ARRC 2025 Round 3 - Mobility Resort Motegi
ARRC Round 3 at Motegi – Precision, Pressure and a Weekend That Bit Back
Mobility Resort Motegi | Tochigi | Japan
36°31'59.4"N 140°13'35.8"E
A Scenic Circuit With Zero Mercy
Arriving at Mobility Resort Motegi feels a bit like walking into a postcard — rolling green hills, crisp air, and that quiet Japanese orderliness that lulls you into thinking the weekend might be gentle.
Then the first superbike hits full throttle and bang — the forested calm evaporates.
Round 3 of the 2025 Asia Road Racing Championship brought a sharp mix of technical difficulty, shifting weather and stakes high enough to tighten anyone’s visor. Motegi may look serene, but it does not give free passes.
From FP1, the edge was obvious.
Sixteen corners, heavy braking, sweeping arcs, and that long back-straight that tempts riders to over-commit. Cooler temps helped engines but punished tyres. A bit of moisture here and there made Turn 8 a trap. And all weekend, the paddock buzzed about one question: Who can survive Motegi without blinking first?
ASB1000 – Abe Owns Race 1, Hafizh Hits Back Hard in Race 2
Race 1 – Keito Abe Delivers for the Home Crowd
The Japanese fans didn’t have to wait long for a hero moment.
Keito Abe stormed to a commanding Race 1 victory, crossing the line in 24:06.975, ahead of Malaysia’s Azroy Hakeem Anuar (+0.696s) and Muhammad Zaqhwan Zaidi (+3.560s).
It was precisely the kind of performance Motegi rewards: flawless lines, sensible tyre management, and no ego. Just clean, controlled speed. The grandstands loved every second.
Race 2 – Hafizh Syahrin Rises From the Ashes
Race 2 flipped the script.
After a DNF in Race 1, Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah of JDT Racing Team came back like a man who refused to let the weekend define him.
He took the win in 24:09.165, just 0.213 seconds ahead of Abe.
But the real story was how he did it:
Follow quietly.
Save the tyre.
Save the body.
Hit when it matters.
“I wasn’t at 100%, but I managed to follow him, save my energy, and keep the tyre in good shape. On the last lap I attacked.”
That’s championship thinking.
That’s experience taking over.
Motegi’s Demands – Punishing, Precise, Unforgiving
Motegi looks deceptively flowing, but the details bite:
Turn 3 and Turn 7: front-end grip lottery
Back straight: you hit high speed, then immediately thread the S-curves
Old asphalt patches: zero sympathy
Wind: blows just enough to ruin a perfect lap
Teams had to choose:
Set up for the slow stuff? Or the fast stuff?
Nobody found perfection — the best riders simply handled the compromise.
Watching Azroy muscle his way from a compromised start to P2 in Race 1 showed how much patience matters at this place.
SS600 – Helmi Shows Pace, Adenanta Takes the Win
The SS600 class was its usual pressure cooker.
Malaysia’s Muhammad Helmi Azman topped practice with a spicy 1’54.236, but on race day, Indonesian rider Mohammad Adenanta Putra delivered a commanding Race 2 win — a proper statement ride that reminded everyone that SS600 remains one of ARRC’s sharpest battlegrounds.
The margins? Razor thin.
The tension? Constant.
Motegi Atmosphere – Calm Woods, Violent Engines
Off track, Motegi is its own reward.
The serenity of the forest.
The smell of hot rubber mixed with cool mountain air.
The engineers huddled over data loggers muttering about preload and exit speed.
The way dusk turns the whole place gold while the final chicane still screams with 1000cc anger.
This is the version of motorsport you rarely see on TV — the human side, the quiet planning before the violence.
I stood next to a rider in FP3 who kept checking his data logger, shaking his head at his own impatience. Motegi exposes everything — even your mindset.
Championship Picture – Tightening, Tilting, Heating Up
After Motegi:
Hafizh is right back in the title fight
Abe proves he’s not just a home-track specialist
Azroy and Zaqhwan keep Malaysia in the conversation
SS600 has become a battlefield with Helmi and Adenanta trading blows
The standings aren’t stable — they’re a ladder with missing rungs.
Why Motegi Matters to CheekyMoto
Asian road racing isn’t a sideshow.
It’s a story with teeth.
Motegi reminded me exactly why I cover ARRC:
The precision, the passion, the pressure, the people, the humanity under the helmet.
This place demands commitment from everyone — riders, teams, photographers, fans. And when the sun hits those treetops at 5pm and the bikes fly out of the final chicane, you understand why this championship deserves global attention.
Trackside Advice – Go, Feel, Don’t Just Watch
If you ever get the chance, spend a weekend here.
Stand at the fence.
Feel the revs hit your chest.
Watch the tyre smoke cling to the tarmac.
Listen to the mix of relief, joy and exhaustion in the paddock after the chequered flag.
It’s not just a race weekend.
It’s an experience.
A Round That Will Stick With Us
The 2025 Asia Road Racing Championship still has chapters to write, but Motegi will be remembered — for the precision, the upsets, the atmosphere and the unfiltered drama.
CheekyMoto was there — camera in hand, t-shirt damp with cold air and adrenaline, and that stupid grin I always get when racing reaches the bone.
Scroll down for my full photo gallery.
