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If you’ve been spending the past few hours in front of the TV watching the Australian MotoGP round at Phillip Island, you would agree when we saw that all three races from Moto3 all the way up to MotoGP were jam-packed with action and drama. The MotoGP race was no exception as Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) finally secured a win for the Japanese factory. (more…)
Did you guys watch the last MotoGP race at Motegi, Japan? If you did, you would know that Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez bagged his fifth premier class world title after winning the race at the home of Honda. We’ve covered that already and right now, we’re more interested on how our homeboy Hafizh Syahrin is doing so far at the very top of the league. In the great words of Joey Tribbiani, “How you doin?” (more…)
Malaysian MotoGP rider, Hafizh Syahrin rode a steady race to score points in the Thai MotoGP round at the Buriram International Circuit.
Hafizh had started the race in 18th place but worked his way up to 12th at finish.
The result meant that he finished two places ahead of this nearest Rookie of the Year challenger, Franco Morbidelli. Hafizh took 2 points away from Morbidelli over the weekend, closing the gap to 5 points. Morbidelli still leads the rookie hunt with 33 points to Hafizh’s 28.
But it was not an easy race as Hafizh revealed later, “I was working really hard with the team and they believed in me, which is what I needed. My bike was overheating in the beginning of the race.”
“The oil temperature was too hot, and I didn’t feel the power of the bike. I decided not to slipstream (other riders) because the bike was so hot,” he continued. “I first passed Takaaki Nakagami and thought I could catch up with Morbidelli. I managed to pass Morbidelli and then tried to keep the rhythm.”
“I still need to work hard in the next rounds and try to get closer to Morbidelli again. We gained two points on him. There’s still five points to go, so we have to try to be in front of him for the rest of the season,” he added.
Hafizh’s performance in Thailand scored his first points since the race in Brno, Czech Republic back in August. The unfortunate showing was due to Yamaha’s inability to solve issues with the bikes. As evidence, the problems had also affected Hafizh’s Monster Tech 3 Yamaha teammate Johann Zarco, and the factory Yamaha pairing of Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinalez.
As we’ve reported on previous occasions, the TOC Automotive College (TOC) is providing a loan for students aspiring to be certified superbike technicians through a program called, “Bina Bakat (Talent Development).” (Please click here for the full article.) Now, to provide graduates opportunities for greater job placement portfolios, as the college has announced their partnership with the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).
This augurs well with SIC as the world-class motorsports venue’s management has expanded their reach into two-motorsports by running their own MotoGP team next year, after SIC tied up with the Angel Nieto Team and Yamaha to run the manufacturer’s satellite team beginning 2019 (please click here to read the full news). Besides that, SIC has also set up a Talent Cup to develop young racers in Malaysia, managed by Zulfahmi Khairuddin.
This is on top of Hafizh Syahrin making the jump to the MotoGP premier class this year.
Dato’ Ahmad Razlan Razali, the CEO of Sepang International Circuit said that such expansion requires certified and skilled mechanics, who are disciplined in their work ethics. He is confident that these are the very sort of technicians who are produced by TOC through the Superbike Technician Course, which also encompasses motorsports as part of their syllabus.
Indeed, as part of TOC’s “Enriching Lives” theme, the college seeks to provide the best talent development program through Bina Bakat. The program builds the students’ development path through 80% practical work, preparing them for potential job placements after graduation. Obviously, SIC is an attractive goal for many students.
To rehash, Bina Bakat program offers 100% education loan to eligible student to follow the Superbike Technician Course. They will then repay their loans after they have found job placements.
The announcement was made during a special get-together event at the TOC Automotive College’s campus in Petaling Jaya. Present were Hafizh Syahrin (MotoGP), Adam Norrodin (Moto3), Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Team Manager), Dato’ Ahmad Razlan Razali, Oh Kah Beng (TOC Motorsports Director), Jeffrey Oh (Oh Kah Beng’s brother and co-ordinator for the Asia Talent Cup and British Talent Cup) and Habibtullah Fuad Mohamad (Moto2 Mechanic), among other dignitaries and well-known figures in Malaysian motosports.
The guests were given a guided tour of TOC’s facilities and they signed autographs for their fans after the press conference.
Please visit TOC Automotive College’s Facebook page or their campus (map below) or call call (+603) 7960 8833 for more information. Likewise, you can find more information about the TOC Bina Bakat Program here, or email info@toc.edu.my. Please click on this link for further information on the TOC Superbike Technician Course.
The current Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad has confirmed that their current MotoGP rider Hafizh Syahrin will be staying with them for the 2019 season. The Malaysian rider has signed a one-year contract extension where he will be piloting a factory-spec KTM RC16 next year. (more…)
There have been many rumours going around the MotoGP paddock but this particular news might be the biggest one yet, especially to fellow Malaysians. It seems that there might be a possibility of Malaysia running its own MotoGP squad after all in 2019 as a Yamaha satellite team. (more…)
It was only a few days when we wrote a very special feature regarding the helmet worn by our Malaysian MotoGP rider, Hafizh Syahrin. Dubbed the “Stripes of Glory”, his X-Lite full face helmet is painted with the colours of the Malaysian flag is a symbol of pride and hope for Malaysian motorsports talents on an international scene. (more…)
It has been five rounds since national rider Hafizh Syahrin broke into the world of MotoGP. Besides his happy-go-lucky antics in the paddock, being the first ever Malaysian MotoGP rider has been described by many as a “breath of fresh air”. (more…)
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