Held for the first time in Malaysia, the inaugural 2016 P1 AquaX Malaysia Series completed an impressive debut with a highly successful first round of competition here at the Metropolitan Lake at Kepong recently.
Organised by P1 Marine Motorsports (Malaysia), this weekend’s Round 1 action saw a total of 24 riders, including some of the best jet skiers in the country competing in six races and across four categories.
The Enduro category, which is divided into 200hp and 300hp classes, featured the most hotly contested races of the weekend. One of the youngest riders in the event, 19-year-old Bryan Chia, notched two victories including first place in the Enduro 300 category and overall champion for the Enduro Cup category.
“I’m very happy to win and very grateful to P1 AquaX for holding this event for the first time in Asia. It was fun and I hope to maintain my performance in the next two rounds,” said the Bryan Chia.
Chia has been racing in Jet Ski competitions around Asia for the last five years and hopes to become a World Champion one day. 21-year-old Lim Hong Hao and 24-year-old Saifullah Nazar completed the podium in the Enduro 300.
Christopher Keasberry, one of two Bruneians in the competition, put his 18 years of racing experience to good use as he picked up victories in three out of three races in the Enduro 200 class to secure first place here in Round 1.
“I have been racing for many years but I think this is one of the best performances in my racing career because I have never done so well in an endurance race. I have been training intensively since August and keeping myself in shape, so it’s a good win,” said the 47-year-old.
19-year-old Mohd Danial Mohd Shariff also notched multiple victories including the Sprint Spark category, which is a newly launched class designed to attract entry-level amateur and semi-pro riders racing on sit-down jet skis.
“I feel grateful for this victory as I have been training very hard every week. I have been jet-skiing for five years and this is my best performance so far,” said the 19-year-old who hopes to turn professional soon.
The only female rider in the event, 29-year-old Yushi Chan, finished tied for fifth place in the same category.
In the Sprint Ski class, Hj Idzam Norhaidi Hj Mashud won 3 out of the 4 races in his category this weekend to comfortably clinch first place.
“I would like to thank the organizer for this event. I was racing against competitors much younger than me so I feel very happy to achieve this result in the Sprint Ski category. It has been a long and tiring but very fulfilling day,” said the 39-year-old, who is the only other Brunei rider in the competition.
Coming in second was 26-year-old Muhammad Fadhli Hashim, who won today’s final Sprint Ski race, with 69 points followed by his younger brother, 16-year-old Muhammad Syahmi Hashim, in third place with 62 points.
More than RM15,000 in cash prizes were awarded to top finishers in this weekend’s races, while participants in the Sprint Ski and Enduro categories also picked up international ranking points based on this performances. Riders in the Sprint Spark category picked up national ranking points.
Prizes were presented by Tuan Haji Mohd Noor b Ariffin, President of Persatuan Sukan Air Bermotor Malaysia (PESUAM), and Lisa Barsby, Head of P1 AquaX Global.
The next two events in this three-event Malaysia series will be held at D’Island Residences, Puchong on 26 & 27 November and 10 & 11 December (Grand Finals), where the overall Malaysian Champion will be crowned. Entrance to the event will remain free for members of the public who wish to spectate.
