Top racers ready to enter Asia Road Racing C'ships

JAKARTA (JP): Asia's leading road-race motorcyclists will battle for top honors when they hit the Sentul international track for the 4th FIM Marlboro Asia Road Racing Championships on Sunday.

Malaysia's Kua Meng Heng of the Petronas Sprinta Racing Team is still in top position after beating tough racers Chow Yan Kit of the Roberts Asia Marlboro Team, and Youichi Nakajima and Matthew Patterson of the Colin Marshall Racing Team.

The racers will see action in the 250cc Sports Production Event after finishing three series of the championships in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia on April 27, in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 18 and in Madras, India on July 27.

Henk has a total of 70 points leaving his close rival and compatriot Chow Yan Kit far behind with 52 points, while Nakajima and his teammate Patterson are in third and fourth places with 51 and 30 points respectively.

Other racers in the top ten are Malaysian Shahrun Nizam (25 points), Indonesian Roy Indrianto (25 points), Malaysian Wazi Abdul Hamid (19 points), Malaysian M. Munisparan (18 points), Thailand's Koji Kaminao (17 points) and Macau's Leong Vai Hoon (12 points).

Rising star

Rising Indonesian star Roy Adrianto is expected to again show his talent in front of his local fans after he managed to come in seventh in Bangkok.

Roy's best performance was in Madras.

Roy was one of three Indonesian racers sent to the Keny Roberts Training Ranch in Barcelona, Spain in January for a two- week exercise.

Roy, Petrus Canisius and Ade Taruna were selected to go to the training following their success in the 1996 Marlboro Asia Pacific Road Racing Championships and Marlboro Yamaha Cup Race.

A tough field is also expected in the 150-cc class with the presence of senior racers Malaysia's Chia Tuck Cheong and Yasir Said, and Thailand's Christmas Wilairoj and Direck Achawong in the last three series.

Cheong is in top position with 65 points ahead of Wilairoj and Achwong who both earned 54 points.

Other racers in the top five of the 150cc-class are Hong Kong's Yasir Said of the Yamaha Team with 45 points and Amnuay Sangsuwan of the Honda Castrol Team with 32 points.

The road racing championships at the Sentul circuit will also feature 125-cc and 110-cc events. (03)