We came to Sepang with a positive mindset and with the intention to find that little extra 3–5 km/h that we lagged, and to close the few tenths of a second that we were behind.

We found something, and it showed in the results.

With the shipping challenges and delays, we had only Thursday to set up the pits and the motorcycles. Most importantly, we had to be precise in identifying the setup to complete the mission.

Powered by Servo Hypersport F5, Servo Hypersport Racing started to set some pace.

Friday: Short Sprints, Big Strides. 

With Friday's schedule being altered to only two Free Practice sessions for the weekend, we made a step up in FP1, with both riders giving positive feedback on bike performance around the 5.5 km Sepang International Circuit.

Then in FP2, we found something that really worked, and Taiyo Saito #100 found some good pace to set the sixth fastest time in the session, while Raiku Hasegawa #41, making his debut at SIC, set his personal best in 23rd position

Saturday: Tricky Conditions Ruled Qualification

With the positive results and good setup from Friday, the team was all charged to put on a good show in qualifying, targeting a top 6 position for Taiyo.

In racing, rain always disrupts strategy, and that is what happened. A short spell of torrential rain at the Sepang International Circuit just before the start of AP250 qualifying reset all the advantages we had gained during the practice sessions. Running on wet tires, and with the track being dusty due to ongoing F1 preparations, the surface was very slippery, so the riders had to take a cautious approach for the first few laps.

While Taiyo had set an early pace in the middle of the qualifying session and slotted himself in the top 6 as planned, the final lap saw a last-minute charge by other riders due to improving track conditions. He had to settle for 13th position in the mid-pack of the grid, which is always a tough spot in the crowded AP250 class.

Unfortunately for Raiku, while trying to improve his lap time in the wet, he had a bad highside at Turn 6, ending his qualifying session with a minor injury to his right shoulder and qualifying at 29th position on the grid.

Race 1: We got back the pace, held back by traffic 

As expected, exiting the mid-pack requires a bit of luck. Starting from 13th, Taiyo needed luck on his side to get cleanly through the tight Turn 1 at Sepang. While he had a decent start and put himself in 9th position entering Turn 1, he was bumped by another rider on the exit and had to pick up the bike to avoid crashing, which brought him back into the mid-pack. He had a massive task ahead, but his pace was good. 

For the first time, our bikes were able to match the pace of the top runners, both in terms of lap times and speed. While the top group split into two with Taiyo in the second group fighting for 8th position, separated by just 1 second from 8th to 14th it was a hard-fought race with positions swapping almost every corner. Despite a mistake in the final corner of the last lap, he managed to settle for 14th position, scoring 2 valuable points for himself and the team.

Meanwhile, Hasegawa #41 managed to finish the race in 21st place with an injured and sore shoulder, improving his position and lap time while showing real grit and courage to ride in pain.

Sunday: Race 2 Confidence Rebuilt 

Gaining confidence from Race 1's pace and identifying the handling issue, the team, along with Öhlins engineers, managed to eliminate the front-end discomfort the riders experienced for Race 2. This set the race pace for Taiyo #100 in Race 2. Despite a good start, the first-corner melee once again pushed him back to 18th position on lap one, but his confidence in the machine and his grit saw him regain composure and fight his way through. He matched the pace of the front-runners in both lap time and speed, setting a personal best of 2:24.481 and reaching a top speed of 195.3 km/h to secure an 11th place finish and 5 points in a hard-fought battle.

Sadly, Raiku #41 suffered a DNF on lap one when a fellow competitor crashed into him, ending his campaign prematurely.

Reflections and Next Steps

Ramji Govindarajan: “At the end of Round 5, powered by Servo Hypersport F5, we managed to secure 7 valuable points and took a huge step forward in our setup and performance, proving the Indian contingent is on par with our Asian competitors. We have made great progress in performance and setup, which gives us immense confidence going into the final round of the championship. We now wait 3 months for our final dance at Round 6 in Buriram, Thailand, on 4–6 December 2026.”

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