Round 5 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2026 at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia saw the AP250 category tackled an intense eight-lap contest in Race 1. Krittapat Keankum of YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM displayed supreme composure to claim a hard-fought victory.
Earlier in Qualifying, Muhammad Fadhil Musyavi of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA captured pole position with a strong 2’31.806s lap, lining up alongside Irfan Ardiansyah of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM and teammate Candra H on the front row.
When the race started, Fadhil launched cleanly to seize the early advantage ahead of Candra. However, Krittapat was immediately on the move from third on the grid. Biding his time through the opening sectors, Krittapat carved his way through the pack before the end of the first tour to take the lead. On lap 2 at Turn 1, a collision unfortunately eliminated both Ahmad Afif Amran of AEON CREDIT JQK ZYNERGYS CARDINALS and Fahmi Basam of YAMAHA LFN HP969 INDONESIA RACING TEAM from contention.
Out front, Krittapat dictated the pace while a chasing group began closing in. Irfan slot into second, applying pressure to trim the deficit to just 0.195s by lap 5. Behind them, Rheza Danica Ahrens of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM staged a rapid charge from the midfield, setting the race’s fastest lap of 2’24.596s on lap 3 to join the battle alongside Fadhil and Gerry Salim of MsGlowForMen Racing Team.
By lap 7, Rheza had bridged the gap to sit just 0.014s behind Krittapat. The final lap turned into a tactical showdown between the leaders. Rheza launched a bold attack to momentarily snatch the lead, but Krittapat held his nerve. Krittapat executed a clean counter-move to reclaim P1, powering down the main straight to take the checkered flag at 19’29.168s. Fadhil capitalized on the late scramble to snatch second place at 19’29.261s, edging Rheza into third at 19’29.445s.
Krittapat shared, “First and foremost, I want to say a massive, heartfelt thank you to my entire team. They worked tirelessly all week long to give me such a competitive machine, and standing on the top step of the podium in Race 1 is the ultimate reward for all their sweat and dedication in the garage. Going into the race, I didn’t overcomplicate things with a strict plan. My only mindset was to stay calm, ride with pure instinct, and push hard from start to finish.”
“Throughout the laps, my main focus was to be smart, managing the engine temperatures and preserving the tires so I would still have the grip to last the whole race. Deep down, I kept telling myself to trust my ability and just execute what I knew I was capable of. To cross that finish line first and actually achieve it is an incredible, emotional feeling. We set out to take this victory, and we did it.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
1. KRITTAPAT KEANKUM – YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM (19’29.168s)
2. MUHAMMAD FADHIL MUSYAVI – YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA (19’29.261s)
3. RHEZA DANICA AHRENS – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (19’29.445s)
4. GERRY SALIM – MsGlowForMen Racing Team (19’29.761s)
5. IRFAN ARDIANSYAH – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (19’29.820s)