Md Izam Ikmal of VICTOR RACING TEAM delivered a masterful performance to claim a hard-fought victory in Race 1 of the AP250 category at Round 3 of the 2025 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, held at the Mobility Resort Motegi, Japan.
In the earlier qualifying session, Mohammad Murobbil Vitoni of YAMAHA LFN HP969 INDONESIA RACING TEAM secured pole position with a blistering lap time of 2’06.912s. Completing the front row were two of Japan’s wild card hopefuls: Ryuji Yokoe of TEAM TECH2 & YSS clocked 2’07.324s to secure second, while Ryota Ogiwara of SANWA RACING TEAM lined up third with a best lap of 2’07.505s.
As the race flagged off, Murobbil made a solid start to lead the pack, immediately pursued by Japan’s Ryota, Ryuji, and Riichi Takahira of TY Antares Racing Team. However, it was Fadillah Arbi Aditama of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM who quickly surged through the field to grab the lead in the opening phase.
By lap 3, Krittapat Keankum of YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM had taken control at the front, chased closely by the YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA duo — Candra H and Muhammad Fadhil Musyavi — keeping the lead group tightly bunched.
On lap 4, Murobbil regained the lead, but was immediately challenged by Izam, Fadhil, Fadil, and Candra as the front runners swapped positions through every sector. The race continued with relentless overtakes as Murobbil, Fadhil, and Krittapat battled fiercely for control.
Drama unfolded on lap 7 when Japan’s wild card rider, Ryuji Yokoe, saw his podium hopes vanish after a collision with Irfan Ardiansyah of MAEZTRO NWN SCK HONDA RACING TEAM ended both riders’ charge.
The final lap brought an explosive climax. Krittapat was leading when Md Izam Ikmal launched a decisive move to snatch the lead in the closing corners. Ryota Ogiwara seized the chance to dive past Krittapat too, launching a desperate challenge down the final straight.
Md Izam Ikmal held his nerve and crossed the line first to secure victory at 21’33.321s. Ryota Ogiwara finished just 0.010 seconds behind to claim second at 21’33.331s, while early leader Mohammad Murobbil Vitoni took third at 21’33.449s in one of the closest finishes of the season.
Izam said, “I’d like to thank my team for doing such a great job. We struggled a lot from Practice 1 right through to Qualifying, but we didn’t give up. Race 1 went well, but I had to plan my strategy carefully because my bike wasn’t the fastest out there, just good enough to stay with the front group. In the final three laps, everyone was really aggressive. On the last lap, I made a big push to get into the top three and then made my move in the third last corner to take the lead. But at the final corner, the Japanese rider (Ryota Ogiwara) overtook me, that moment was incredible! It’s not easy to overtake there, but I managed to get a good slipstream and used the straight to take the win. I guess today was my lucky day!”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
- Md Izam Ikmal – VICTOR RACING TEAM (21’33.321s)
- Ryota Ogiwara – SANWA RACING TEAM (21’33.331s)
- Mohammad Murobbil Vitoni – YAMAHA LFN HP969 INDONESIA RACING TEAM (21’33.449s)
- Krittapat Keankum – YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM (21’33.512s)
- Fadillah Arbi Aditama – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (21’33.692s)