Race 1 of Round 2 in the 2025 IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship’s ASB1000 category saw Malaysian hero Azroy Hakeem Anuar of IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA storm to a commanding victory at the Sepang International Circuit, delighting fans with a flawless performance on home turf.
In qualifying, Thailand’s Apiwath Wongthananon of A1 ENERGY BMW RACING TEAM shattered a five-year-old lap record set by Markus Reiterberger in 2020 (2’04.597s), securing pole position with a scorching time of 2’04.597s. Local favourite Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah of the JDT RACING TEAM lined up second with a 2’04.758s, while Azroy secured a strong third with a 2’04.928s.
As the race started, Azroy made a brilliant start and immediately took control of the race. Hafizh slotted into second, ahead of Azroy’s teammate Md Zaqhwan Zaidi, setting up an all-Malaysian trio at the front.
While Azroy began pulling away, the battle for second intensified, with Hafizh and Zaqhwan swapping positions in a fierce contest. On Lap 6, Apiwath, who had fought his way up from P6 to P4, was forced to retire due to a mechanical failure, a disappointing end after his record-breaking qualifying effort.
Further drama unfolded on Lap 8 when Nakarin Atiratphuvapat of HONDA RACING THAILAND suffered a crash. Though he rejoined the race, he was unable to mount a challenge for the podium.
By Lap 10, Azroy had opened up a commanding two-second lead, while Hafizh, Zaqhwan, and Andi Farid Izdihar of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM engaged in an intense three-way fight for second.The trio diced through the corners with multiple lead changes, delivering nonstop action that kept the excitement at a fever pitch.
In the end, Azroy crossed the line unchallenged to seal victory with a time of 25’22.336s. Hafizh’s late push on the final lap paid off as he edged out Zaqhwan for second with 25’25.090s, while Zaqhwan settled for third at 25’25.278s.
Azroy said, “I want to thank the team for all the hard work this weekend in finding a great setup, and also my teammate Zaqhwan, who helped plan a good race strategy. Honestly, if Hafizh and Zaqhwan hadn’t been fighting each other, they might’ve caught me! I’m happy with my consistent pace around 2’06.000s each lap, but I’m still not fully satisfied because I was targeting high 2’05.000s. Still, we’ve got another chance tomorrow, so let’s keep this momentum going.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
- Azroy Hakeem Anuar – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (25’22.336s)
- Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah – JDT RACING TEAM (25’25.090s)
- Md Zaqhwan Zaidi – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (25’25.278s)
- Keito Abe – SDG HARC-PRO. HONDA PHILIPPINES (25’25.758s)
- Md Adam Md Norrodin – AMI SUZUKI MOTORSPORT (25’33.817s)