Race 1 in Round 4 of LFN FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2026 at the Mandalika International Circuit in Indonesia saw hometown hero Wahyu Nugroho of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA secure a brilliant and composed victory, marking his maiden win in the SS600 category right in front of his local fans.
Following the Qualifying session, Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin of HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING claimed pole position with a time of 1’37.091s. He narrowly edged out Herjun Atna Firdaus of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM and Wahyu Nugroho, with the three riders successfully locking out the front row.
As the race started, Kasma made a strong initial start, but Herjun executed a precise move at Turn 1 to take the early lead. Anupab Sarmoon of YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM slotted into third, closely followed by Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA.
By lap 2, Wahyu found his optimal racing line and made a decisive move to take over the lead. Herjun dropped to second, while Thanat Laoongplio of HONDA RACING THAILAND began an incredibly impressive charge, moving up to fourth after starting from the eighth position on the grid.
Wahyu maintained his lead through lap 3 to 5, carefully managing his pace ahead of Anupab and Thanat. The chasing pack continually pushed the limits, resulting in a continuous exchange of fastest lap times. Herjun clocked a 1’37.706s on lap six, only for Thanatvto respond with a 1’37.680s on lap 7. The pace continued to quicken as Herjun posted a 1’37.635s on lap eight.
The immense pressure at the front finally took its toll during the closing stages of the race. On lap ten, while Anupab set the fastest lap of the race at 1’37.458s in pursuit of the leader, Herjun suffered a sudden crash, abruptly ending his podium hopes. The drama escalated further on lap eleven when Anupab running in a strong second place, also fell from contention.
These late-stage incidents cleared the path for Wahyu. Navigating the final lap with total composure, he crossed the finish line to claim his first SS600 victory with a total time of 19’35.596s. Kasma capitalized on the late-race attrition to take second place at 19’35.971s, while Thanat’s excellent recovery ride earned him third place at 19’36.308s.
The top three riders had established a massive seven-second gap over the second group. Further back, a final-lap crash for Faerozi promoted McKinley Kyle Paz of HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING to fourth place, with Arai Agaska Dibani Laksana of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA rounding out the top five.
Wahyu expressed, “Alhamdulillah, I am so incredibly grateful to Allah for blessing me with this beautiful result today. Crossing that finish line and hearing the home crowd cheering, I honestly felt overwhelmed with emotion. This achievement is truly the reward of a massive collective effort. My team has worked relentlessly behind the scenes, pouring their hearts out, staying up late, and giving absolutely everything to provide me with a perfectly set-up machine. I simply could not have achieved this without their dedication and hard work in the garage.”
“On a personal note, this weekend is exceptionally special for me and my family. I want to dedicate this performance to my sister and wish her a very happy birthday! Even more exciting, I can officially share that I am now a very proud uncle! Being able to bring this maiden victory home to celebrate these beautiful family milestones makes this moment even sweeter and more meaningful than I could have ever imagined.”
“As for the race itself, I managed to get a fantastic launch off the line, which gave me a very strong start and positioned me perfectly with the front group right away. From that moment on, I just kept my head down, focused on maintaining my rhythm, and made sure to ride smartly while managing my tires. It was a tough and demanding race mentally, especially seeing the crashes happening closely behind me in the final laps. My heart rate spiked, but my confidence in the bike was high, and I kept telling myself to stay calm. Everything just clicked for us today.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
1. WAHYU NUGROHO – YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA (19:35.596s)
2. KASMA DANIEL KASMAYUDIN – HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING (19’35.971ss)
3. THANAT LAOONGPLIO – HONDA RACING THAILAND (19’36.308s)
4. MCKINLEY KYLE PAZ – HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING (19’48.829s)
5. ARAI AGASKA DIBANI LAKSANA – YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA (19’51.586s)