The Asia Superbike ASB1000 class delivered an thrilling start to Round 3 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at Mobility Resort Motegi, Japan, with just over half a second separating the top five riders after an intense day of combined practice.
Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah of JDT RACING TEAM emerged as the rider to beat, setting a blistering best lap of 1’49.752s in Practice 1 that remained unbeaten throughout the day. The Malaysian’s benchmark lap secured top spot in the combined standings and sent a clear message to his rivals ahead of qualifying.
However, the battle at the front is far from settled. Home favourite Keito Abe of SDG HARC-PRO. HONDA PHILIPPINES delivered a stunning late charge in Practice 3, clocking a 1’50.021s to finish second overall, just 0.269s behind Hafizh. Racing on familiar territory, Abe’s pace ensured the Japanese fans had plenty to cheer about and positioned him as a serious contender for pole position.
The fight for supremacy intensified further with HONDA RACING THAILAND’s Nakarin Atiratphuvapat ending the day third overall. Nakarin was the only rider to top Practice 2 and consistently featured among the frontrunners throughout all three sessions, underlining both his race-winning potential.
Adding further intrigue was local wildcard Shota Ite of AKENO SPEED.UMA RACING YAMAHA MAJUMOTOR ASIA TEAM. The Japanese rider impressed from the opening session, finishing third in Practice 1 before maintaining his challenge throughout the day. His combined best of 1’50.166s placed him fourth overall, just 0.414s adrift of Hafizh and firmly in contention for a front-row start.
Completing the top five was another Japanese star, Kohta Arakawa of Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing. Arakawa demonstrated remarkable consistency across all three sessions and remained within striking distance of the leading quartet, highlighting the strength of the local challenge at Motegi.
The day’s fastest speed belonged to Hafizh, who reached an astonishing 286.472kph in Practice 3, emphasizing the incredible performance levels being achieved around the iconic Japanese circuit.
Hafizh shared,“Syukur Alhamdulillah, we finished the day as the fastest overall, which is a very encouraging start to the weekend. The conditions in the morning were almost perfect, and we were able to set a very competitive lap time. In the afternoon, heavy rain arrived, so I only completed a few laps to better understand the bike’s behaviour in wet conditions. The positive thing is that we now have a solid wet setup and a clearer understanding of the areas that still need improvement. Later in the session, as the track began to dry, there were still some damp patches in several corners, so I focused on maintaining my rhythm and gathering as much information as possible. Unfortunately, we experienced a small electronics issue, which forced us to stop briefly. We managed to get back out on track and improve our lap time, but the same issue appeared again. The team is working hard to identify the cause, and hopefully we can resolve it before tomorrow. Overall, I am happy with our pace, and I hope we can have a smooth Qualifying session and prepare ourselves well for both Race 1 and Race 2.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – COMBINED PRACTICE
1. HAFIZH SYAHRIN ABDULLAH – JDT RACING TEAM (1’49.752s)
2. KEITO ABE – SDG HARC-PRO. HONDA PHILIPPINES (1’50.021s)
3. NAKARIN ATIRATPHUVAPAT – HONDA RACING THAILAND (1’50.100s)
4. SHOTA ITE – AKENO SPEED.UMA RACING YAMAHA MAJUMOTOR ASIA TEAM (1’50.166s)
5. KOHTA ARAKAWA – Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing (1’50.289s)