SYUKRI EXECUTED PERFECT STRATEGY
Round 4 of the MAM Malaysia Superbike Championship 2026 officially commenced today at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit. After making the difficult decision to sit out a wet morning session, Muhammad Syukri Mat Zoki of the MOBILUB SUZUKI RACING TEAM delivered an outstanding performance in the afternoon to firmly claim the fastest overall time on the timesheets, topping Combined Practice in the MSBK1000 B category.
The opening session of the day presented a huge challenge for the grid. Heavy rain left the track in a treacherous condition during Free Practice 1, prompting several riders to remain in their garages. Among those who braved the wet circuit, He Junpeng from China set the early pace. Junpeng navigated the tricky conditions to post a time of 2’34.545s on his seventh lap, reaching a top speed of 129.12kph. Sankaran Shamugam of RACEHUB RACING TEAM followed in second with a 2’36.640s, while Chau Chi Chuen of B.A TUNING secured third with a 2’37.806s.
However, the timesheets saw a massive transformation in the afternoon as the weather cleared and track conditions significantly improved. Free Practice 2 provided a much faster surface, and Syukri wasted no time making his presence felt. Having skipped the morning run to preserve his machine, Syukri immediately found his rhythm, clocking a superb 2’17.481s on his seventh lap and hitting a session-high top speed of 145.15kph to jump straight to the top of the combined standings. Sankaran also improved drastically to secure second overall with a 2’18.181s. Chi Chuen maintained his top-three presence by logging a 2’18.506s, while Alvinderjitsingh representing MALAYSIA consistently pushed his pace to put in a solid 2’18.971s for fourth. Junpeng rounded out the top five with a 2’19.141s effort.
Syukri shared, “During the earlier morning session, the heavy rain made the track conditions incredibly treacherous. Watching the rain fall, my team and I made the tough but strategic decision to stay in the garage. It is never easy to just sit and watch when you want to be out there racing, but we were deeply concerned about the unnecessarily high risk of a crash. Instead of risking the bike in the wet, we channeled all our focus and mental energy into preparing the best possible setup for Free Practice 2.”
“Alhamdulillah, that patience and preparation truly paid off! We brought over some minor tuning adjustments from the previous race, and the moment I rolled out of the pit lane, the bike felt absolutely phenomenal. It gave me the exact feedback I needed, rewarding us with the P1 spot on the timing sheets.”
“However, that competitive fire inside me means I am still not entirely satisfied. My heart was absolutely set on breaking into the 2’16s today, but we ended up clocking a 2’17s. Even so, I am profoundly grateful for the strong pace we showed and the hard work from my mechanics. We have built a fantastic foundation, my confidence is surging, and we are absolutely fired up and ready to leave it all on the track for Qualifying tomorrow!”
TOP 5 FASTEST – COMBINED PRACTICE
1. MUHAMMAD SYUKRI MAT ZOKI – MOBILUB SUZUKI RACING TEAM (2’17.481s)
2. SANKARAN SHAMUGAM – RACEHUB RACING TEAMA (2’18.181s)
3. CHAU CHI CHUEN – B.A TUNING (2’18.506s)
4. ALVINDERJITSINGH – MALAYSIA (2’18.971s)
5. HE JUNPENG – CHINA (2’19.141s)