Round 5 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2026 brought to a conclusion in the Race 2 of SS600 category at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. Wahyu Nugroho of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA capitalized on an opening at the final corner to claim a breathtaking victory.
When the race got underway, Anupab Sarmoon of YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM made a solid launch to seize the holeshot, pursued closely by Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah of YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA. Race 1 winner Thanat Laoongplio of HONDA RACING THAILAND slotted into third, but a mechanical problem on the opening tour forced him into sudden retirement.
The championship fight intensified instantly as Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin of HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING began his assault from fourth. On lap 3, Wahyu posted a fast lap of 2’11.241s to stay within touching distance of the leaders just as Faerozi and Kasma drafted past Anupab. Kasma then made a decisive move on Faerozi into Turn 1 on lap 4 to take the lead.
The middle stages produced non-stop overtakes among the frontrunners. Muhammad Helmi Azman of IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA clocked the race’s fastest lap of 2’11.056s on lap 5 to join the podium scrap, while Anupab executed a bold dive at the final corner to momentarily disrupt Kasma’s rhythm. Kasma quickly countered on lap 6, leading the pack through intense pressure from Anupab, Faerozi, and Wahyu.
On lap 8, Wahyu picked off Faerozi for third, locking onto Kasma and Anupab. On the final lap, Kasma held the front into the technical sectors, but Wahyu made his move on Anupab to seize second. With Kasma defending into the final turn, the Malaysian ran wide on corner entry, Wahyu seized the opening immediately, out-dragging Kasma down the main straight to take the checkered flag first at 22’03.535s by a 0.078s margin. Kasma settled for second at 22’03.613s, while Anupab secured third at 22’03.774s. Faerozi and Helmi rounded out the top five.
Wahyu said, “Alhamdulillah, I am so proud of my entire team. They worked tirelessly from the moment we arrived, overcoming every challenge even when our freight containers arrived late. A huge thank you to my family and my loving wife back home. Your endless prayers and support mean everything to me. The start of the race was wild and chaotic. Into the first lap, someone made an aggressive dive-bomb move on the inside that felt reckless and nearly took us all out.”
“Instead of losing my head, I stayed calm, focused on surviving the opening exchanges, and settled into the rhythm of the front group. Seeing my teammate Faerozi fighting up ahead gave me a boost of motivation. I kept my head down, matched the pace of my racing ‘brothers’ at the front, and waited for the right moments to strike. Alhamdulillah, all that patience and determination paid off, and we were able to take the victory once again.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2
1. WAHYU NUGROHO – YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA (22’03.535s)
2. KASMA DANIEL KASMAYUDIN – HONG LEONG YAMAHA RACING (22’03.613s)
3. ANUPAB SARMOON – YAMAHA THAILAND RACING TEAM (22’03.774s)
4. MUHAMMAD FAEROZI TOREQOTTULLAH – YAMAHA RACING INDONESIA (22’04.098s)
5. MUHAMMAD HELMI AZMAN – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (22’04.352s)