A decade as a professional rider, the moment that Mohd Muzakkir Mohamed finally arrived. The 29-year-old ONEXOX TKKR Racing Team finally achieved his dream of winning a premiere CP150 race when the 2021 season of the PETRONAS Malaysian Cub Prix Championship kicked off at the Sepang South Circuit last weekend.
It was an emotional moment for the determined rider, who described the 2021 season as one of the most challenging seasons in recent memory.
βIn the weeks leading to the first round, we have been hearing news of one big name comeback after another. Just look at the CP150 grid. Out of the 27 riders, 14 were previous title holders,β said Muzakkir.
However, Muzakkir kept his cool in the face of the ramped up competition, confident that his vast experience racing at Sepang would see hjim through. Sticking to the script, Muzakkir led the group in the final five laps of the 11-lap race to clinch the victory with a time of 14β12.181s.
0.265 seconds behind Muzakkir, lap record holder Mohd Izzat Zaidi Mohd Salehan from team Ipone Yamaha YY Pang Racing Team came home in second place followed by double CP150 champion Ahmad Afif Amran took third place with 14β12.503s.
βThis is such a meaningful win for me. Iβve been waiting for this moment for 10 years and now Iβm looking ahead to sustain the advantage in pursuit of a bigger dream, to see my name carved into the Cub Prix champion trophy,β said Muzakkir.
Meanwhile, CP125 defending champion Mohd Syafiq Rosli proved to be peerless at Round 1 when he left the competition half a second behind to effortlessly pick up the win with 11β10.393s. Team Ipone Yamaha YY Pang Racing Team duo Mohd Fareez Afeez and Mohd Adib Rosley joined Syafiq on the podium in second and third places respectively.
Finally, team PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha β 31 Racing made a clean sweep of the Wira KBS podium with a dominant performance in the 7-lap race. Mohd Syamil Amsyar Mohd Iffende led the trio in first place, followed by Danial Johan and Mohd Aqil Danial Nasrul in second and third.