Azizi clinched rd 3 of under 25 championship - beating previous winners

Jubilant Azizi at the top of the podium...
Rd 3 race action with Azizi in the lead...
Azizi and family with supporters with Fan Club banner...

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Sunday, 9 September 2007: Azizi Anuar of Team Samudera stayed out front to win Saturday nights’ Round 3 of the NFC Speedway Championships 2007 Under 25 category held at the Speedway Circuit near the Family Park at the Bukit Jalil Sports Complex.
Azizi beat previous Round 1 and 2 winners, Mohd Haniff Borhan of Nova Racing Team and Mohd Ariff Mohd Ali of Team Seri Putra. With this win, Azizi clinched a place in Speedway Malaysia’s JAWA 500cc bikes training programme with another five riders to prepare them to be Malaysia’s first representatives in the first Malaysian International Speedway Grand Prix to be held on 27 October.

“To win this (champion) trophy tonight is amazing. The other riders were really fast. It was an exciting race with a number of crashes and restarts. I’m glad all my efforts and training under Speedway Malaysia’s resident coach Linden Warner finally paid off. I dedicate this win to him, all my team mates as well as my family and friends who travel with me each week from Temerloh to Kuala Lumpur,” said Azizi.

Meanwhile, Mohd Haniff had a good drive off the final corner to narrowly beat Mohd Ariff to the second spot. This was enough for the 21 year-old to retain his championship lead with a 33 points total with one round to go. Azizi now lies second in the championship standings with 30 points while Ariff is third with 27 points.
"Those guys did a good job but Azizi was just a little better at the end. But to me, just like in the previous rounds, I felt my biggest challenge had to be Ariff. On off-race days, we are the best of pals, but during races I really had to work hard to distant myself from him. I’m glad my strategies worked and thank lady luck for my win tonight,” said Haniff.
Commenting on his performance, Ariff said, “Yes, Haniff was very lucky to win second as we were on very similar strategies and was separated by probably five to six centimeters. I have reached my best in Round 1 and will make sure I can be more competitive and do my best in the final Round 4.”
Two riders, Mohd Zamri Talib of Team Samudera and Shukry Hanis Haslin of Team Seri Putra both received minor injuries from crashes last night. They were sent to the HUKM Cheras for further check up and later discharged following treatment at the hospital.

Speedway Malaysia Consultant Hanifah Yoong explained, “Accidents are expected to be on the rise given the tight fight for all the championships and with such strong determination displayed by all these young former road warriors, we can only hope there won’t be any serious accidents and that the riders use their heads as well as their skills.”

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

The NFC Speedway championships, organised by the Malaysia Motorsports Organisers and Competitors Association (MMOCA) and promoted by Speedway Malaysia, is held every Saturday night at the Family Park near the Bukit Jalil Sports Complex until October.

Top six results, Round 3, Under 25 : (Azizi Anuar/Team Samudera -12 pts, Mohd Haniff Borhan/Nova Racing Team -11 pts, Mohd Ariff Mohd Ali / Team Seri Putra - 10pts, Mohd Shahril Sarahman /Team Motivasi -9 pts, Ahmad Shahir Shamsul Ariffin /Team Maxi Alpha – 8 pts, Mohd Emy Nordin Ahmad/Team Titiwangsa – 7pt)

Top 6 championship points after Round 3: (Mohd Haniff Borhan/Nova Racing Team-33 pts, Azizi Anuar/Team Samudera-30pts, Mohd Ariff Mohd Ali / Team Seri Putra-27pts, Mohd Shahril Sarahman /Team Motivasi- 25pts, Mohd Emy Nordin Ahmad /Team Titiwangsa -22pts)