The 38 years old Manual Tech BEET Kawasaki Racing however did not have an easy win as he had to battle hard for the chequered flag with compatriot, Ryuichi Kiyonari and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman of MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing. Fujiwara completed the 25 lap Race 1 with total time 27'49.221s while Kiyonari came in just 0.233s slower with 27'49.454s and Azlan third, 27'50.922s.
Race 2 on the other hand took a dramatic turn as the race was red flagged following a pile up which saw eight riders retire from the race, leaving only 11 bikes when the race was restarted. Nevertheless, did not deter Fujiwara from bagging another win to complete the race with total time 17'47.841s followed by Kiyonari and Azlan with 17'48.179s and 17'48.297s respectively.
Overjoyed to start the season with a double victory, the Japanese national commented, "Sunday's race was not easy as everyone's lap time has dropped compared to last season and I had to fight with Kiyonari, Azlan and Mohd Zamri Baba (PETRONAS Hong Leong Yamaha) aggressively in both races. This resulted in the tyres wearing out faster than it should, leading to a lot of sliding towards the end of both races. But I'm really happy to finish Race 1 and Race 2 as Champion. The team did a really good job setting up the Kawasaki!" |
