The 2025 IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship roared to life today at Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, where Apiwath Wongthananon of A1 ENERGY BMW RACING TEAM surged to the top as the fastest rider in the combined ASB1000 practice sessions.
In Practice 1, Andi Farid Izdihar of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM displayed strong pace, setting the quickest lap at 1’36:021s. Just 0:061s behind him was Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah of JDT RACING TEAM with 1’36:082s, placing him second, while Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman of A1 ENERGY BMW RACING TEAM secured third with 1’36:119s.
During Practice 2, Azlan moved to the top with a lap time of 1’36:291s. Andi finished in second at 1’36:462s, while Muhammad Zaqhwan Zaidi of IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA rounded out the top three with 1’36:488s.
Struggling to adapt to his new BMW machine after switching from Yamaha, Apiwath showed impressive improvement in Practice 3, where he rocketed to the top with a fastest lap of 1’35:758s. Zaqhwan closely followed with 1’35:812s, while Nakarin Atiratphuvapat of HONDA RACING THAILAND placed third at 1’36:185s.
With the combined results from the three practice sessions, Apiwath emerged as the fastest overall, while Zaqhwan and Andi secured second and third positions, respectively.
Apiwath said, “Today was really exciting, with a new team, a new bike, everything was new! My lap times were good, and I was able to learn the bike and work well with the crew. In Practice 3, I tried a different setup, which was better than before. We’ll see how tomorrow’s Qualifying goes. The BMW machine is really fast for me, and I know I still need more time to learn the new bike, but it’s a step-by-step process. I know all the riders in ASB1000 are very strong, and my goal is to be on the podium this weekend.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – COMBINED PRACTICE
- Apiwath Wongthananon – A1 ENERGY BMW RACING TEAM (1’35:758s)
- Muhamamd Zaqhwan Zaidi – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (1’35:812s)
- Andi Farid Izdihar – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (1’36:021s)
- Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah – JDT RACING TEAM (1’36:082s)
- Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman – A1 ENERGY BMW RACING TEAM (1’36:119s)