The Yamaha Philippines Racing Team completed Round 5 of the 2026 Asia Road Racing Championship at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit with strong recovery drives in Underbone 150 and another consistent points-scoring weekend in Supersport 600.
April King Mascardo and Timothy Rojas faced difficult starting positions in UB150 but worked their way deep into the top ten across both races. McKinley Kyle Paz, meanwhile, started both SS600 races from fifth and finished seventh twice as the championship entered its penultimate round.
Mascardo climbs 15 places to fourth
Starting Race 1 from P19, Mascardo faced a difficult task before the lights went out. The Yamaha Racetech Philippines Racing Team rider responded with one of his strongest recovery performances of the season, gaining 15 positions to finish fourth.
He followed that result with another competitive run in Race 2, crossing the line in fifth. After a challenging previous round in Indonesia, the two results marked a significant turnaround and put Mascardo back among the leading runners in the tightly contested UB150 field.
Rojas fights from P22 into the top seven
Timothy Rojas faced an even deeper starting position after qualifying 22nd, but he also made substantial progress through the pack.
Rojas climbed 15 places in Race 1 to finish seventh, turning a difficult qualifying result into a solid points finish. He improved again in Race 2, taking sixth for his best result of the weekend and another step forward in his first ARRC campaign.
Together, Mascardo and Rojas converted difficult grid positions into four top-ten finishes for Yamaha Racetech Philippines Racing Team, giving the UB150 squad one of its strongest combined weekends of the season.
Paz adds two more top-ten finishes
In Supersport 600, Paz arrived at Sepang carrying momentum from his season-best second-place finish at Mandalika. Riding for Hong Leong Yamaha Racing Team, he qualified fifth and started both races within reach of the leading group.
Paz finished seventh in Race 1 and repeated the result in Race 2. While he could not match his Indonesian podium, the two finishes extended a consistent run that has also included podium results in Thailand and Indonesia.
His recent form has established him as a regular top-ten contender in the SS600 field, giving him another points-scoring weekend as the championship moves toward its final round.
One round remains
The 2026 Asia Road Racing Championship now heads to its finale at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, from December 4 to 6.
The return to Thailand brings Paz back to the circuit where he secured his first podium of the season, while Mascardo and Rojas will look to carry the momentum from their Sepang recovery drives into the final UB150 races of 2026.
More information and race updates are available through the Yamaha Motor Philippines website and the Yamaha Racing Philippines Facebook page.