ALI HIT THE FRONT
Muhd Ali Imran Mohd Dzul Hijri delivered a strong statement of intent in t
The opening sessions of Round 2 of the MAM Malaysia Superbike Championship 2026 saw Muhd Ali Imran Mohd Dzul Hijri of KEAT SENG MOTOR topped the Combined Practice classification for the BERJAYA SOMPO YAMAHA R15M RACE ELITES category at PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit.
In Free Practice 2, Ali Imran secured the fastest overall lap time of the day with a 2’51.756s effort, marking an impressive improvement from his earlier session. His performance placed him ahead of a tightly packed field, with several young talents separated by less than two seconds.
The opening Free Practice session saw Muhd Ikram Dani of EL CHONG MOTOR leading the way after clocking 2’52.859s, narrowly edging BLH RACING TEAM rider Muhd Farhan Naqib Mohd Faiz, who stopped the clock at 2’53.194s. Muhd Afiq Syazanie Muhd Zaini of HOCK LIONG, Nuzzul Ady Muhammad Sudin of M H MOTOR and Ali Imran completed the top five in the first outing.
However, the momentum shifted in the second session as Ali Imran found the perfect rhythm around the 5.543km circuit. The KEAT SENG MOTOR rider set the pace with a 2’51.756s lap, while Ikram Dani continued his strong form to finish second fastest at 2’52.885s. Adam Danial Abdul Fattah of ANN SENG MOTOR impressed with the third-fastest time of 2’52.931s, followed closely by Farhan Naqib at 2’52.964s and Ashraff Zaquan Bin Zainal Raif of LIANG SOON MOTOR at 2’52.974s.
Ali commented, “During Free Practice 2, I tried to close the gap to the front group. I allowed the other riders to move ahead first, then I focused on chasing them and studying their pace. Alhamdulillah, the strategy worked well and I managed to finish as the fastest rider today,” said Ali Imran.
“Of course, this is only the beginning and there is still a lot of work to do. The pace between the riders is very close, so we need to remain focused and continue improving the bike setup. For tomorrow’s Race 1, my goal is to stay at the front from the start. If I can create a gap from the group and maintain my rhythm until the finish, that would be the ideal situation. I will give my best effort and fight for the strongest result possible for my team.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – FREE PRACTICE (COMBINED)
1. MUHD ALI IMRAN MOHD DZUL HIJRI – KEAT SENG MOTOR (2’51.756s)
2. MUHD IKRAM DANI – EL CHONG MOTOR (2’52.859s)
3. ADAM DANIAL ABDUL FATTAH – ANN SENG MOTOR (2’52.931s)
4. MUHD FARHAN NAQIB MOHD FAIZ – BLH RACING TEAM (2’52.964s)
5. ASHRAFF ZAQUAN BIN ZAINAL RAIF – LIANG SOON MOTOR (2’52.974s)