Malaysia’s own Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah finished the race in P2 but officially sealed the ASB1000 overall championship title for the second season.
While Kaito Toba of the Forty Forged Asia Racing Team took the Race 2 victory with a commanding performance, Syahrin’s crucial runner-up finish was more than enough to put the championship out of reach for his rivals.
The showdown under dry conditions saw fierce competition from the lights out. Japanese ace Kaito Toba piloted his BMW M1000 RR to a flawless victory. Toba also registered the fastest lap of the race, clocking a blistering 2:06.128 and hitting a top speed of 295.9 km/h.
Riding for the JDT Racing Team, Hafizh Syahrin chased hard on his Ducati Panigale V4R, bringing it home in second place just 2.885 seconds behind Toba with a total time of 29:40.108. Keito Abe of SDG HARC-PRO Honda Philippines rounded out the podium, finishing third with a 7.229-second gap to the race leader.
Syahrin’s podium finish on home soil effectively locked in his ASB1000 crown. The JDT Racing Team star has accumulated a massive 245 points across the season, securing an insurmountable lead.
Here is how the top of the overall championship standings look following Round 5:
- Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah (JDT Racing Team): 245 points
- Keito Abe (SDG HARC-PRO Honda Philippines): 188 points
- Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Honda Racing Thailand): 120 points
- Rocco Sessler (Forty Forged Asia Racing Team): 96 points
- Muhammad Zaqhwan Zaidi (Idemitsu Honda Racing Malaysia): 96 points
Local riders put on a solid show in Race 2 to delight the Sepang crowds. Beyond Syahrin’s podium heroics, the Idemitsu Honda Racing Malaysia duo of Azroy Hakeem Anuar and Muhammad Zaqhwan Zaidi secured fourth and fifth places, finishing 11.132 seconds and 14.526 seconds off the lead respectively.
With the championship sealed, Syahrin cements his legacy as the undisputed king of the ASB1000 class for 2026.
Credit Photo : JDT Racing Team
