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2020 Moto2

  • Malaysian rider Kasma Danial will contest in the 2020 World Moto2 season with the ONEXOX TKKR SAG team.

  • He will be the one of two Malaysians in the class next year.

  • He raced in the Spanish CEV Moto2 and ARRC 600cc SuperSport classes in 2019.

Malaysian rider Kasma Danial will contest in the 2020 Moto2 season with the ONEXOX TKKR SAG team.

The news was shared by team on their website tkkr.my recently. The 19-year-old rider, who the team calls “Dragon Boy,” will replace Tetsuta Nagashima who will join Red Bull KTM Ajo. It means Kasma will partner Remy Gardner, the son of former World 500cc Grand Prix champion Wayne Gardner.

ONEXOX TKKR SAG on the other hand, is a Malaysian team with race teams in the Malaysian Cub Prix, Malaysian Superbike, Asia Road Racing, Spanish CEV Moto2 and World Moto2 championships.

Kasma has been racing in the FIM Spanish CEV Moto2 championship in Spain with the Dynavolt SIC Junior Racing Team. The series is seen as the spawning ground for up and coming Moto2 riders on the world stage. Besides CEV Moto2, Kasma was riding in the 600cc SuperSport category in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.

His participation in Moto2 brings the number of Malaysian riders to just two at the moment. But it is the highest class the country’s riders are in. The other rider is Hafizh Syahrin who has since signed up with the Angel Nieto team.

  • 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.

  • Tech 3 offers Hafizh Syahrin a Moto2 ride in 2020.

  • But the Malaysian is also hoping for an option in the PETRONAS SRT outfit.

  • Hafizh says that he will know by the Austrian GP.

There may be a silver lining for Hafizh Syahrin yet, now that Tech 3 has offered him a ride in their Moto2 outfit in 2020.

Tech 3 team principal Herve Poncharal confirmed the news recently, saying that the option is for Hafizh if he accepts. The Tech 3 Moto2 team also fields KTM bikes. However, unlike in MotoGP, the Moto2 bike uses KTM’s frame wrapped around the Triumph three-cylinder engine.

Poncharal said that he spoke to Hafizh a few races prior to announcing Brad Binder’s ascension to the MotoGP team. As such, Hafizh wasn’t entirely shocked by the news.

Hafiz, on the other hand, acknowledges Tech 3’s offer but is leaving options open. He looks to be more interested in joining the PETRONAS SRT outfit should a seat be available, instead.

“I speak (sic) to Herve, also I speak (sic) to Razlan (Razali, the PETRONAS SRT Boss). I cannot say 100 percent. I need to wait until maybe Austria, I will know where I go.”

Stepping back into Moto2 wouldn’t be so bad for Hafizh, since he’s now accumulated priceless experience in MotoGP. He’d been progressing well in Moto2 anyway, before he was picked to replace Jonas Folger in the Monster Energy Tech 3 Yamaha team in 2018.

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