The 9th YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE Hosted by the Philippines for the First Time

Overall Team Winner: Theerapong Sangthong, Thailand Team Manager

"I'm very happy that our riders were able to sweep the top three places in the new AT Class and that as a team we were able to win the overall Team title. We are especially happy about the AT Class victory because it was something we were aiming for.
For the past few years we have had an AT class in our Yamaha Cup one-make race series in Thailand in hopes of nurturing young riders to follow in the footsteps of riders like Decha Kraisart, who this season became the first Yamaha rider to win the ST600 Class title of the All Japan Road Race Championship. I think efforts like this and Team Thailand's tradition of strong teamwork lead to us winning the Team title. The YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE offers our riders a great chance to absorb things from the riders of other countries and gain racing experience. We will continue using it to bring up young talent and help them progress."

AT Class Winner: Akrat Panjan (age: 15 / Thailand)

"I'm happy to finish 2nd in both heats and win the first AT Class championship. I am really proud of this. I owe this victory to the team and the many ways they supported me, with the machine setup and race strategy and more. I like the feeling of speed and I just started racing two years ago. This victory encourages me to try to go on and become another great rider from Thailand like Decha Kraisart."

MT Class Winner: Agus Setyawan (age: 15 / Indonesia)

"I am proud to have won both the qualifying and the race riding as a representative of Indonesia in the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE for the first time. I am very happy that all of the hard work I have done to get here has paid off in this way.
I am the youngest one on our team, but I didn't really feel any competitive pressure and I was able to go into the races and compete well. During the races I kept pushing hard with concentration, waiting for the right chances to make a move.
The layout of the course was a difficult one, but I think I won because I was able to find the right lines through the turns and the right braking points during the practice sessions and also because I was able to use my start from pole position effectively."

Host company representative: Takeshi Yano (President of Yamaha Motor Philippines, Inc.)

"I am grateful to all the participating riders from each country, related staff and the sponsors for their support and cooperation in helping to make this first holding of the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE in the Philippines a success.
YMPH is a young company founded in 2007. As a company we are concentrating our efforts in the four areas of 'Racing,' 'CSR' (corporate social responsibility), our 'Yamaha Festa' events that help people become more familiar with the appeal of motorcycles and our 'Service Campaigns.'
This time we served as the host for the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE for the first time and I think the people here in the Philippines really enjoyed this chance to watch some exciting and competitive racing.
In addition to the races, we tried to create an overall experience of the things that make Yamaha different from other brands. This encompassed an array of attractions like the 'YAMAHA Riding School for Kids' we held here for the first time, displays of a range of different Yamaha products, the trial riding demonstrations and the Yamaha Festa that we held at the same time.
If we have the chance to host this race event again in the future, I hope we can see a Philippine rider standing atop the winners' podium and hear the Philippine national anthem, and we are going to continue to support the development of rider skills here so we can realize this goal."

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. representative: Yukihiro Ozaki, General Manager of 1st Marketing Division, Motorcycle Business Operations, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

"I am grateful to everyone for helping to bring the 9th YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE to a successful conclusion. I want to express our appreciation to our Philippine hosts for their outstanding organization and hospitality in holding this event for the first time, to the guest riders who ran repeated trial riding demonstrations in the heat of the day and especially to all the participants for the passion for motorcycle sports that they showed us. We owe the success of this event to all of you.
This time we had a new AT Class that successfully attracted a lot of fresh new competitors to the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE. I believe that this is more proof of how this event, in its nine holdings until now, has helped establish and promote motorsports here in the ASEAN region.
Also, I hope that holding the event in the parking lot of one of the country's biggest shopping malls this time has helped communicate the appeal of Yamaha to a new audience without previous interest in motorcycle racing and show them the real fascination of the sport."

More young riders taking part

Ikhwan was the youngest competitor this time

Boonlert with his father, one of the teamfs mechanics

Thanks to the managers in each country who consider this event a great opportunity to give young riders a valuable experience of international competition and the effect of creating a new AT Class, many more young riders could be seen competing this time than in years past.
The youngest of all was 13-year-old Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan of the Malaysian team. He told us his reasons for wanting to compete in this event: "I like the challenge and the competitive battling of motorcycle racing. There are a lot of experienced riders in this competition and I want to learn a lot from them."
A 14-year-old on the Thai team, Peerapong Boonlert, rode well with two 3rd place podium finishes in both heats of the AT Class competition. He also succeeded in finishing an impressive 3rd overall in the class. His father came to the event as a team mechanic and his older brother competed in the MT Class. He said, "This result came from just competing as hard as I could. No matter who was in the lead, I just looked ahead and raced as fast as I could. I am happy that I got 3rd overall and it is a big inspiration for me. In the future I want to be a rider like Decha [Kraisart]."

YMPH holds its first "YAMAHA Riding School for Kids"

After the course, participants got a certificate of completion

YMPH regularly holds riding safety courses for high school and college students with a curriculum that is based in scientific theory. The company held its first "YAMAHA Riding School for Kids" at the race venue to offer children who can ride bicycles in the 7 to 12 year-old age group the chance learn about riding safety and the fun of riding a motorcycle together with their parents. This was in the hope that parents and their children learning together and further deepening communication between each other would create a truly memorable and lasting experience for both. The motorcycles and all necessary wear and equipment are provided so participation is quick and easy.
From the parents participating with their children, the staff received comments such as, "We participated because our child wanted to try riding, and we were surprised to see him progress much more quickly than we expected," or, "We are grateful for the opportunity this course provides, because there aren't many other chances to teach the children about traffic laws and safety properly."
YMPH will continue holding this course around the Philippines.

Great reception for amazing trial riding demonstrations

Trial riding demonstrations were given by competitors Kenichi Kuroyama (Team Kuroyama Racing Yamaha) and Fumitaka Nozaki (YSP Keiyo Racing) in hopes of spreading new appreciation of the fun of watching motorsports competition and the appeal of riding motorcycles.
The spectators were thrilled to see the amazing skills of the riders as they executed moves like "air turns" and wheelie runs or jumps on to a specially prepared platform. Many spectators braved the midday heat to watch the exciting displays of riding skill.