Malaysian motorcycle star Hafizh Syahrin delivered an encouraging performance on his return to competitive action, finishing fourth overall in the ASB1000 Free Practice sessions on Day 1 of Round 1 of the Asia Road Racing Championship 2025 at the Chang International Circuit, Buriram.
After nearly four months off the bike, the JDT Racing Team rider made a strong impression in his comeback, recording a best lap time of 1:36.082 – just 0.322 seconds shy of the session leader, Apiwath Wongthananon of Thailand.
Reflecting on the day’s performance, Hafizh expressed satisfaction with the progress made, especially under the scorching heat, where track temperatures soared to nearly 72°C.
“It’s good to be back after four months without riding the bike,” said Hafizh. “We completed FP1, FP2, and FP3 today, and overall it was a productive first day. This morning felt really good, and although it got extremely hot by midday, we stayed focused on improving.”
The 30-year-old former MotoGP rider highlighted key technical adjustments made throughout the sessions:
“In the second run, I concentrated on refining the electronics, and in FP3, we tested some changes to the rear suspension. It turns out the setup from the morning session worked slightly better, so that gives us good data moving forward.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s qualifying session, Hafizh remains optimistic.
“Everyone is really fast and the competition is very close, but I believe we can take another step forward tomorrow. I’ll give it everything I’ve got, and we’ll see where we end up on the starting grid for Race 1.”
Credit Photo : BRIC
