 2 minutes 16.311 seconds respectively.

Suhadi Ali Rahmat, only managed to clock fifth fastest, to start on the second row of the grid tomorrow.

The defending champion in the Superbikes Category, Japanese, Yasuhiro Kuhara, of Team HKL Racing, proved yet again in the qualifying session today that he is the best rider to beat with a fastest lap of 2 minutes 14.174 seconds.

Kuhara will start the Superbikes Category of the Malaysian Super Series tomorrow from the front row of the grid with Abdul Rahim Sidek, Mohd Syahnas and Ahmad Azhar completing the top four qualifiers.

The round 4 of the Malaysian Super Series will start at 0900hrs to be held at the Sepang International Circuit. Apart from the bikes competition, fans would also get the opportunity to catch actions in the ATCS, Macau N2000 Series, Macau Roadsports Challenge and the PETRONAS Formula Xperience races tomorrow.

Suhadi aims for Moto2 wildcard

Mohamad Suhadi Ali Rahmat, the 2009 Malaysian Super Series Superstock Champion is all out for this year's championship to grab the Moto2 wildcard ticket for the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix offered by the Sepang International Circuit.

Suhadi, was delighted with his team who as well, are making this a priority. With Idemitsu Honda Racing team's support, he looks all set for the win this weekend after winning the first round.

Mohamad Suhadi started biking in his teenage days in Motocross, winning the national championship at the age of 16. He successfully delivered the 125cc Wildcard programme in last year's race, helping out Mohd Zulfahmi Khairuddin realising his dream to compete in the World 125cc MotoGP championship this season.

Efforts are being made by Sepang International Circuit working closely with Dorna to carry the similar Wildcard Programme for the 2011 Moto2 Championship. Candidates for the Malaysian Moto2 Wildcard Programme would be selected from the Malaysian Super Series' Supersports Championship with the top three riders to be put in a comprehensive selection programme.

Suhadi added that the championship this year is very competitive, with the Thai riders, riding pretty fast as well.

"Its good that there are now opportunities for local riders to move forward and test their skills in the international arena. I congratulate SIC for offering this opportunity to dream of competing in Moto2.", he added.

Apart from the second round of the biking competitions, this weekend's race event will also feature the ATCS, Malaysian Touring Car Challenge, Macau N2000, Macau Roadsports Challenge and the single seater PETRONAS Formula Xperience.