Malaysia’s reigning SS600 champion leads the 2026 standings with 127 points after a podium finish and a dramatic Race 2 recovery in Indonesia.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin retained the overall Supersports 600cc (SS600) lead in the 2026 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) after securing a second-place finish in Race 1 and recovering from a final-lap incident to complete Race 2 at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit in Indonesia.
Kasma finished Race 1 in 19:35.971, just 0.375 seconds behind winner Wahyu Nugroho, while Hong Leong Yamaha Racing teammate McKinley Kyle Paz came fourth. Kyle then produced an impressive ride in Race 2, finishing second in 19:45.242, only 0.293 seconds behind winner Anupab Sarmoon.
Starting Race 2 from seventh on the grid, Kyle quickly moved into the lead at the end of the opening lap and remained among the front runners throughout the race. Kasma, meanwhile, climbed to the front and took the lead on Lap 11 before a final-lap incident with Thanat Laoongplio sent both riders crashing.
Kasma managed to remount and fight his way to the chequered flag in 11th place, ensuring he collected valuable championship points. The reigning 2025 champion now leads the SS600 standings with 127 points, nine ahead of rivals Thanat and Anupab.
Kasma said the team remained positive throughout the weekend and stressed the importance of collecting every available point in his title defence. He also highlighted Saturday’s podium as an important result for Hong Leong Yamaha Racing in its first season working with Castrol in the SS600 category.
The 2026 season marks Castrol’s first partnership with Hong Leong Yamaha Racing, with the lubricant company supporting the team’s Yamaha YZF-R6 programme as its technical oil partner. Castrol Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines head of marketing Joshua Tan said Kasma and Kyle had demonstrated their ability to perform under pressure, while the partnership would allow both sides to develop technical insights under demanding racing conditions.
The ARRC 2026 championship now returns to Malaysia for Round 5 at Sepang International Circuit from Sept 4 to 6, where Kasma will continue his SS600 title defence in front of his home fans.