Race 1 of the opening round of the IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in the ASB1000 category at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, saw Thai rider Nakarin Atiratphuvapat of HONDA RACING THAILAND clinch a commanding victory, securing the top spot on the podium.
During the qualifying session, Muhammad Zaqhwan Zaidi of IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA earned pole position with the fastest lap time of 1’35:056s. Nakarin followed closely in second with a time of 1’35:276s, while Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah of JDT RACING TEAM secured the third grid position with a time of 1’35:378s.
As the race began, Zaqhwan took the early lead, with Nakarin moving into second position ahead of Hafizh. Nakarin overtook Zaqhwan at Turn 3 on the opening lap. The top three riders quickly created a 1:550s gap from the chasing group. Running in P4, Apiwath Wongthananon of A1 ENERGY BMW RACING TEAM also began to pull away from the group in pursuit of the front-runners.
Throughout the race, Nakarin and Zaqhwan exchanged the lead multiple times, displaying a fierce battle between the former teammates. Their pace pushed them 2:883s ahead of the rest of the field, and the gap continued to grow lap by lap. By lap 6, Apiwath overtook Hafizh to move into P3, aiming to secure a podium finish on home soil.
On the final lap, Nakarin was in the lead, with Zaqhwan reaching a top speed of 303.4 km/h in an attempt to close the gap. Despite the pressure, Nakarin denied the overtaking attempt and proudly crossed the finish line to take the victory with a time of 16’06:372s.
Zaqhwan finished in second place with a time of 16’06:613s, while Hafizh secured third place after overtaking Apiwath on the final turn, finishing with a time of 16’11:288s.
Nakarin said, “This race was really difficult, especially learning the track conditions, since it was raining earlier in the SS600 race. I just tried to go step by step. I saw Zaqhwan was really fast, so I stayed behind him for a while. It might have looked like I was giving him space, but in the last three laps, I started pushing again. I noticed Zaqhwan getting a bit slower, and I knew I had to win this race, because I’ve been waiting for this moment since last season in this class. I’m very happy. I dedicate this victory to all the Thai fans and my team for their hard work and support.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
- Nakarin Atiratphuvapat – HONDA RACING THAILAND (16’06:372s)
- Muhammad Zaqhwan Zaidi – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (16’06:613s)
- Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah – JDT RACING TEAM (16’11:288s)
- Apiwath Wongthananon – A1 ENERGY BMW RACING TEAM (16’11:440s)
- Keito Abe – SDG HARC-PRO. HONDA PHILIPPINES (16’12:134s)