Round 5 of the IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship delivered a thrilling Race 2 in the AP250 class at the Sepang International Circuit, as Fadillah Arbi Aditama of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM stormed to his fifth victory of the season following a spectacular final-lap attack.
At the start, Thailand’s Krittapat Keankum of YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM got off the line strongly, closely followed by Mohammad Murobbil Vitoni of YAMAHA LFN HP969 INDONESIA RACING TEAM in second, Candra H of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA in third, and Arbi in fourth.
By Lap 2, Murobbil took the lead, while Arbi climbed to second, shadowing the front-runner alongside Krittapat, Candra, and Muhammad Fadhil Musyavi of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA. The front group remained tightly packed with constant position changes at every turn.
Lap 3 saw Md Izam Ikmal of VICTOR RACING TEAM join the fray, creating a six-rider battle for the lead. Irfan Ardiansyah of MAEZTRO NWN SCK HONDA RACING TEAM set the fastest lap at 2’24.370s, moving up to second and keeping Arbi under pressure.
By Lap 6, Arbi clocked the fastest lap of 2’24.020s, reclaiming the top spot and asserting himself at the head of the group. The lead remained fiercely contested over the next laps, with Murobbil, Irfan, and Arbi exchanging positions in a tense battle for victory.
The decisive moment came on the final lap when Arbi executed a daring move at the last turn, pulling a crucial gap on the front group. He powered to the finish line to claim victory in 19’26.889s. Murobbil crossed second at 19’27.262s, while Irfan completed the podium at 19’27.299s.
Arbi said, “I guess it’s not correct because many riders touched me. But I tried to manage my pace and emotions, focused on breathing on the straights, and stayed relaxed. Anyway, I liked the way I raced today. Alhamdulillah, I got the win. I just tried to push every lap and look for something extra on the last lap. They thought maybe I was already at the limit, but actually I wasn’t. On the last lap I went for a full attack, braked as late as possible, managed the slide, and gave everything. Alhamdulillah, it worked and I took the win. Thank you so much to my team, fans, and sponsors. Yesterday I made a silly mistake, but today I repaid my team with this victory.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2
- FADILLAH ARBI ADITAMA – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (19’26.889s)
- MOHAMMAD MUROBBIL VITONI – YAMAHA LFN HP969 INDONESIA RACING TEAM (19’27.262s)
- IRFAN ARDIANSYAH – MAEZTRO NWN SCK HONDA RACING TEAM (19’27.299s)
- CANDRA H – YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA (19’27.308s)
- MD IZAM IKMAL – VICTOR RACING TEAM (19’27.334s)