Race 1 of the Round 4 IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in the SS600 category delivered a dramatic spectacle as Muhammad Adenanta Putra of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM triumphed after an intense 12-lap battle, taking the chequered flag with tears of joy.
The race began with young Indonesian rider, Wahyu Nugroho of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA storming into the lead, chased closely by Herjun Atna Firdaus of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM and Malaysia’s Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin of HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING. Early drama struck as Md Syarifuddin Azman of IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA crashed out, while his teammate, Md Helmi Azman and Anupab Sarmoon of YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM also went down but managed to rejoin.
By Lap 4, Adenanta launched his first attack, overtaking Wahyu to take command, though the lead continued to change hands with Wahyu reclaiming P1 on Lap 6. The ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM duo of Herjun and Adenanta worked together by Lap 8 to seize the top two positions, raising hopes of a double podium celebration. However, heartbreak followed when Herjun crashed, leaving Adenanta to fend off relentless pressure from Yamaha’s Wahyu and Kasma.
The closing stages saw Wahyu briefly retake the lead on Lap 10, with Khairul Idham Pawi of BOON SIEW HONDA RACING TEAM climbing into podium contention. But the final lap brought even more drama with Khairul crashed out, and as Thanat Laoongplio of HONDA RACING THAILAND attempted a move, Mohammad Faerozi Toreqottullah of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA capitalised to snatch third.
Adenanta crossed the finish line first at 19’47.821s, claiming a hard-fought home victory. Wahyu followed just 0.143s behind at 19’47.964s, while Faerozi secured the final podium spot at 19’48.430s.
Adenanta said, “It was an incredible race and I am very happy. Thank you to my family, my father and mother, my girlfriend, and everyone who supported me this weekend. Also, a big thanks to my team and mechanics for helping me a lot, because I struggled yesterday and even crashed in Practice 2. This morning in Qualifying was still difficult, and during the race the setting was not perfect as I had many slides and almost crashed. But finally, I am the winner today. I am very happy because this victory is also very important for my championship points. After this, I will discuss with my team and push even harder for Race 2 tomorrow.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
- MOHAMMAD ADENANTA PUTRA – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (19’47.821s)
- WAHYU NUGROHO – YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA (19’47.964s)
- MUHAMMAD FAEROZI TOREQOTTULLAH – YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA (19’48.430s)
- KITSADA TANACHOT – HONDA RACING THAILAND (19’48.580s)
- THANAT LAOONGPLIO – HONDA RACING THAILAND (19’48.744s)