HELMI RECLAIMED CONTROL
Race 2 of Round 3 in the 2025 AEON CREDIT MAM MALAYSIA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP witnessed an emphatic comeback by Muhd Helmi Azman of HONDA RACING MALAYSIA, who stormed to victory in the MSBK600 class at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit.
From the race start, Muhd Izam Ikmal Izamli of HONG LEONG YAMAHA MALAYSIA got off the line strongly to seize the early lead. But it didn’t take long before Helmi made a bold move to overtake and establish himself at the front, with teammate, Khairul Idham Pawi holding third. The trio quickly pulled away from the chasing group, building a 3-second gap by Lap 2.
The early laps delivered thrilling exchanges as Izam and Helmi swapped positions several times, but Helmi soon began to showcase his superior pace. On Lap 3, he set the fastest time at 2’12.490s, retaking the lead before clocking yet another blistering effort of 2’11.679s on Lap 5.
By mid-race, Helmi had carved out a commanding advantage, leaving Izam and Khairul locked in a fierce battle for second place. Their duel reached fever pitch on Lap 8, with both riders overtaking each other at nearly every turn, delivering a nail-biting fight to the chequered flag.
At the front, Helmi crossed the finish line unchallenged in 22’07.363s to claim a statement win. Behind him, the fight for second went down to the wire, with Izam prevailing over Khairul by just 0.076s, finishing in 22’16.202s against Khairul’s 22’16.278s.
Helmi expressed, “The race today was quite tough. This week we didn’t get the chance to try out any proper settings, and even during the race the bike adjustments were still far from ideal. My target was to run a 2’10 pace, but I could only manage 2’11. I couldn’t push any harder, so I just focused on maintaining my pace. Early on, Izam gave me a good fight, but I knew I had the pace, so I stayed calm and managed the situation. Above all, I want to thank my team for working so hard this week, especially after my crash yesterday. Today’s result was my way of redeeming that disappointment. I’ll take the experience from this race and carry it forward into the next one.”
SIC AND TWMR WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO AEON CREDIT (M) BERHAD FOR THE SUPPORT RENDERED THIS WEEKEND DURING AEON CREDIT MAM MALAYSIA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP.
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2
1. MUHD HELMI AZMAN – HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (22’07.363s)
2. MUHD IZAM IKMAL IZAMLI – HONG LEONG YAMAHA MALAYSIA (22’16.202s)
3. KHAIRUL IDHAM PAWI – HONDA RACING MALAYSIA (22’16.278s)
4. CAO VIET NAM – HONDA RACING VIETNAM TEAM (22’29.043s)
5. FARRES PUTRA MOHD FADHIL – HONG LEONG YAMAHA MALAYSIA (22’31.828s)