Home hero Anupab Sarmoon stamped his authority on the opening day of Round 2 in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2026 after delivering a commanding performance in the SS600cc category at Chang International Circuit, Buriram, Thailand.
The YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM rider emerged as the benchmark across all three practice sessions, steadily raising the pace each time he hit the track before eventually setting the fastest combined lap of 1’39.402s in Practice 3. More impressively, Anupab consistently looked in control around the fast and technical circuit, combining blistering corner speed with remarkable straight-line performance, reaching a top speed of 257.80km/h in Practice 2.
While the Thai rider led the charge, the battle behind him was anything but settled. Indonesia’s Herjun Atna Firdaus of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM stayed firmly in contention throughout the day and closed the gap significantly in the final outing. Herjun posted a strong 1’39.568s in Practice 3, just 0.166s adrift of Anupab, signaling that the fight for pole position and race victory is far from over.
Malaysia’s Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin also reasserted himself as a serious contender after bouncing back strongly in Practice 3. The HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING rider improved his pace to 1’39.598s, ending the day third overall and only 0.196s behind the leader in an incredibly tight top three battle.
Thailand’s Thanat Laoongplio ensured local riders remained firmly in the spotlight as the HONDA RACING THAILAND rider consistently featured among the front-runners in every session. Thanat wrapped up the day fourth overall with a best lap of 1’39.726s, further highlighting the growing strength of the Thai contingent on home soil.
Not far behind was Malaysia’s Khairul Idham Pawi from IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA, who steadily built momentum throughout the sessions before climbing into the top five in Practice 3 with a time of 1’39.749s. Khairul looked increasingly comfortable as conditions evolved, adding another experienced challenger into an already stacked field.
Earlier in Practice 1, the pace had already hinted at the intensity to come, with the top five separated by less than half a second. Anupab drew first blood with a 1’40.162s effort, narrowly edging Kasma and McKinley Kyle Paz of HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING, while Thanat and Muhammad Helmi Azman completed a fiercely contested top five.
Anupab expressed, “We had a really positive day today and managed to perform well in all three practice sessions. Session by session, we kept improving the bike and understanding the track better, so that gives us a lot of confidence moving forward. Racing at home always brings a special feeling because we can feel the support from the local fans and everyone cheering for us. That motivation gives us extra energy and determination every time we go out on track. We know the expectations are high, but we are ready to give everything we have. Tomorrow will be another important challenge, and we will fight as hard as possible in qualifying and the race. We’ll continue pushing together as a team and hopefully make our home supporters proud with a strong result.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – COMBINED PRACTICE
1. ANUPAB SARMOON – YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM (1’39.402s)
2. HERJUN ATNA FIRDAUS – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (1’39.568s)
3. KASMA DANIEL KASMAYUDIN – HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING (1’39.598s)
4. THANAT LAOONGPLIO – HONDA RACING THAILAND (1’39.726s)
5. KHAIRUL IDHAM PAWI – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (1’39.749s)