Yamaha Philippines Racing Team Battles Through Sepang in ARRC Round 5

The Yamaha Philippines Racing Team completed the penultimate round of the 2026 Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit with a determined performance, highlighted by strong recovery rides from April King Mascardo and Timothy Rojas in the Underbone 150 (UB150) category and another pair of points-scoring finishes from McKinley Kyle Paz in Supersport 600 (SS600). Facing challenging starting positions in UB150 and a competitive field in SS600, the Filipino riders continued to fight throughout the weekend and demonstrated the team’s resilience on the international stage.

Mascardo delivered one of the weekend’s standout performances after starting P19 in UB150 Race 1, charging through the field to gain 15 positions and finish P4. He followed it up with another strong P5 finish in Race 2, returning to the leading group after a difficult previous round in Indonesia. Rojas mounted a similar recovery after qualifying P22, climbing 15 places to finish P7 in Race 1 before improving to P6 in Race 2. Their results gave the Yamaha Racetech Philippines Racing Team two riders consistently finishing inside the top seven despite starting deep in the field.

In SS600, Paz, riding for the Hong Leong Yamaha Racing Team, entered Sepang with momentum from his breakthrough P2 finish at Mandalika, his best result of the season. Starting both races from P5, Paz finished P7 in Race 1 and P7 again in Race 2, adding two more top-10 results to his campaign. The Filipino rider has continued to establish himself as a consistent competitor in the highly competitive SS600 field, following podium finishes in Thailand and Indonesia.

With five rounds now completed across Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and Indonesia, the Yamaha Philippines Racing Team has one final opportunity to close the 2026 ARRC season on a high. Round 6 is scheduled for December 4–6 at Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, the same venue where Paz secured his first podium of the season earlier this year. With Mascardo and Rojas carrying renewed momentum from their Sepang recovery rides and Paz aiming for another strong SS600 result, the team heads into the season finale ready to continue its pursuit to Defy Limits.