Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) 2025 Round 2 – Sepang Turns Up the Heat

Sepang International Circuit | Selangor | Malaysia

2°45'33.4"N 101°44'15.1"E

Malaysia’s Furnace, Full Noise

Round 2 of the 2025 Asia Road Racing Championship blasted back into Sepang, and nothing tests a rider, a bike, or even a photographer’s patience quite like Malaysian heat. If Round 1 at Buriram felt like the warm-up act, Round 2 was the feature film — full of plot twists, redemption arcs, and a grandstand full of flag-waving fans ready to shout themselves hoarse.

The heat shimmered off the tarmac from dawn. Engines screamed through the grandstands. And the atmosphere felt electric before a wheel had even turned.

ASB1000 – Azroy’s Weekend of Authority

Azroy Hakeem Anuar didn’t just win the ASB1000 class — he stamped his name all over it.

The Boon Siew Honda Racing Team rider took pole, controlled Race 1 from lights to flag, and returned on Sunday with the same killer instinct. His fastest lap of 2’06.134 told the story: this wasn’t luck, this was domination.

But Race 2 was the moment that showcased his composure.
A rough opening shuffled him back to fifth. No panic. No wasted motion. He regrouped, reeled in the leaders, and by lap four he was back in charge. When he hit the final sector, the Sepang grandstand erupted — Malaysian motorsport loves nothing more than seeing a local rider wrestle the lead back from an international field.

For the championship, it was a statement.
For the fans, it was pride.
For the paddock, it was a warning: Azroy’s here for the title.

SS600 – Helmi’s Redemption Ride

Where ASB1000 was domination, SS600 was a redemption story.

Race 1 left Helmi Azman fuming after a long-lap penalty derailed an otherwise strong performance. But Race 2? That was pure revenge served hot. Shadowing the leaders early on, he waited — patient but poised. When the window opened, he struck with a blistering 2’10.211 fastest lap and never looked back.

The “Prince of Sepang” moniker finally felt justified.

This wasn’t just a win.
It was a reset — confidence restored, momentum regained, and noise made. Lots of noise.

AP250 & UB150 – Unfiltered Chaos and Courage

While the superbikes were putting on a masterclass up front, the AP250 and UB150 categories were basically writing their own soap opera.

In AP250, Thailand’s Krittapat Keankum delivered a classic final-corner dive — the kind of move that earns both applause and a raised eyebrow from the stewards. Hard but fair, elbows out, full commitment. Pure Cub Prix-energy in an ARRC body.

UB150 was even more chaotic.
A last-lap pile-up turned the race upside down, and Malaysian rider Husni Zainul Fuadzy threaded the aftermath like he had insider information. He escaped the carnage, kept his line, and took the win. That’s underbone racing: unpredictable, unforgiving, and occasionally ridiculous in the best ways.

These may be the “support classes,” but they’re also the heart of ARRC.
This is where raw talent sharpens into something dangerous.

Sepang – The Circuit That Burns and Reveals

You can prepare for the layout.
You can train for the fitness.
But Sepang’s heat? It simply breaks people.

Track temps soared above 50 degrees. Riders fought brake fade, cooked tyres, and concentration that melted faster than ice in pit lane. Even from behind the camera, you feel it — the shimmer coming off the tarmac, the humidity soaking your shirt, the sound of 20 inline-fours ripping past like a jet engine in stereo.

Sepang rewards only the best.
And exposes the rest.

Every podium here carries extra weight.
Every mistake gets magnified.
Every victory gets remembered.

Why ARRC Matters to Malaysia (and to CheekyMoto)

For Malaysian motorsport, ARRC isn’t just another series — it’s a front-row seat to Asia’s rising talent pool. It’s where future champions come from, where national colours matter, and where the gap between fans and riders feels wonderfully small.

For CheekyMoto, covering ARRC is never just about results.
It’s about:

the feel of the pit wall radiating heat
the conversations between crew chiefs hunched over laptops
the riders staring at tyre sheets like they’re reading cryptic messages
the fans waving flags with absolute belief

Motorsport is people first, machines second — and ARRC delivers both.

Championship Picture – Everything Tightens

Round 2 shuffled the deck:

Azroy’s double win fires him straight into the title fight
Helmi’s comeback makes SS600 suddenly very interesting
Nakarin and the Thai squad stay threatening
Indonesian teams are sharpening up for Buriram
AP250 and UB150 continue to be unpredictable chaos generators

Round 3 isn’t arriving quietly — it’s coming with fireworks.

Momentum Matters — On Track and Online

This round reinforced something I’ve been learning as CheekyMoto grows: momentum in racing mirrors momentum in storytelling. Every race covered, every article written, every gallery posted — it builds something.

Authority comes from authenticity.
And authenticity comes from showing up — sweaty, sunburnt, lenses fogged, shirt drenched — and capturing what this sport feels like from three feet away.