In front of his home crowd at the Sepang International Circuit, Muhammad Helmi Azman of IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA delivered a spectacular performance to secure a hard-fought and emotional victory in Race 2 of the SS600 category at Round 2 of the 2025 IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.
It was more than just a race. It was a powerful comeback story for Helmi, who had missed the podium in Race 1 due to a long lap penalty. Today, he proved exactly why he’s still called one of the “Princes of Sepang.”
As the race got underway, it was Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin of HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING who shot into the early lead, chased closely by Khairul Idham Pawi of IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA and Mohammad Adenanta Putra of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM. Unfortunately, the race claimed its first victim early, as Thanat Laoongplio of HONDA RACING THAILAND crashed out on the opening lap.
By Lap 2, five riders broke away from the pack, Khairul, Kasma, Adenanta, Wahyu Nugroho of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA, and Helmi, creating a two second gap from the second group.
The lead continued to shuffle as Adenanta surged to the front on Lap 3, Helmi who had been quietly observing, launched his charge on Lap 4, moving from P5 to take the lead in stunning fashion.
Lap 5 saw Khairul clock the fastest time at 2’10.607s to briefly overtake his teammate, but Helmi fought back, refusing to let go of the top spot. Then, heartbreak struck on Lap 6 when championship leader Adenanta was forced to retire due to a technical issue, visibly devastated as his race came to an abrupt end.
With his eyes firmly on redemption, Helmi pushed even harder. On Lap 8, he recorded the fastest lap of the race, a blistering 2’10.211s, extended his lead to 2.300s over Khairul. Kasma tried to close the gap but crashed out, leaving Anupab Sarmoon of YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM, Wahyu, and Syarifuddin scrambling for the final podium spot.
Helmi crossed the finish line in dominant style, completing a personal comeback story and reaffirming his place among Sepang’s elite at 21:54.507s.
Khairul secured second place with a time of 21’56.835s, while Anupab claimed third at 21’57.045s.
Helmi said, “For this race, my main goal was to finish on top because yesterday’s long lap penalty ruined my chances. I gave more than 100% of what I had out there. So yeah, Alhamdulillah, this win gives me full motivation for the upcoming races.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2
- Muhammad Helmi Azman – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (21:54.507s)
- Khairul Idham Pawi – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (21:56.835s)
- Anupab Sarmoon – YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM (21:57.045s)
- Muhammad Syarifuddin Azman – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (21:57.183s)
- Wahyu Nugroho – YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA (21:57.461s)