Round 6 of the IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2025 delivered a thrilling Race 1 in the SS600 class at Chang International Circuit, Buriram, Thailand, where Thailand’s Apiwath Wongthananon of YAMAHA TNP stormed to a commanding victory in front of his home crowd.
At the start, Indonesia’s Aldi Satya Mahendra of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA launched strongly to lead the field, only to be overtaken by Apiwath and Thailand’s Anupab Sarmoon of YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM. The race took an early twist as championship contender Mohammad Adenanta Putra of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM crashed out of contention.
By Lap 2, Anupab led the pack with Apiwath close behind, followed by Thanat Laoongplio of HONDA RACING THAILAND, Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin of HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING, and Kitsada Tanachot of HONDA RACING THAILAND. Early incidents saw Rheza Danica Ahrens of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM and Kitsada crash, narrowing the competition.
Anupab set the fastest lap time 1’40.180s on Lap 3, but the lead continued to change hands. By Lap 5, Apiwath recorded a blistering lap time 1’39.761s to claim the front position, closely pursued by Kasma and Thanat, while Anupab temporarily dropped to fifth.
The intensity escalated as Aldi boldly surged to the lead, with Thanat second, Apiwath third, and Anupab fourth. Multiple overtaking attempts reshuffled the front group, but Apiwath remained relentless, timing his decisive attack to perfection. On Lap 11, he powered past the leaders, setting a pace no one could match, with Anupab in hot pursuit until the finish.
Crossing the line first, Apiwath clocked a winning time of 20’06.029s, followed by Anupab at 20’06.295s and Aldi in third at 20’06.618s.
Apiwath said, “It was a crazy race, so many overtakes from the beginning until the end. Big battles everywhere. For me, it was very exciting to return to SS600 and race again. I felt confident with the bike, and I want to thank my team for all their support.”
Updated standings after Race 1, Kasma leads with 154 points, Adenanta is second with 152 points, and Anupab is third with 151 points. With just three points separating these three riders, Race 2 promises to be intense and a race to watch.
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
1. APIWATH WONGTHANANON – YAMAHA TNP (20’06.029s)
2. ANUPAB SARMOON – YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM (20’06.295s)
3. ALDI SATYA MAHENDRA – YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA (20’06.618s)
4. THANAT LAOONGPLIO – HONDA RACING THAILAND (20’06.744s)
5. KHAIRUL IDHAM PAWI – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (20’06.977s)