Malaysian star Hafizh Syahrin completed a perfect weekend at Mobility Resort Motegi after claiming a dominant victory in Race 2 of the ASB1000 category during Round 3 of the 2026 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC).
Riding the Ducati Panigale V4R for JDT Racing Team, Hafizh delivered another commanding performance, leading from the opening lap to secure back-to-back victories and strengthen his championship credentials.
Unlike Race 1, where he had to fight his way back to the front, Hafizh wasted no time in asserting his dominance in Race 2. The former MotoGP rider launched off the line brilliantly and seized the race lead in the opening sector of the first lap.
From that moment onward, the Malaysian controlled proceedings with remarkable consistency and pace around the iconic Motegi circuit.
By the halfway stage of the race, Hafizh had already established a comfortable advantage of more than three seconds over his nearest challenger, demonstrating the superior pace of both rider and machine throughout the 12-lap contest.
Hafizh’s performance was highlighted by a stunning fastest lap of 1:48.980, a time that came agonisingly close to surpassing his own Motegi benchmark of 1:48.950 set during qualifying the previous day.
The impressive pace underlined Hafizh’s complete mastery of the Japanese circuit throughout the weekend.
After crossing the finish line, he held a commanding margin of 4.979 seconds over home favourite Keito Abe of SDG HARC-PRO Honda Philippines, who once again had to settle for second place behind the flying Malaysian.
His teammate Andi Farid Izdihar delivered another solid performance to finish sixth, ending the race 11.497 seconds behind the winner and contributing valuable championship points for JDT Racing Team.
The result capped another productive weekend for the Malaysian-based squad, which continues to establish itself as one of the strongest teams in the premier ASB1000 class.
For IDEMITSU Honda Racing Malaysia, Race 2 produced contrasting outcomes. Veteran Malaysian rider Zaqhwan Zaidi showed resilience to finish P13 despite suffering a crash during the race. Although classified one lap behind the leader, the podium finish salvaged valuable points for the team.
However, teammate Azroy Anuar endured a disappointing afternoon after crashing out on Lap 4, resulting in a DNF and ending his hopes of adding to his points tally in Motegi.
Credit Photo : ARRC
