Defending ASB1000 champion Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah delivered a commanding performance to win Race 2 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Round 1 at the Sepang International Circuit, leading a strong outing for JDT Racing Team.
The Malaysian star, riding the powerful Ducati Panigale V4R, overcame an early challenge before storming to victory with the fastest lap of the race.
Hafizh made a solid start but initially dropped into the second group during the opening exchanges. However, the experienced rider quickly regained momentum and made a decisive move on Keito Abe just past the halfway mark of the opening lap.
Once he took the lead, Hafizh began pulling away from the chasing pack, steadily increasing the gap with consistent lap times.
By the halfway stage of the race, the Malaysian rider had built a comfortable advantage of more than four seconds over second place.
Heading into the final three laps, teammate Andi Farid Izdihar had climbed into podium contention, sitting in third place and giving JDT Racing Team the possibility of a double podium finish.
Meanwhile, Hafizh remained untouchable at the front, extending his advantage to more than eight seconds at one stage while maintaining impressive pace.
The race concluded with Hafizh taking victory in style, clocking a fastest lap of 2:05.489, improving on his performance from the previous day.
Behind him, Japan’s Keito Abe from SDG HARC-PRO Honda Philippines managed to secure second place, finishing 4.779 seconds behind the race winner.
Andi Farid Izdihar held on for third place, crossing the line just 4.785 seconds behind Hafizh after a late battle with Abe near the finish.
The result marked a double podium for JDT Racing Team, highlighting a strong start to their 2026 Asia Road Racing Championship campaign.
Two more Malaysian riders rounded out the top five, with Zaqhwan Zaidi and Azroy Anuar of IDEMITSU Honda Racing Malaysia finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
Both riders remained competitive throughout the race, finishing +7.738 seconds and +7.859 seconds behind the winner.
For Hafizh Syahrin, the victory reinforces his status as one of Asia’s premier superbike riders and signals a strong title defence for the season ahead.
Credit Photo : ARRC
