Mario Aji took his first ever Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup victory in Race 1 at Sepang International Circuit, narrowly beating Australian Bill van Eerde following a final corner attack. There was drama early on in the Cup’s first visit to Malaysia in 2018, with Cup points leader Haruki Noguchi crashing out at Turn 1 and suffering his first DNF of the season – leaving his lead under some serious attack. The mixed conditions of Saturday, as the Cup raced alongside the Malaysia Superbike Championship, made for a difficult race and it boiled down to a duel between key Cup competitors Aji and van Eerde but there was delight for home fans, too, as Malaysian Danial Sharil completed the podium from pole.