The first joint assignment in the Asia Road Racing Championship took place in Sepang, Malaysia for Markus Reiterberger and the Onexox TKKR SAG team this weekend. Reiti set a new lap record during the two test days leading up to the event. Working with the new team and the well-known alpha Racing crew made it considerably easier for the 25-year-old this weekend to adjust to the new environment.
The first official weekend of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship started with another lap record in the championship at the Sepang International Circuit. Reiterberger sealed the fastest lap with 2'04.950 in the first free practice session, which also put him at the top of the timesheet at the end of the day. Qualifying and the first of two races took place on Saturday. The Obinger sealed the pole position for the first race with another lap record (2,04,762). The weather had always shown its best until shortly before the start of the first race. The crew around Reiti did not have time for an extensive rain set-up. Punctually half an hour before the start of the first race on Saturday, the weather in Sepang became unpredictable and heavy rains started. A suitable set-up for the BMW S 1000 RR floor bike had to be found in no time. The conditions were far from ideal and Reiti finished fourth.
The cloudy sky above the race track also caused worry lines on the faces in the paddock on race Sunday. However, the conditions remained constant and after Markus Reiterberger led the warm-up just ahead of Lorenzo Zanetti in the morning, he took his first well-deserved victory in the Asia Road Racing Championship in the afternoon in the second race with an eight-second lead over the rest of the field.
Markus Reiterberger: “The weather actually held out today and we were really lucky. The grip level on Sunday was a lot worse than the other days and we had a lot more wheel spin, so the times in the second race were slower. I got off to a brilliant start and pushed the first few laps properly. I was able to create a good gap that I kept until the end. I finished almost eight seconds ahead. We are very happy with the victory. There are certainly a few points that we can improve on. But apart from a few little things, I'm very happy. I thank my entire crew from the Onexox TKKR SAG team and alpha Racing. With them I have a large part of my former crew with me again. They have been able to help me solve many problems and have continuously improved the conditions for me. The support of my fans, friends, sponsors, followers and family is also terrific. Furthermore we were able to work on our rain set-up with the rain yesterday and I am confident that we will be prepared for these conditions the next time we use it. ”