The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2026 returned to action for Round 5 at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit, with the ASB1000 category taking to the track under demanding circumstances. Despite the disrupted preparations, Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah of JDT RACING TEAM set the early benchmark with a commanding run to the top of the timesheets.
Hafizh progressively built his rhythm across the opening session. He unleashed a blistering lap on his 11th tour, stopping the clock at 2’06.812s while clocking a session-topping top speed of 295.1kph. Hafizh emerged as the sole rider to dip below the 2’07 barrier, laying down a clear marker for the weekend ahead.
Behind him, IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA delivered a solid team display. Md Zaqhwan Zaidi matched Hafizh’s late charge on lap 11, posting a 2’07.140s to claim second place. His teammate Azroy Hakeem Anuar followed in close pursuit, setting a 2’07.221s on his 11th lap to lock down third, just 0.081s adrift of Zaqhwan. Both riders recorded identical maximum speeds of 292.7kph, underscoring Honda’s balanced pace.
Keito Abe of SDG HARC-PRO. HONDA PHILIPPINES remained firmly within striking distance, clocking 2’07.315s to claim fourth. Indonesia’s Md Adenanta Putra of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM rounded out the top five with a 2’07.601s, a benchmark he set early on lap 6.
Hafizh said, “Alhamdulillah, securing P1 in Practice 1 is a great result, but inside I just see it as another normal day on track. We went through a very stressful night leading into today. The freight containers arrived late, and everyone in the paddock was caught in the same situation. My team had to wake up before dawn and push relentlessly just to put the bike together in time. Seeing how hard my mechanics worked gave me so much motivation, and I truly could not ask for more from them. At the very least, all that sacrifice paid off and we got out on the track.”
“The track felt quite low on grip, so our pace was a little slower compared to Round 1 here. But we learned a lot, and I really hope the track condition improves tomorrow. This weekend carries a lot of meaning because we finally have the opportunity to fight for team championship points. That gives all of us extra hunger, but our main mission is simply to finish both races cleanly and collect every possible point for the team. Tomorrow brings a fresh challenge with Practice 2 followed by two separate qualifying sessions. Having Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2 is a different format, but I actually welcome it. For now, I am taking everything session by session, keeping a calm head, and riding with pure joy.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – PRACTICE 1
1. HAFIZH SYAHRIN ABDULLAH – JDT RACING TEAM (2’06.812s)
2. MD ZAQHWAN ZAIDI – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (2’07.140s)
3. AZROY HAKEEM ANUAR – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (2’07.221s)
4. KEITO ABE – SDG HARC-PRO. HONDA PHILIPPINES (2’07.315s)
5. MD ADENANTA PUTRA – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (2’07.601s)