Asia Road Racing Championship 2025 Round 4 – Mandalika’s Sea Breeze, Savage Racing and a Weekend to Remember

Mandalika Circuit | Lombok | Indonesia

8°53'44.6"S 116°18'12.6"E

A Tropical Setting With Zero Mercy

The coastal breeze along Lombok’s southern shoreline had barely settled before the ARRC riders were already hunting for rhythm, grip and survival. Mandalika has a reputation: beautiful on the outside, brutal on the stopwatch. Round 4 confirmed all of that — and more.

With 17 corners strung through seaside straights, fast flicks and blind elevations, the Mandalika International Street Circuit demanded absolute focus from the moment wheels hit asphalt. Add in 30-plus degrees of tropical heat and humidity thick enough to drown a helmet liner, and this round became as much a mental war as a mechanical one.

This wasn’t a casual stop on the calendar. It was a test — scenic, savage, and utterly unforgiving.

ASB1000 – Hafizh Controls Race 1, Azlan Lights Up Race 2

Race 1 – Hafizh Syahrin Dominates the Heat

Malaysia’s Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah of JDT Racing Team delivered a masterclass in Race 1, winning in 20:48.234.
Thailand’s Nakarin Atiratphuvapat trailed by +2.959s, with Muhammad Zaqhwan Zaidi right behind at +3.088s.

But don’t let the gaps fool you — Race 1 wasn’t about pace alone. It was survival.

Tyres overheated early. Braking zones turned greasy under the tropical glare. Riders tiptoed between aggression and self-preservation. On lap 4, Nakarin fired in a blistering 1'35.383, proving the limits were sky-high, but not everyone could afford to chase them.

Hafizh, calm and clinical, rode like a man who understood the circuit’s danger and rhythm better than anyone.

Race 2 – Azlan Shah Brings the Heat for the Home Crowd

Race 2 belonged to Malaysia’s veteran Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman of A1 Energy BMW Racing Team, who took his first win of the season in 20:55.147.

Japan’s Keito Abe held on to second just +0.637s behind, while Indonesia’s Andi Farid Izdihar thrilled the locals with a podium at +4.517s.

Trackside, you could feel the shift.
Momentum changed.
Confidence changed.
The championship narrative changed.

Mandalika’s signature triple-right section lulled riders into a smooth, flowing rhythm — before slamming them into a tight left that punished hesitation and rewarded fearlessness. Scenic but savage. Pretty but punishing. The perfect description of Mandalika.

Azlan got it right when it mattered most.

SS600 – Herjun Atna Firdaus Makes His Mark

A Last-Corner Move That Mandalika Will Remember

In SS600, Indonesian debutant Herjun Atna Firdaus of ASTRA Honda Racing Team delivered the weekend’s most unforgettable moment: a last-lap, last-corner overtake to claim his maiden ARRC victory.

He crossed the line in 19:51.767, just 0.141 seconds ahead of Thailand’s Kitsada Tanachot, with Malaysia’s Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin securing third.

That final-corner commitment didn’t just electrify the Indonesian crowd — it showed exactly what Mandalika rewards:

bravery
timing
instinct
and that split-second decision to send it

Herjun didn’t win by chance. He won by nerve.

Mandalika – Where Scenery Meets Stress

This circuit is a paradox in the best way possible.

You can wander from beach stalls past palm trees and end up pressed against a barrier watching a 1000cc superbike roar past your face. Salt in the air mixes with tyre smoke. Tropical wind sweeps down pit lane as mechanics argue about cooling strategies, tyre pressures and engine mapping for windswept corners.

On one side: turquoise coastline and postcard beauty.
On the other: riders knee-down through turn seven, fighting vibration, temperature and adrenaline.

Mandalika feels like part holiday, part battlefield. Peaceful one second, violent the next. A contradictory blend — and that’s what makes it magic.

Championship Implications – Momentum Resets

Round 4 didn’t just move the standings; it reset the energy of the championship.

ASB1000

Hafizh’s Race 1 win raises big questions about outright pace among the front runners.
Azlan’s Race 2 comeback proves he’s not done and injects serious tension into the title battle.
Nakarin showed he has the one-lap firepower, but consistency remains his barrier.

SS600

Herjun’s breakout victory puts every team on notice.
A new threat has arrived — confident, talented, and now carrying home-soil momentum.

Mandalika didn’t evolve the season’s narrative.
It disrupted it.

Why Mandalika Matters to CheekyMoto

This was one of those rounds where the backdrop and the racing fused into something unforgettable.
Natural beauty distracting you one moment — raw danger slapping you awake the next.

Stand still too long and you’ll miss:

turquoise waves brushing the shoreline
a rider scraping elbow through turn seven
tyre smoke drifting across the pit lane
local fans roaring every time an Indonesian rider made a move

This circuit hits differently.

And for CheekyMoto, that matters. Because motorsport isn’t just numbers, timesheets and podiums — it’s emotion, environment, chaos, culture and character.

Mandalika delivered all of it.

Trackside Advice – Don’t Just Watch It… Experience It

If you ever get the chance to attend a race here, do it.
Don’t think. Don’t hesitate. Just go.

Stand on the seaside grandstand.
Feel the engines bouncing off concrete and coastline.
Smell roasting tarmac under the Indonesian sun.
Watch riders fight both the track and the elements.

Circuits like Mandalika don’t just host races — they create memories that stick with you long after the bikes go silent.

A Round Where Setting Matched the Spectacle

The 2025 Asia Road Racing Championship still has a long way to go, but Round 4 will go down as the weekend where everything aligned:
scenery, stakes, stories and sheer racing chaos.

CheekyMoto was there — camera in hand, sunburn rising, grinning like mad.

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