Detail

The Kyushu Motorcycle Festa was run as round 3 of the All Japan Road Race Championships and round 2 of the PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at Autopolis International Racing Course in Hita City, Oita Prefecture. Among the participants in the ARRC series are many riders whose international race careers began in the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE, a one-make competition organized by Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and its group companies around the ASEAN region.

In the first of the two-race ARRC round, run on May 22 (Sat.), 19 of the 21 competitors in the Superport 600cc class (SS600cc) rode the Yamaha YZF-R6 and it was teammates Chalermpol Polamai and Decha Kraisart of the PETRONAS Yamaha Thailand team of Thai Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. who came through with a 1-2 victory.
In the underbone 115cc class (UB115cc), 14 of the 22 entries rode Yamaha machines. It was a close-fought race with the lead changing hands every lap, and it was PETRONAS Yamaha Thailand team rider Chanon Chumjai who rode the fastest lap of the race on the way to his first podium finish in 3rd, a mere 0.4 seconds behind the winner. The second races of the round scheduled for Sunday the 23rd had to be cancelled due to torrential rains and flood warnings in the region.

The YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE is an international one-make race using Yamaha Motor's 4-stroke sporty moped models. Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and its group companies in the ASEAN region have been holding the race since 2003 with the aim of encouraging the development and spread of motorcycle racing in the region and contributing to society through youth development. In recent years, the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE and the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL tournament have come to symbolize the Yamaha presence in the region and help build its brand image.
Among the riders who have gained experience in the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE, some go on to advance their racing careers as members of the race teams of Yamaha Motor group companies and others in international competitions like the ARRC. Their achievements stood out in the 2009 ARRC series, where two YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE veterans ranked 1st and 2nd in the SS600cc class and another ranked 2nd in the UB115cc class. Round 3 of the ARRC series takes place in Indonesia from July 24 to 27.

Of the 21 entries in the SS600cc class, 19 rode the Yamaha YZF-R6, leading the race from the start		The competition was hot between teammates Polamai (#1) and Kraisart (#24)
This was the second straight win for Polamai (center) following the season opener, and the first podium finish for Kraisart (left)		Chumajai celebrated his first podium finish in the UB115 class with a shower of champagne

Chalermpol Polamai comment (SS600cc class 1st / cancelled)
"Race 1 was a difficult one for me because my rivals were very fast. In the early running I was just trying my best to chase Decha in front of me. In the middle stages I was finally able to close the gap and take advantage of an opportunity to take the lead, but Decha wouldn't let me get away and the lead changed hands several times in a close-fought battle. After I took the lead again in the final stages of the race, I kept telling my self that I was going to win this race, and I think that believing in myself is what eventually brought me the victory."

Decha Kraisart comment (SS600cc class 2nd / cancelled)
"I fell during practice and injured my left hand, so it wasn't an easy race. Although my condition wasn't 100%, the fact that I had a chance to win still leaves me dissatisfied with my 2nd-place finish. I was determined to ride even faster and get my revenge in race 2, but unfortunately it was cancelled."

2010 PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship series round 2, Japan Round