Race fans are in for a real treat this weekend as the Malaysia Speed Festival hosts Round 3 of the MSF Superturismo and also Round 2 of the MSF Superbikes at the North Track of the Petronas Sepang International Circuit this Sunday (21 July 2024).
Superbikes will dominate the first half of the day with six individual classes of racing, followed by more than 200 drivers competing in 10 individual classes of racing in the afternoon session.
“It’s a two for one for race fans…definitely an exciting weekend for any motorsports enthusiast. Come early and spend the entire day,” said MSF Superturismo Principal Adian Yein Khalid.
For spectators, paddock access tickets that will be on sale at the North Track entrance will give them the opportunity to see the race machines and motorcycles up close, and besides action on track, there will also be a display of cars and aftermarket spare parts, as well as merchandises on display and sale at the hospitality area.
In Round 3 of the MSF Superturismo, racing will feature a diverse range of make and model of vehicles in which the highlight will be on the 4 premier classes: Super Touring; Vision HKS GT86 x BRZ Racing Cup; Super Production; and Rennplatz Standard Production.
The Super Touring division will see Mohamed Hafez Kamarudin in a Toyota GR Yaris gunning for his third successive race win having clinched an easy victory in Rounds 1 and 2. He however, is likely to be pursued by another strong contender Indonesian driver Umar Abdullah in a Honda Civic FD2R who has finished second on both occasions. Other contenders in the class include Jonathan Lee Jiahui who was third in Round 2 driving a Honda Integra DC5, and the pair of Wu Junyi Ken and Russell Tan in another Honda Civic FD2R.
Also with two race wins to his credit and appearing a formidable in the Vision HKS GT86 x BRZ Racing Cup, is Rennplatz Racing’s Ng Teck Ming. He finished Round 2 a staggering 50 seconds ahead of the pair of Syed Rizal and Fahrizal Hasan from Fawster SMRT while in third place was Muhd Khairul Nizam Yaacob who was a lap behind.
After a huge upset victory in the Super Production class in Round 2, Boy Soh returns to the grid with his previous generation giant-killing Perodua Myvi. Other drivers gunning for victory and a podium will include Roni Risman in a Proton Satria Neo (2nd in Round 2), Thang Jiun Sheng in another Proton Satria Neo (3rd in Round 2), Singaporean Jonathan Xie in a Honda Fit RS GK5 (winner in Round 1), and Teo Hong Zhou in a Honda Jazz GK5 (2nd in Round 1). Also a strong contender is female driver Nurul Husna Nasharuddin in a Honda Jazz who finished 3rd in Round 1.
The battle in the Rennplatz Standard Production class meanwhile, will more than likely to be between the pair of Hayden Haikal and Aiman Asyraaf in their Honda Fit GK5 RS and Ng Chong Chin in a Honda Jazz GK5. Both drivers have one race victory and one second place finish to their credit in what has shaped into a closely-contested race in both Rounds 1 and 2. Other drivers to look out for include Round 1’s third place finisher Mohamed Hafez Kamarudin representing Fawster 55Twelve and Stewart Hine and his Suzuki Swift Sport who was third in Round 2.
The MSF Superbikes which will be held during the first half of the day, will see a total of 6 classes of racing taking place. This includes Super Rookie; GP X; GP Pro; GP Masters; All-Stars; and Super Sport.
It will also be the first time that the series will be using the 2.706km North Track layout as opposed to the entire length of the circuit. The technical layout of the track will see riders taking on six technical corners, two sweeping corners and a single long straight in what promises to be an exciting race weekend.
Among the riders to keep an eye on will be female rider Carmen Lee who despite starting at the back of the 26-rider grid in the Super Rookie class in her very first superbike race, powered her BMW S1000RR to third place in Round 1. The GP Master class will also see Mohd Fatin Raziman (the 2023 GP Pro champion) on a Kawasaki ZX-10R, aiming to make it two race wins in a row after a rousing victory in Round 1. Other contenders in the class include Mohd Fadli Jamaludin on board an Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory, and Heng Si Kiat with a Yamaha R1M.
The closest racing action meanwhile, is likely to come in the GP Pro class with Shahrul Harith on a Suzuki GSX-R1000 aiming to extend his winning streak from Round 1. Other riders that stand in his way of accomplishing this are Santhiran Nagaraju and Irsyad Bakri, both on board a Yamaha R1 and had finished 2nd and 3rd in Round 1 respectively, Chia Zhen Xian with a BMW S1000RR and Mohdf Azlly Shaari with a Ducati Panigale V4B.
Paddock access tickets for the race weekend are on sale at RM35 and parking is RM10, available at the entrance to the North track on race day (21 July 2024). Entry to the main grandstand is free of charge.
