Round 1 of the IDEMITSU FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2026 officially came alive today at the Sepang International Circuit, where Malaysia’s Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin of HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING delivered a powerful statement by topping the SS600 combined practice times.
Kasma wasted no time asserting his presence in Practice 1, where he set the pace with a rapid 2’10.523s, putting him 0.365 seconds ahead of Khairul Idham Pawi of IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA, who posted 2’10.888s. Herjun Atna Firdaus of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM held third with 2’11.098s, while Muhammad Helmi Azman and Thailand’s Anupab Sarmoon completed the top five in a closely matched opening session.
Practice 2 saw Khairul respond with a strong lap of 2’10.834s, placing him at the top of the session, ahead of Kasma, who registered 2’11.042s. Helmi maintained his upward trajectory in third with 2’11.293s, followed by Herjun and Anupab, both displaying consistent and competitive form as the temperatures rose on track.
But it was Practice 3 where Kasma delivered his strongest punch of the day. He clocked a blistering 2’10.498s, the fastest time across all sessions. Khairul kept the pressure on with 2’10.794s, and Helmi made it another strong outing for the Malaysian contingent with his 2’11.183s lap. Herjun remained steady in fourth, and Fadillah Arbi Aditama made his way into the top five with a 2’11.732s run.
With all sessions results combined, Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin emerged firmly as the fastest rider of the day, an important morale boost as he returns to his home circuit with high expectations.
Kasma stated, “Everything went well today. The practice sessions were positive and we managed to set good lap times, although it is still not quite as strong as last year. We still need to make some adjustments to the setup. I hope tomorrow in Qualifying we can improve further and achieve a better lap time. I will stay positive, and I hope to secure a front-row position, insyaallah everything will go well.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – COMBINED PRACTICE
1. KASMA DANIEL KASMAYUDIN – HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING (2’10.498s)
2. KHAIRUL IDHAM PAWI – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (2’10.794s)
3. HERJUN ATNA FIRDAUS – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (2’11.098s)
4. MUHAMMAD HELMI AZMAN – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (2’11.152s)
5. ANUPAB SARMOON – YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM (2’11.257s)