Round 5 of the IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2025 delivered a thrilling Race 1 in the UB150 class at the Sepang International Circuit, with Malaysian Ahmad Afif Amran of Pitsbike Superfast JRT Rapido Racing Team producing a stunning late-race charge to claim victory on home soil.
Afif made a strong start, initially taking the lead, but the opening corners saw rapid position changes as the pack jostled for supremacy. By Lap 2, Afif regained the lead, closely shadowed by Indonesia’s Gupita Kresna Wardhana of ZIEAR LFN HP969 MCR RBT 34, Dimas Juli Atmoko of RACETECH SIXTY Racing, Peerapong Luiboonpeng of ONE FOR ALL, and April King Mascardo of UMA MMR YAMAHA PHILIPPINE RACING TEAM. Peerapong later slowed with technical issues and retired from the race.
Lap 3 saw Afif drop to ninth in split seconds, with Wahyu Aji Trilaksana of RACETECH SIXTY Racing leading, before April made a bold move to take the front. On Lap 4, Danial Damar of YAMAHA LFN HP969 INDONESIA RACING TEAM surged ahead, while Afif recovered to second, maintaining relentless pressure. The tightly packed group continued to swap positions, with all riders separated by less than a second.
By Lap 5, Adytya Fauzi of JPNW SND FACTORY RACING, who served penalty by starting from pit lane, charged up to second position, setting the stage for an electrifying finale.
On the final lap, Afif unleashed a masterful attack, accelerating past the group and creating an uncatchable 1.358s gap to claim the checkered flag in 15’43.856s. Fahmi Basam of YAMAHA LFN HP969 INDONESIA RACING TEAM held on for second at 15’45.070s, while Husni Zainul Fuadzy of ZIEAR LFN HP969 MCR RBT 34 completed the podium in 15’45.075s.
Ahmad Afif commented, “At the beginning of the lap, I tried to break away but wasn’t successful, so I had to stay in the front group first. On the last lap, I tried once again and bet on it. I pushed a bit too early at the first turn, usually riders push at Sector 3 or Sector 4. I tried to take that chance and make the most of it, and Alhamdulillah, I saw the gap growing and just maintained the speed until the finish line. I believe tomorrow’s race will be even tougher, so I need to plan a new strategy because today they might have figured out mine. Let’s see how tomorrow’s race will turn out. Thank you to the team, and not forgetting the crew who worked very hard this year. Alhamdulillah, in this round we managed to be on the podium.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
- AHMAD AFIF AMRAN – Pitsbike Superfast JRT Rapido Racing Team (15’43.856s)
- FAHMI BASAM – YAMAHA LFN HP969 INDONESIA RACING TEAM (15’45.070s)
- HUSNI ZAINUL FUADZY – ZIEAR LFN HP969 MCR RBT 34 (15’45.075s)
- DIMAS JULI ATMOKO – RACETECH SIXTY Racing (15’45.080s)
- WAHYU AJI TRILAKSANA – RACETECH SIXTY Racing (15’45.122s)