The 7th YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE

November 26 (Thursday)

On the day before the start of race weekend, the teams from the participating countries arrived in Indonesia on November 26 and visited the circuit. While the riders check out its approximately 1.2 km course where they would be competing over the next three days, the team managers attended the race machine lottery. In order to ensure that all the riders and teams compete under equal conditions, the machines used in YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE are allotted to the teams by means of a fair and strictly regulated lottery.
In the evening after the lottery, a press conference and welcoming party was held for all the riders, team staff and the Indonesian and international press. At the press conference presentations were given on the history of the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE and its purpose, which includes (1) building Yamaha's sporty image through race activities in the ASEAN region, (2) international exchange between members of the Yamaha family (3) nurturing young riders striving for higher competitive levels.
The ensuing welcoming party was exactly for one of those goals, to promote exchange between members of the Yamaha family, as the teams were introduced and later mingled to wish each other luck in the coming competition. The introductions were also followed by performances of traditional Indonesian dance and music.

The race machines are allotted by lottery to ensure equal advantage

Machines with the numbers drawn in the lottery are moved to the team pit

International members of the Yamaha meet again to celebrate the coming competition together

November 27 (Friday) Practice
In preparation for this day's afternoon free practice sessions, the teams worked on the settings of the machines they were allotted in yesterday's lottery. Some riders worked on the settings themselves while consulting with their team mechanics, as the paddock began to buzz with activity. One presence that especially stood out was the first woman ever to compete in the ASEAN CUP RACE since its launch in 2003, Ms. Thidarat Yaemraksa of the Thai team. She is registered to compete in the Novice Class. As a rider who has long hoped to participate in the ASEAN CUP RACE, Ms. Yaemraksa is highly motivated, and that motivation has spread to the rest of the team, commented Thailand's Team Manager, Mr. Theerapong Sangthong.
Another stand-out is the youngest rider on the paddock today, 13 year-old Mohd Ramdan Mohd Rosli of the Malaysian team. Says young Rosli, who started racing because his father was a former Yamaha rider, "Racing is fun. Competing with the other riders is always interesting. I am a big fan of Valentino Rossi, so if I continue racing, I want to ride Yamaha bikes."
In the afternoon the riders competing in the Asia Cup and Yamaha Cup races that will also be held as part of this event arrive for their rider briefings. As for the ASEAN CUP competitors, the Novice and Expert Class riders each have two free practice sessions in the afternoon to get used to their machines and the track.

Team mechanics work on the machine settings

Ms. Thidarat Yaemraksa of the Thai team

13 year-old Mohd Ramdan Mohd Rosli and his father who has come as a team mechanic

1st in Novice Class Qualifying / #41 Kannasoot Sitthisena (age: 18; Thailand)

"I am gradually getting used to the course, so tomorrow I should be able ride even better. The qualifying competition for this ASEAN CUP RACE was very intense in Thailand, so I am very happy to have been chosen to represent Thailand here for the first time. There are many older teammates here on the Thai team with lots of race experience and they have been very kind teaching me how to ride this course, so I have learned a lot. I want to use this experience I am gaining here in the ASEANCUP RACE to make progress as a rider, one step at a time."

1st in Expert Class Qualifying / #63 Sigit. PD (age: 21; Indonesia)

"I won the Novice Class two years ago in the 2007 ASEAN CUP RACE, but this is my first time competing in the Expert Class. The top positions on the starting grid will be full of riders that I am used to competing with here in the Indonesian championship series, and we all know each other's riding style and the lines they run through the turns. Since this race puts everyone on equal standing with machines that all have the same performance, I expect the competition in the races tomorrow to be very intense. My family is here to cheer for me, so I want to do my best to win the championship with a performance that I will be proud to show the other riders I compete with here in Indonesia. Besides this ASEAN CUP RACE, I am also entered in the Indonesian national championship series race that will be run tomorrow as well. This should be a real test of my strength and stamina. So, I'm going to eat a lot today and sleep well to be sure I have the stamina for tomorrow's races."

Novice Class Winner / Anggi Permana (#158) (age 19; Indonesia)

"I still can't believe that I was able to win here in my first attempt at the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE against all the strong riders from Thailand and Malaysia. I'm surprised but, of course, I am very happy, too.
It started to rain just after the start of the second heat. But, I have a small circuit at home where I practice all the time in all kinds of weather conditions. That experience and the fact that I knew my biggest rival was out of the competition when I saw the winner of the first heat, Kannasoot (#41) of Thailand, jump the start, helped me to concentrate on my riding and win the title.
In the Indonesian championships I will be moving up from the Novice Class to the Expert Class next year and I'm sure this experience of competing and winning here will help me against the stronger competition next year."

Expert Class Winner / Hokky Krisdianto (#57) (age: 29; Indonesia)

"In the rain that drenched the second heat I was able to make use of my wealth of experience racing in the rain. I am very happy to win the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE for the second time, after my win in the 5th running in 2007. In addition to the individual title, I was also glad to be able to help bring the victory trophy to the Indonesian team here in front of our home fans.
In the future I would like to move up to the 600cc class, but to be honest I am not young anymore for a rider at the age of 29. I think that rather than taking on the challenge of moving up in category myself, it would be more effective if I concentrate on helping younger riders move up with my experience. So I will be using this ASEAN CUP RACE experience and the know-how I have gained to help nurture the careers of the promising young riders I have been competing against until now in the Indonesian national race series."

Team Winner / Benny Djati Utomo, Indonesia Team Manager

"We had several riders on our team who were also competing here in the Indonesian national Yamaha Cup race championship besides the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE, which meant they had to race four heats in all. But they still did well and I am proud of them.
Unlike the national championship, you can't modify the machines here in the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE, so all of the riders are competing on their own abilities alone under equal conditions. This is a valuable experience for the riders, as well as being an important chance to meet and talk to other members of the Yamaha family who also race on Yamaha bikes like they do. That's why I feel that winning isn't everything in a race like this.
Still, we couldn't let down the home crowd here in Indonesia, and the riders wanted to do their part as representatives of all the riders here in Indonesia, so they all competed well and we were able to win the Triple Crown of rider titles in both classes and the team title. Having seen that doing well in domestic competitions means representing Indonesia in the ASEANCUP RACE, I am sure that this event has been a big stimulus to many young riders here in our country."

Chairman of the 7th YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE, Yoshio Wakuta
(General Manager of Commuter Vehicle Sales Division, Commuter Vehicle Business Section, Motorcycle Business Operations, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.)

"Even though it turned into a wet race in the afternoon, the spectators still seemed to be enjoying the racing right to the end. I am very pleased and grateful that the 7th holding of the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE has come to a successful end. We owe this success to the organizational skills and hospitality of the host country, Indonesia, and to the passion for motorcycle racing shared by all the participants.
Although the venue this time was not in Jakarta as in past YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE events here in Indonesia, we still had an unexpectedly large turnout of spectators come and enjoy the racing. This is further evidence of the big interest there is in motorcycle racing in Indonesia. I also believe that this has been an unforgettable day both for the riders and the fans as MotoGP star Jorge Lorenzo took time from his busy schedule to come here and encourage the riders and meet with the fans. This race event has been successful in projecting the great reliability of Yamaha products and the sporty, innovative Yamaha brand image, not only among race fans but the general public as well.
In the ASEAN region, where motorcycles are loved as a means of daily transportation, there is also a steady growth in young customers who are pursuing a more active lifestyle. In order to show these users that a Yamaha motorcycle can be something more than just a necessary commodity and be something that adds an extra spark to their lives, I believe that race activities like the ASEAN CUP RACE are playing an important role. So, I hope that everyone will help us make this an event that continues for many years to come."

Host country representative, Bambang Asmarabudi
(General Manager, Promotions and Motor Sports, YMKI)

"I want to begin by thanking all the race fans and Yamaha fans who made the trip here to Sentul and all the participants who have come from abroad.
In the past the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE events hosted by Indonesia have been held in Jakarta, but for this third hosting of the event we moved the venue to Sentul in Bogor state of West Java, about 60 km south of the capital. Although we were confident that this course at Sentul would be a good one for the riders and offer an environment where we could show the spectators even more aggressive racing action, I must admit that we were uncertain how many spectators we could gather at this locality.
To help make sure that we would have a large turnout, we organized this event as a "BALAP AKBAR" (Indonesian meaning "Big Race") by holding the final round of the 2009 UAM Asia Cup of Road Racing and a round of the Indonesian Yamaha Cup one-make race series. Furthermore, we were fortunate to have a big star like Jorge Lorenzo make an appearances. As a result, we had an unexpectedly large turnout of more than 15,000 spectators.
As in years past, the venue was outfitted with a concert stage and shop stalls, and for the first time we also organized a "Yamaha Rider Club Jamboree" next to the race venue where Yamaha owners belonging to clubs for the various Yamaha models could gather and build bonds within the Yamaha family. This Jamboree gathered over 1,000 Yamaha owners club members from the Jakarta area and provided them with an experience that certainly strengthened their love of the Yamaha brand as they enjoyed the thrills of the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE racing event.
Presently there are 15 Yamaha Cup races held each year around Indonesia and over 100 riders participate in each race, which means a total of 1,500 riders. Also, in this country where there are a total of 100 races held on the 52 weekends of the year and correspondingly a large number of race fans, the popularity of motorcycles on the racetrack is directly related to their popularity in the market. We hope that this YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE will continue in the future as a competition that nurtures competitive young riders and projects the image of Yamaha as a sporty brand to a large audience through the spectacle of aggressive racing."