A final day thriller is in store after a tense opener in the penultimate race of the year
The 2026 Idemitsu FIM Moto4 Asia Cup will face a title-deciding Race 2 on Sunday after a red-flagged Race 1 on Saturday afternoon which saw Qabil Irfan triumph for a second victory of the season. He finished ahead of Resky Yusuf and Waku Kunitate whereas a red flag for a crash at the start of Lap 10 on the front straight saw Championship leader Hayato Chishiki and Muhammad Naqib crash after contact caused by weaving by Qayyim Razin and Kotaro Tohashi. All riders were OK with Razin and Kotaro handed post-race penalties for their role in the incident.
Getting the holeshot, Togashi grabbed the early advantage but the usual paint swapping got underway with a 13-rider group consisting of all the title contenders. Bintang Pranata was inside the top three for the majority of the race and battled hard with Togashi, Irfan and Kunitate whilst Chishiki was struggling to make an impact on the top five and sitting between P6 and P11, battling with the likes of Muhammad Badly, Noprutpong Bunprawes and Teerin Fleming.
However, it was coming onto Lap 10 where a collision on the main straight brought out the red flag and an early end to the 12-lapper. Razim and Togashi weaved from left to right and into the path of the oncoming riders, leaving Chishiki and Naqib nowhere to go. Irfan was declared the winner ahead of Yusuf and Kunitate whilst in the Championship, it’s all to play for with Pranata just 19 behind Chishiki with Kunitate a further four back.
Three contenders, 24 points, one Champion: the final showdown comes tomorrow from 13:35 local time (UTC +3).
