Malaysian Superbike Championship 2025 Round 2

Malaysian Superbike Championship2025

9 Jul

Written By Richard Humphries

Malaysian Superbike Championship 2025 – Round 2 - Sepang’s Furnace and Full Throttle Fury

Sepang International Circuit | Selangor | Malaysia

2°45'33.4"N 101°44'15.1"E

If there are two constants in Malaysia — it’s the heat, and Sepang trying to roast you alive like a satay stick forgotten on the grill. Round 2 of the Malaysian Superbike Championship rolled into the country’s favourite furnace, and I was there, lenses fogging, sweat pouring, trying to stay conscious long enough to get a shot in focus.

Step out of the paddock and into pit lane and it’s like opening the oven door at Christmas when the turkey’s at peak sizzle. The heat doesn’t “hit” you — it climbs inside your clothes, sits down, and gets comfortable. Photographers like me wander around with towels on our heads, muttering to ourselves, questioning our life choices. Meanwhile, the riders? They thrive. Of course they do.

MSBK600 – Young Guns on the Warpath

If the 1000s are the kings of Sepang, the 600 class is where the gladiators sharpen their blades.
These bikes don’t have the nuclear punch of the litre machines, but what they lack in brute force they make up for in savage proximity.

Close quarters.
Elbows out.
Slipstreams down the kilometre-long straight.
Full drama.

From Turn 1 onward, the 600 riders behaved like a pub brawl with horsepower. Divebombs, cutbacks, defensive lines that toe the line between “brilliant” and “you’re insane.” Through the sweeping bends, they fan out three-wide like they’re auditioning for a Moto2 remake.

The 600s don’t race — they swarm.
Like angry bees.
If bees could scream at 15,000rpm and leave rubber tattoos across the asphalt.

You can see the future superbike stars here. Riders testing the limits of bravery, figuring out (badly) where “too late” is when braking into Turn 15.
Spoiler: most still haven’t worked it out.

And that’s exactly why the class is magic.

MSBK1000 – The Heavyweight Symphony

Then the big boys roll in.

The MSBK1000 class is thunder on two wheels — big engines, big speed, big consequences. When the superbikes fire up, the air shakes, your ribcage vibrates, and you know the real violence is about to begin.

Watching a litre bike hammer out of Turn 2 and rocket toward Turn 4 is like watching a fighter jet skim the runway. No subtlety. No mercy. Just aggression.

But at Sepang, raw speed isn’t enough.
The heat cooks tyres faster than a roadside nasi lemak stall cooks eggs.
By lap five, you can see the rubber shimmering, marbles piling up in the hairpins.

This is when the chess match begins:

Who saved their tyres?
Who went out too hot?
Who has anything left to fight with?

One wobble at Turn 9 and someone’s diving up the inside.
One slow exit from Turn 14 and someone’s dragging you down the straight like it’s free lunch.

When a move sticks at 300 km/h, the grandstand pops like a firecracker.

Heat, Sweat, and Shutter Speed – The Photographer’s Race

Now, I won’t pretend I didn’t suffer.
Behind the camera, it’s a race of its own.

You sprint along Sepang’s never-ending straights carrying lenses the size of toddlers. You dodge scooters, marshal trucks, other photographers, and the occasional wandering cat. Your clothes are basically soup. Your sweat could be bottled and sold as isotonic fluid.

And then — through all that — you nail the shot:

a superbike squirming sideways on a highside save
sparks flying off a slider
a 600 slicing past with knee on kerb and rear tyre dancing

Those moments make you forget you’re about to pass out.

Almost.

Why Sepang Is Sepang

Sepang remains one of the most beautifully brutal circuits in Asia.

It punishes and rewards in equal measure.

Wide enough for audacious overtakes
Technical enough to expose the timid
Hot enough to make everyone rethink their life decisions

Riders love it.
Riders hate it.
Usually both… within the same lap.

Round 2 of MSBK reminded me exactly why I adore this championship. The 600s brought the chaos, the 1000s brought the thunder, and the weather brought the suffering.

It’s perfect.

End of Day – Cooked, Charred, and Happy

By sunset, I staggered back to the paddock half-melted, memory cards bursting, brain fried, arms rubbery from carrying gear. Meanwhile, the riders peeled off their leathers, steam rising, grins wide, adrenaline still buzzing.

This is Malaysia.
This is Sepang.
This is racing where only the toughest survive — riders, mechanics, and yes, photographers.

Would I trade it for a cooler circuit?

Not a chance.

Round 2 is done — cooked, chargrilled, and unforgettable.
Round 3 is looming, and I’ll be there again with cameras ready, sunscreen failing, and a very questionable tan line.

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