Round 5 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2026 reached a milestone at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, where the ASB1000 category saw Japan’s Kaito Toba of FORTY FORGED ASIA RACING TEAM claimed a dominant victory, while a calculated second-place finish officially crowned Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah of JDT RACING TEAM the 2026 ASB1000 Overall Champion with a round to spare.

When the race began, Keito Abe of SDG HARC-PRO. HONDA PHILIPPINES surged off the line to take the holeshot, but was quickly overhauled before the end of the opening lap by Nakarin Atiratphuvapat of HONDA RACING THAILAND. Behind them, Azroy Hakeem Anuar of IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA ran third, with Hafizh shadowing closely in fourth.

The lead battles escalated on lap 2 as Hafizh sliced up to second, but Kaito and Keito retaliated swiftly. By lap 3, Kaito set the benchmark at 2’06.509s to snatch the lead from Nakarin. Kaito then lowered the benchmark further on lap 4 with a 2’06.179s, pulling a comfortable margin while early drama saw Adam Norrodin of AMI SUZUKI MOTORSPORT crash out and Mohammad Adenanta Putra of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM retire with a mechanical failure.

Behind the runaway leader, Hafizh faced relentless resistance from Keito before executing a clean move on lap 5 to break into the podium places. Slicing past Nakarin on lap 6, Hafizh assumed second place, trailing Kaito by 1.821s. Kaito clocked the race’s fastest lap of 2’06.128s on lap 7, consolidating a two-second cushion.

Understanding the broader championship picture, Hafizh opted for a risk-free ride. Rather than risking a late-race crash against the blistering leader, Hafizh kept a solid three-second margin over main title rival Keito.

Kaito maintained his faultless rhythm to take the checkered flag first at 29’37.223s. Crossing the line in second at 29’40.108s, Hafizh missed out on a 10th straight victory but secured the coveted ASB1000 riders’ championship on home soil. Keito completed the podium in third at 29’44.452s, while the IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA duo of Azroy and Muhammad Zaqhwan Zaidi rounded out the top five.

Hafizh said, “I really want to thank everyone involved in this project. Most of all, thank you to our boss, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, the Crown Prince of Johor, who has trusted me for three years now. In this third year, we made several changes to myself and within the team, and everyone played their part. The race was so tough out there. Battling Keito mid-race was intense. Every time I tried to pass him in the corners, he fought back hard, and that allowed Kaito to pull a gap ahead.”

“Around the middle of the race, I had to think about the championship. I knew I had the speed to catch Kaito, but I didn’t need an all-out battle with him. The real mission was to finish in front of Keito. Our approach was simple, if you can win, go win, but if not, make sure you stay ahead of Keito. We rode a smart, calculated race, and we pulled it off.”

“Thank you so much to all the fans who came out, to Team Principal Steven Tan, Team Manager Razmin, and the whole crew. We had to change crew chiefs several times because of their World Championship duties, but we worked hard and made the best out of our package. A massive thank you to all the fans in Johor and throughout Malaysia. And finally, this is dedicated to my late brother, Farres. We never forget you.”

TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2

1. KAITO TOBA – FORTY FORGED ASIA RACING TEAM (29’37.223s)

2. HAFIZH SYAHRIN ABDULLAH – JDT RACING TEAM (29’40.108s)

3. KEITO ABE – SDG HARC-PRO. HONDA PHILIPPINES (29’44.452s)

4. AZROY HAKEEM ANUAR – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (29’48.355s)

5. MUHAMMAD ZAQHWAN ZAIDI – IDEMITSU HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (29’51.749s)