FAZLI SURVIVED CRASH TO WIN
The PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit hosted an eventful Race 1 for the MSBK250 B category during Round 3 of MAM Malaysia Superbike Championship 2026. Ahmad Fazli Sham Ahmad Walat of AFS46 RACING PROJECT BY BRAAAP delivered a composed and consistent performance, recovering from a final lap to secure the well-deserved victory.
Starting from pole position after a tight qualifying session where he clocked a 2’30.224s, Fazli immediately took control of the race. He led the pack into Turn 1, closely followed by Kabilesh Rajini Krishnan of RACR CASTROL POWER1 and Ng Wei Shyang of MAGIC PAPAYA RACING TEAM.
By the second lap, Fazli established a steady rhythm, pulling a two-second advantage over Kabilesh. As the race progressed to Lap 3, he doubled that gap to four seconds, utilizing his experience to manage the pace while Wei Shyang settled firmly into third. The grid spread out further on Lap 4, with Kabilesh struggling to match the leading pace.
A key highlight of Fazli’s performance came on Lap 5, where he set an impressive lap time of 2’29.630s, cementing his position at the front. The running order of Fazli, Kabilesh, and Wei Shyang remained unchanged through laps six and seven.
However, the final lap presented an unexpected challenge. A rider from the Group A category crashed at the first corner, leaving oil on the track. Fazli was caught out by the slippery surface and went down. Thanks to the massive gap he had meticulously built over the preceding seven laps, he was able to quickly pick up his bike and remount before his rivals could close the distance. Fazli crossed the finish line first with a total time of 20’36.281s. Kabilesh took second place at 20’45.001s, and Wei Shyang completed the podium at 20’50.445s.
Fazli shared, “My start to the race was quite strong, and I managed to close right in on the Group A pack. I pushed hard to stick with them, and honestly, my pace wasn’t bad, although I did slowly drop back a bit as the race went on. While trying to keep up with the frontrunners, I also made sure to focus on maintaining a safe gap from the riders behind me in my own group. I felt completely in the zone, just hitting my marks lap after lap.”
“Things took an unexpected turn on the final lap. One of the Group A riders crashed at the first corner and spilled oil on the track, which unfortunately caught me out and caused me to fall as well. My heart completely dropped in that moment. I thought all the hard work from the weekend was gone in a split second.”
“Thankfully, adrenaline kicked in immediately. I was able to quickly pick the bike up and keep going. Because of the comfortable gap I had built earlier over the rider in second place, I managed to hold onto the lead and cross the finish line to claim the win. The relief when I saw the chequered flag was overwhelming. Alhamdulillah, despite the late scare, it is a really rewarding result for Race 1 today.”
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 1
1. AHMAD FAZLI SHAM AHMAD WALAT – AFS46 RACING PROJECT BY BRAAAP (20’36.281s)
2. KABILESH RAJINI KRISHNAN – RACR CASTROL POWER1 (20’45.001s)
3. NG WEI SHYANG – MAGIC PAPAYA RACING TEAM (20’50.445s)