The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2026 continued its battle for Round 5 at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia today. Thanat Laoongplio of HONDA RACING THAILAND emerged on top, showcasing commanding speed across both outings to lead the Combined Practice standings.
Thanat set an early benchmark during Practice 1 when he recorded a 2’11.055s on his 9th tour to take the top spot. Malaysia’s Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin of HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING applied immediate pressure in second place with a 2’11.409s, while Anupab Sarmoon of YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM secured third with a 2’11.781s. Muhammad Helmi Azman of IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA and Wahyu Nugroho of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA rounded out the top five.
In Practice 2, lap times dropped across the entire field. Thanat once again took charge, finding remarkable rhythm and carrying substantial corner speed to become the only rider to break below the 2’11 mark. His lap of 2’10.197s on his 8th lap, coupled with a top speed of 252.3kph, cemented his position at the top of the combined timesheets.
Kasma lowered his own benchmark to a 2’10.729s on lap 9 to secure second place overall, finishing roughly half a second behind the leader. Anupab retained his third position overall, lowering his mark to a 2’11.147s while registering the session’s fastest top speed at 255.9kph.
Behind the top three, Wahyu mounted a stronger charge in Practice 2, improving to a 2’11.219s on lap 6 to edge into fourth overall. Helmi capped off the combined top five by posting a 2’12.178s.
Thanat shared, “To finish today as the fastest rider is an incredible feeling, and I am truly so happy with what we achieved. A lot of credit goes to our prior preparation when we raced here for MSBK. Having all that data to cross-reference gave us a massive head start, allowing the team to build a virtually perfect baseline setup for me right from the opening laps.”
“After today’s sessions, my confidence on the bike grew so much. In Practice 2, everything came together, which allowed us to push harder, find extra pace, and lower our lap times significantly. For tomorrow, the bike is already in a great place, so the main focus will be on myself. I want to refine my riding style just a little bit to squeeze out that extra edge. I really hope we can maintain this strong form overall tomorrow and turn this Friday pace into the exact qualifying and race targets we set out to achieve.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – COMBINED PRACTICE
1. THANAT LAOONGPLIO – HONDA RACING THAILAND (2’10.197s)
2. KASMA DANIEL KASMAYUDIN – HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING (2’10.729s)
3. ANUPAB SARMOON – YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM (2’11.147s)
4. WAHUYU NUGROHO – YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA (2’11.219s)
5. MUHAMMAD HELMI AZMAN – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (2’12.178s)