Round 5 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2026 at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia concluded today. Fadli Rigani of YAMAHA LFN HP969 INDONESIA RACING TEAM picked his way through to seize a breathtaking victory in Race 2 of UB150 category.
Off the line, Gupita Kresna Wardhana of ZIEAR LFN HP969 ADELIN MCR RBT34 made a sharp launch to lead the pack into Turn 1, trailed closely by Nazirul Izzat Muhammad Bahauddin of UMA RACING YAMAHA MAJU MOTOR TEAM, M. Syirat Sauki of YAMAHA LFN HP969 INDONESIA RACING TEAM, and newly crowned champion Husni Zainul Fuadzy of ZIEAR LFN HP969 ADELIN MCR RBT34. Syirat took control on lap 2, but Race 1 standout Muhammad Adib Arsyad Mohd Hisam of UMA RACING YAMAHA MAJU MOTOR TEAM suffered an early exit after crashing out of contention.
The lead changed hands at nearly every sector. Fadli made his first major charge on lap 3, slicing to the front ahead of Syirat, April King Mascardo of RACETECH YAMAHA PHILIPPINES RACING TEAM, and John Emerson Inguito of 4S1M EVO YAMAHA Racing Team. Meanwhile, Ahmad Darwisy Ahmad Sahir of MOTUL HONDA ASIA TEAM set the race’s fastest lap of 2’34.714s to jump into the top five.
Dimas Juli Atmoko of HJS YOUNGSTAR KAWAHARA RCTH SIXTY grabbed the lead on lap 4, before April surged ahead to control lap 5. On the final lap, Wahyu Aji Trilaksana of HJS YOUNGSTAR KAWAHARA RCTH SIXTY spearheaded an aggressive freight train, closely shadowed by Dimas, Adytya Fauzi of JPNW SND FACTORY RACING, Darwisy, and Syirat.
Entering the final corner, the tension boiled over when a multi-rider collision suddenly wiped out Wahyu, Dimas, Adytya, Syirat, and Husni. Positioning himself perfectly on the outside line, Fadli avoided the sliding machinery and powered onto the main straight to take the checkered flag first at 15’52.680s. MOTUL HONDA ASIA TEAM celebrated a double podium finish, with Darwisy and Shahrol Syazras Shahrol Yuzy crossing the line in second and third at 15’52.733s and 15’53.070s respectively. Nazirul and April rounded out the top five.
Fadli said, “Alhamdulillah for today’s race. Out there, the opening laps and the final stretch were undeniably the most intense and challenging moments, especially having to fight tooth and nail just to hold my racing line and stay within the top five.”
“On that dramatic last lap, I was overtaken and thought the podium was slipping away, but I refused to give up. I dug deep, mounted another attack, and fought my way back to the front. To avoid that chaos and cross the line like that after such a fierce battle is an incredible feeling for me and the entire team.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2
1. FADLI RIGANI – YAMAHA LFN HP969 INDONESIA RACING TEAM (15’52.680s)
2. AHMAD DARWISY AHMAD SAHIR – MOTUL HONDA ASIA TEAM (15’52.733s)
3. SHAHROL SYAZRAS SHAHROL YUZY – MOTUL HONDA ASIA TEAM (15’53.070s)
4. NAZIRUL IZZAT MUHAMMAD BAHAUDDIN – UMA RACING YAMAHA MAJU MOTOR TEAM (15’53.157s)
5. APRIL KING MASCARDO – RACETECH YAMAHA PHILIPPINES RACING TEAM (15’53.286s)