ADENANTA BOUNCED BACK IN RACE 2
Round 1 of the 2026 MAM Malaysia Superbike Championship at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit delivered a thrilling wet-weather showdown in Race 2 of the MSBK1000 A category, where Mohammad Adenanta Putra of ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM produced a composed and decisive performance to secure victory and bounce back from a difficult Race 1.
The race was initially delayed after a red flag was shown during the warm-up lap due to a sudden change in weather. With rain intensifying, Race Direction called teams back into the pits as they quickly switched to wet tyres, setting up a shortened seven-lap sprint on a fully soaked circuit.
When the race finally got underway, Muhd Zaqhwan Zaidi from Malaysia immediately surged into the lead, setting a strong early pace despite the treacherous conditions. Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin of HONG LEONG YAMAHA MALAYSIA followed in second, with Adenanta settling into third ahead of Adam Norrodin and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman of AMI SUZUKI MOTORSPORT.
By Lap 2, Zaqhwan was pushing at extreme pace, reaching 282km/h, but Adenanta remained close in the fight, just 0.276s behind. On Lap 3, Azlan made a significant move into second place with a fastest lap of 2’28.075s, closing rapidly on the leader, while Adenanta stayed steady in third and Adam continued a lone ride in fourth.
Zaqhwan responded on Lap 4 with another fastest lap of 2’27.266s, but Azlan stayed within striking distance. Lap 5 saw Azlan push harder again with a 2’25.738s lap, tightening the battle at the front as Adenanta and Adam gradually edged closer to the lead group.
The decisive moment came on Lap 6 when Azlan briefly took the lead, only for Adenanta to immediately counter with a clean and calculated overtake to seize first place. From there, he controlled the final lap under intense pressure.
Adenanta crossed the line in 17’14.132s to claim victory, followed by Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman in 17’16.001s and Muhd Zaqhwan Zaidi in 17’16.937s after a late charge.
Adenanta said, “This weekend both races were wet, and it’s my first experience in these conditions in this category. Yesterday I had good pace but crashed on the last lap. I learned from that—today I stayed calm, improved lap by lap, and managed the tyres better. In the final laps, I knew I could push. Alhamdulillah for the win. This is important for my experience, and now I’m ready for Round 2 of ARRC in Buriram.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2
1. MOHAMMAD ADENANTA PUTRA – ASTRA HONDA RACING TEAM (17’14.132s)
2. AZLAN SHAH KAMARUZAMAN – AMI SUZUKI MOTORSPORT (17’16.001s)
3. MUHD ZAQWHAN ZAIDI – MALAYSIA (17’16.937s)
4. ADAM NORRODIN – AMI SUZUKI MOTORSPORT (17’17.188s)
5. KASMA DANIEL KASMAYUDIN – HONG LEONG YAMAHA MALAYSIA (17’25.305s)