Australian Valvoline Superbike Team racer Glenn Allerton maintains a narrow overall championship lead after round two of the FIM Asian Road Racing Championship, held at the Autopolis International Race Course in Japan over the weekend.

Contested alongside the All Japan Superbike Championship round, Allerton rode his ex-Cal Crutchlow Red Rooster Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 to third in the race won by Petronas Yamaha’s Chalermpol Polami.

Sunday’s second race of the weekend was cancelled due to a cyclone that hit the circuit, enabling Allerton the leave the round as the championship leader on 61 points – two clear of Thailand’s Polami.

“It was a good weekend and a really difficult track to learn,” Allerton said. “We had a good battle during Saturday’s race and I ended up third, but Sunday’s race was cancelled because of a cyclone over here.

“I wanted to win the race real bad and got close to the Thai riders towards the end, and I could have tried to overtake, but it was smarter to finish the race and pick up championship points.”

Allerton crossed the finish less than half a second in arrears of Polami after the 12-lap race’s duration.

The series will now head to Sentul in Indonesia on 24-27 June, with Allerton’s focus now firmly placed on the third round of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship at Queensland Raceway on 4-6 June.