Round 4 of the IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship delivered heat at the Mandalika International Circuit, Indonesia today, with Malaysian star Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah of JDT RACING TEAM storming to victory in Race 1 of the ASB1000 class.
As the lights went out, Hafizh made a strong launch but it was Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman of A1 ENERGY BMW RACING TEAM who surged to the front, shadowed closely by Nakarin Atiratphuvapat of HONDA RACING THAILAND. Hafizh settled into third with the IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA duo of Muhammad Zaqhwan Zaidi and Azroy Hakeem Anuar chasing in fourth and fifth.
By Lap 2, Nakarin slipped past Hafizh but Hafizh quickly fought back to reclaim top spot. The Thai ace, however, refused to be shaken off, tailing Hafizh corner by corner. At the same time, Azlan was forced to fend off the relentless challenge from Zaqhwan and Azroy.
Hafizh then laid down the gauntlet on Lap 3 with a fastest time of 1’35.747s, pulling marginally ahead. But Nakarin answered immediately with a blistering 1’35.383s on Lap 4, ensuring the battle for the lead remained alive. The duo broke away, opening a 1.302s gap from the chasing pack, where Zaqhwan muscled his way into third ahead of Azlan.
The race took a dramatic twist on Lap 5 when Keito Abe of SDG HARC-PRO. HONDA PHILIPPINES and Lachlan Epis of SAVITAR RACING ASIA collided and crashed out of contention.
With clear track ahead, Hafizh managed to gradually build a 1-second lead over Nakarin by Lap 6. From there, he controlled the pace superbly, while behind him Zaqhwan closed in on Nakarin, setting up a tense fight for second place.
After 12 laps of high drama, Hafizh powered across the line to claim victory in 20’48.234s, a result made even more special as Malaysia celebrates Merdeka Day weekend. Nakarin held off a late attack from Zaqhwan to secure second at 20’51.193s, just 0.129 seconds ahead of the Malaysian, who completed the podium at 20’51.322s.
Hafizh expressed, “I didn’t know what pace I was doing because my lap time wasn’t showing on the dash. It worked yesterday and in Qualifying, but during the race it didn’t, so I was stressed. I had to rely on my feeling from yesterday and trust my instinct. I just kept going, avoided mistakes, and tried to manage the tyres. The bike was really awesome and I thank my team and crew chief who have been helping me since Round 2 until here. We didn’t touch the bike setup at all, we just kept it the same, and that’s something I’ve never done in my life. But yeah, sometimes this happens. I just kept working, understood better, and put in the effort with the team. This victory is for them; they sometimes work more than 20 hours. Right now, this pays off after the Japan round where Race 1 was a disaster. Now we’re back. Thanks to everyone who supported me. Tomorrow, we’ll do our best again, for Malaysia’s Merdeka Day.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
- HAFIZH SYAHRIN ABDULLAH – JDT RACING TEAM (20’48.234s)
- NAKARIN ATIRATPHUVAPAT – HONDA RACING THAILAND (20’51.193s)
- MUHAMMAD ZAQHWAN ZAIDI – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (20’51.322s)
- AZLAN SHAH KAMARUZAMAN – A1 ENERGY BMW RACING TEAM (20’54.147s)
- AZROY HAKEEM ANUAR – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (20’59.018s)