Helmey wins rd 2 to lead U-21 championship with Abdussobur

The jubilant trio...
They're off...
Helmey and his biggest fans, his family

Kuala Lumpur, Sunday, 12 Aug 2007 – Muhamad Helmey Hamzah, 18 capped off a successful hunt when he scored his first career win in Round 2 of the NFC Speedway Championships under 21 last night.

Dominant from the start, Helmey of Team Titiwangsa topped the standings after the 12 preliminary heats with 3 wins and a second giving himself 11 points. Helmey then scored second in his semi final losing to Mohd Abdussobur of Team Nova but returned strongly to turn the table on Abdussobur in the grand final race. Asrul Khairin Azizan, who rides for the Team Samudera, rode consistently to finish third in the grand final.

Helmey who was third in round one 3 weeks ago now leads the championship with Abdussobur with 22 points each after round 2.

“Once again, I want to thank my team and mechanics for their perfect strategy. It was a great battle as most of us were out to win. Compared to Round 1, the other riders showed their strength in different parts of the track tonight. It’s not easy now, but I hope to maintain a win in the remaining three rounds,” said Helmey who finished third in Round 1 of the NFC Speedway Championships held on July 21.

The night race was exciting right from the start with most of the thrills provided by the top three of Helmey, Abdussobur and Asrul together with Round 1 winner Mohd Azlan Suparman of Team Seri Putera. Helmey was visibly faster in the corners while Abdussobur claimed advantage on the straights. Azlan, was luckless as he tried hard to defend his round 1 title but lost his place in the grand final when he mistakenly mistook the last lap flag for the chequered flag while leading his semi final race.

"When Azlan crashed out early in the heats, I cautioned myself to not be so reckless because at the end of the day, earning championship points was a lot more important to me than a round win. I gave my all to overtake Abdussobur in the grand final race and by the final two laps I knew that I had the win well in hand," added Muhamad Helmey.

Meanwhile, Speedway Malaysia Hanifah Yoong said the riders have shown tremendous progress over the past three weeks. “Speedway Malaysia will select five riders to train on JAWA 500cc race bikes to prepare them for the international Speedway scene. Therefore, we hope the government and private sector will come forward and provide the necessary support,” said Hanifah.

The championships, organised by the Malaysia Motorsports Organisers and Competitors Association (MMOCA) and promoted by Speedway Malaysia, will be held every Saturday night for 15 weeks until December. Last night’s race was the second of the first five rounds for the Under 21 Category. The second round for the Under 25 will be run on August 18.

A total of six team competed in the race last night. The teams are Team Titiwangsa, Team Maxi Alpha, Nova Racing Team, Team Seri Putra, Team Motivasi and Team Samudera.

Full results Round 2, Under 21 : (Mohd Helmey Hamzah /Team Titiwangsa-12 pts, Muhamad Abdussobur Turino /Nova Racing Team -11 pts, Asrul Khairin Azizan /Team Samudera-10pts, Nor Sahrizal Mohd Nasir /Team Motivasi - 9pts, Muhammad Yusof Omar/Team Titiwangsa-8pts, Mohd Faizul Ferdaus Mahd Idros/Team Maxi Alpha-7pts, Mohd Azlan Suparman/Team Seri Putra-6pts/Zulzharif Zahar-Nova Racing Team-5pts, Mohd Dahreen Yunus/Team Maxi Alpha-4pts, Raimi Amzar Zamali/Team Seri Putera-3pts, Sabil Mohamad Ali Hanafiah/Team Motivasi-2pts, Mohamed Fuad Sahalizan-Team Samudera-1pt, Nazhron Abdullah-Nova Racing Team-0 pt)

Championship points after Round 2: ( Mohd Abdussobur Turino/Nova Racing Team-22 pts, Muhamad Helmey Hamzah/Team Titiwangsa-22pts, Mohd Azlan Suparman/Team Seri Putra-18pts, Nor Sahrizal Mohd Nasir/Team Motivasi-18pts, Mohd Faizul Ferdaus Mahd Idros/Team Maxi Alpha- 14pts, Asrul Khairin Azizan/Team Samudera-14pts, Muhammad Yusof Omar/Team Titiwangsa-11pts,Nazhron Abdullah/Nova Racing Team-8pts, Sabil Mohamad Ali Hanafiah/Team Motivasi-8pts, Mohamed Fuad Sahalizan/Team Samudera-6pts, Raimi Amzar Zamali/Team Seri Putra- 5pts, Mohd Dahreen Yunus/Team Maxi Alpha-5pts, Zulzharif Zahar/Nova Racing Team- 5pts)