The inaugural round of the Malaysia Speed Festival Supermoto (MSF SM) series took place last weekend at Litar Lumba Rakyat Kuala Selangor (LLRKS), with the sanctioning and approval of the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM). Sponsored by EXN Lube, Metzeler and Beringer Brakes, MSF Supermoto has attracted the participation of some big names in the Malaysian realm of two-wheeled motorsport.
Though technical difficulties stymied the entry of Khairi Zakaria into the inaugural round of the motard-based series, the heat of competition would fire up between luminaries of the Asian motocross and supermoto circuits, Daniel Haiqal of Team KMTR All-Stars and Muhd Habibullah “Gabit” Saleh in the All Star Pro category.
With the fastest qualifying lap time of 47.933 seconds, Daniel fired the opening salvo heading into the race. The start of the race proper saw a prompt response by Gabit who executed a strong start, taking the lead as the pack entered the first corner on the Kuala Selangor race circuit.
The melee of the leading duo continued as Daniel kept the pressure on Gabit corner after corner, eventually making his way past though only for a short while; Gabit responded in kind and retook the race lead. The lead continued to be up for grabs, and Daniel would then retake P1 and successfully held off Gabit for the finish, with just over one second between the leading duo at the flag.
Third place in the All Star Pro category was achieved by Zhafir Zarkasha Zamani. Meanwhile, winner of the All Stars Legends category was Kenny Lee, also of Team KMTR All-Stars, followed teammate Keith Chia and with 500cc GP legend Oh Kah Beng of Team Most Fun Gym finishing third in class.
For the Rookie class, the relatively fresh entries to competition saw no shortage of competitive spirit. Chong Chee Chin of Team KMTR All-Stars bounced back from a jump-start penalty following the qualifying session, and kept the heat on to pursue Ng Hoi Yew of The Imperials Team Supermoto who commanded the lead in the Rookie class for a considerable length.
Chong held on and took the fight for the lead to Ng, with the duo trading track positions for an extended duration. Patience rewarded Chong in the end, who made one last move stick on the final lap to finish the race ahead, crossing the line ahead of Ng by a mere 0.5 second.
The third podium place was rounded out by Brian Kee of Team Most Fun Gym, holding off Liew Chin Hooi of The Imperials Team Supermoto who finished the race in fourth following a strong performance throughout the race.
A sign of more action to come? It sure looks set for the next round in Tangkak, Johor, where the next running of MSF Supermoto will take place on December 5, 2021.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
