RRI.CO.ID, Buriram - Young Indonesian rider Veda Ega Pratama immediately caught the spotlight in his debut in this season's Moto3 event. He secured fifth place on the starting grid in the opening series at the Chang International Circuit, Buriram, Thailand, on Saturday, February 28, 2026.

The 17-year-old rider from Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, competed with Honda Team Asia. He recorded a best time of 1 minute 40.877 seconds in Qualifying 2 (Q2), as reported by Antara.

At the start of Q2, Veda was in third place before dropping to fifth and sixth with three minutes remaining. He secured fifth place with a time set in the final seconds.

Pole position was secured by David Almansa from Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, who was 0.789 seconds faster. Álvaro Carpe took second place from Red Bull KTM Ajo, followed by Adrián Fernández (Leopard Racing) and Máximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar) in third and fourth positions.

Previously, Veda opened the weekend with a sixth-place finish in Free Practice 1 (FP1) on Friday, February 27, with a time of 1 minute 41.854 seconds. He then improved his time to 1 minute 41.508 seconds and advanced to Q2 after finishing eighth in the practice session.

In Free Practice 2 (FP2), he briefly dropped to 13th place while searching for the best motorcycle setup with a time of 1 minute 41.770 seconds. However, his consistent qualifying performances secured him a spot on the second row.

The Moto3 race at Buriram is scheduled for Sunday, March 1, at 12 p.m. Jakarta Time over 19 laps. Starting from fifth place is a good position for Veda to compete in his debut in this class. ***