Is Hafizh Syahrin confirmed as a rider in the PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team for Moto2 in 2020?
A website listed his name next to new signing Xavi Vierge’s.
There’s no official word yet from Hafizh or team principal Dato’ Ahmad Razlan Ahmad Razali.
Is Hafizh Syahrin confirmed as a rider in the PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team for Moto2 in 2020?
The Hafizh saga started when KTM moved Brad Binder from Moto2 to MotoGP to replace Hafizh Syahrin in the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 Racing Team. Since there was no opening left in the premier class for 2020, Hafizh mooted to return to Moto2.
Hafizh Syahrin on the KTM RC16 at Qatar 2019 – Photo credit MotoGP.com
At this point, Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal offered Hafizh a place in the Moto2 team. But soon after, KTM made the decision to pull out of Moto2 in 2020. Poncharal followed KTM’s plan and dediced to withdraw as well.
Hafizh went dark (as in quiet) since then.
However, something caught our eyes today.
Motorsport.com reported that Xavi Vierge will leave the Marc VDS team and join the PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team in Moto2 next year. With the latter team currently running only Khairul Idham Pawi, it meant that he is out.
But hang on!
The website also published a list of confirmed riders for 2020, and Hafizh Syahrin’s name was listed together with Vierge in the PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team!
List of confirmed Moto2 riders in 2020 – Credit motosport.com
This is the only website we’ve seen this thus far. There’s no official word yet from Hafizh or team principal Dato’ Ahmad Razlan Ahmad Razali.
As for Pawi, it’s been rumoured that he will join the PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team in Moto3, replacing Ayumu Sasaki and will line up next to John McPhee.
You’ve probably heard of the term “CE-approved” protection or armour.
What does that mean, actually? Here’s a short description for your knowledge and to avoid confusion.
What is “CE”?
Let’s start with what “CE” means. The letters stand for “ConformitéEuropéene” in French, which translates to “European Conformity.” However, you’ll find a large CE marking on an armour, plus the smaller “EN” mark followed by a code. The letters “EN” stand for “European Norm.”
The “CE Marking” is mandated by directive 93/68/EEC in 1993.
What do the markings say?
However, the markings on a piece of CE-approved armour will read as, for example, “EN1621-1 S/H TYPE A.” That’s in the case of the shoulder armour from the RS Taichi RSJ709 Frontier adventure jacket. Other manufacturers may mark their shoulder armours as “EN 1621-1:2012 S TYPE B”
You should find “EN1621-2 B (or FB) TYPE A (or B)” on a back protector.
Let’s take the second mark:
EN 1621-1:2012 S TYPE B
EN – The marking means the armour conforms to the CE standard.
1621 – The armour is meant for motorcycle applications.
1621-1 – The armour is for anywhere but the back i.e. shoulder, elbow, forearm, hip, knee, shin.
1621-2 – You can find this code only on back protectors.
2012 – The year the armour was certified.
S – This letter means the armour is meant for the shoulder. Please refer to the list below for other parts of the body.
TYPE A – Smaller coverage area but more specialized application.
TYPE B – Means normal coverage.
There are also two levels of protection:
Level 1 – Maximum transmitted force must be below 18 kN (kilo-Newton), equivalent to 1835.5 kilogram-force (kgf).
Level 2 – Maximum transmitted force must be below 9 kN, equivalent to 917.75 kgf.
This means Level 2 protection allow less forces through, hence providing better protection.
List of codes for different parts of the body (EN1621-1 protectors):
S – Shoulder
E – Elbow
H – Hip
K – Knee
K + L – Knee plus upper and middle tibia
L – Front of leg
KP – Knuckle protection (for gloves)
List of codes for back protectors (EN1621-2):
B or FB – Full back protector for the central back and scapulae
CB – Central back
L or LB – Lumbar
The accompanying information card must also specify:
Performance Level 1 or 2
Abrasion resistance Level 1 or 2
Impact cut resistance Level 1 or 2
Burst strength Level 1 or 2
CE Certification for other motorcycle protective gear:
The certification is mandated by directive 89/686/EEC.
The codes are:
EN13634 – Boots
EN12594 – Gloves
EN1621-3 – Chest
EN13595-1 – Protective motorcycle clothing i.e. jackets, pants, one-piece suit, two-piece suit. Note that while most clothing have CE-approved armour, the clothing itself may or may not be EN13595-1 certified.
The FIM have unveiled the 2020 MotoGP provisional calendar.
The championship will have 20 races next year.
The Thai round will be in March and the new Finland round will be in July.
The FIM have unveiled the 2020 MotoGP provisional calendar. The championship will have 20 races next year.
While most venues and dates look similar, the Thai round in Buriram will be moved from October to March. The schedule will also see the addition of Kymiring in Finland in July for the first time.
Credit MotoGP.com
The Thai MotoGP race takes over from WorldSBK. The latter series saw a large drop of spectators since MotoGP was introduced to the country.
So, instead of the usual opener in Qatar followed by the two races in the USA and Argentina, Thailand slots in after Qatar.
The campaign continues in Europe with the Spanish round in May, continuing afterwards with France, Italy, Catalunya, Germany, Netherlands, the aforementioned Finland. The riders and teams get a well-earned 3-week break before continuing in Czech Republic, Austria, Great Britain, San Marino and finally Aragon.
The next three fly-away rounds are familiar to followers i.e. Japan, Australia, Malaysia in November and ending in Valencia.
There will be two winter testes for the MotoGP field. The first will be in Sepang from 7th to 9th February. The second test is in Qatar, one week before the 2020 season kicks off.
The state of Michigan, USA is teaching motorists how to spot motorcycles in traffic.
The campaign uses visual aids to remind motorists about the presence of motorcycles.
We wish such a campaign is carried out in Malaysia.
The state of Michigan, USA is teaching motorists how to spot motorcycles in traffic.
How many times have we been cut off (colloquial: pangkah) by other vehicles on the road? In a flash of anger, we think these motorists are either blind or doing it on purpose. Truth is, no one wants any trouble. It’s usually because motorcycles are difficult to spot given the bike’s small cross section coupled with the abundance of blind spots in other vehicles.
A small cross section makes it hard to estimate the bike’s closing speed. A driver who glanced once at bigger vehicles can pretty much process its closing speed but not a motorcycle’s.
That’s why the campaign is called “Look Twice. Save a Life.”
The campaign features videos being circulated at gas stations, billboards and “tip cards” throughout the state. Michigan is also one of only 17 states in the US which has anti-distraction laws.
We wonder why such a campaign can’t be carried out here in Malaysia. Yes, there’s a public service announcement ad about the perils of using the phone while riding but there’s no concerted approach in teaching motorists on looking out for motorcycles.
Instead, the Transport Ministry, Public Works Department and MIROS are intent on listening to advice from a group who has no experience about motorcycles but has plenty of self-vested interests. As a result, motorcyclists may be punished instead by being relegated to the left lane.
Heck, even the motorcycle lanes along the Federal Highway have not been completed.
The founder of Big Blue Taxi apologized to Indonesians and Gojek riders over his disparaging remarks.
Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail said that Gojek is only meant for “poor people” in Indonesia, Thailand, India and Cambodia in a video.
He claimed that what he said was based on a report on poverty in Indonesia.
The founder of Big Blue Taxi apologized to Indonesians and Gojek riders over his disparaging remarks.
Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail had previously remarked in a video that Gojek service is only for “poor” people in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, India and Combodia, while “Malaysians are rich enough to do without Gojek.”
CNN Indonesia reported that the video went viral in the country and sparked a firestorm of criticisms. It also led to Indonesian Gojek riders threatening to demonstrate in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta by the thousands.
“I hope there are no demonstrations in the interests and relationship between both countries,” Shamsubahrin told reporters during a press conference.
He then went on to blame a report about poverty in Indonesia (although he did not cite which particular report). “My statement is based on reports. If they think I’m wrong, I accept it.
The brouhaha began shortly after Youth and Sports Minister YB Syed Saddiq Syed Rahman announced his intention on lobbying the Cabinet to approve the Indonesia-based Gojek service in Malaysia. The service was then given a go-ahead by the Cabinet.
While it was an approval by principle according to Transport Minister YB Anthony Loke, it ran directly counter against his stand in banning motorcycle taxi services. He had even succinctly directed Malaysian-based Dego Ride to shut down. He was defensive when approached by reporters on the “u-turn” by remarking that, “You don’t have to remind me.”
To Shamsubahrin, the decision to approve Gojek was politically-driven.
PETRONAS Yamaha SRT Principal Dato’ Razlan Razali said that many thought Fabio Quartararo was the wrong choice before the start of the season.
Fabio is currently returning unexpectedly great results to the team.
The PETRONAS Yamaha SRT outfits will be the home team in the Malaysian MotoGP round.
Things definitely looked different when the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) CEO and PETRONAS Yamaha SRT Principal, Dato’ Razlan Razali announced plans for Malaysian MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 teams last year.
Now the MotoGP team is performing not just beyond expectations, but no one would’ve dared to even give a thought about where the PETRONAS Sepang Racing Team is now. The scene was telling during the Yamaha Motorsport Launch at SIC just after the winter tests and prior to the season opener in Qatar.
While every journalist fielded questions to the factory Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP squad (mostly to Valentino Rossi, actually), Dato’ Razlan and his two riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo put up their best smiles while sitting quietly in between the factory and PATA Yamaha WorldSBK teams.
Because journalists know that the answers would’ve been, “We do not expect great results from the year ahead. We hope to finish every race and learn along the way.” Or anything to that effect.
Oh, how things have changed. Now every hack wants an interview with Dato’ Razlan and co.
The driving force is of course the super rookie Fabio Quartararo’s exploits. He’s been a consistent frontrunner and not afraid to mix it up with the Big Boys.
Photo credit – MotoGP.com
“When we announced him as our second rider, a lot of people told us we made the wrong choice – but now everyone agrees we made the right decision!” Dato’ Razlan said in an interview.
“There’s no way we expected to be in this fantastic position after only twelve rounds of the 2019 season. We were hoping for Franky to deliver top six performances and for Fabio to target rookie of the year. We didn’t expect both of them to do what they’re doing and we’re extremely happy and satisfied with them. To be able to deliver such strong performances for our title sponsor is key, and we’ve achieved even more than what was desired based on the targets we set at the start of the year,” he continued.
Dato’ Razlan is quick to credit the team, saying that the riders wouldn’t have performed so well without support. The team has since grown to 48-strong and enjoys good ambience and chemistry. But he is also quick to acknowledge that the team is young and nothing is 100%. Still, there’s no reason for him to feel proud.
“I also couldn’t be more proud as a Malaysian to finally have our own Malaysian MotoGP team. We can tell fans and media from across the globe that we’re Malaysian and we can act as our country’s ambassadors. We’re proud of that role and I’m honoured to be able to represent the country in the paddock.”
Speaking of the Malaysian MotoGP round, he added that, “The Malaysian Grand Prix is our home race, it’ll be the first time our MotoGP team will compete at Sepang, and we expect the riders to do well in MotoGP and Moto3, and if Pawi can come back in Moto2, then he can do well too!
“We’re already anticipating a bumper crowd with 200,000 spectators over three days, and 115,000 on race day. It’ll be a huge event for us, and we can’t wait.”
Dato’ Razlan concluded the interview by iterating that both Quartararo and Morbidelli will continue with the team in 2020.
