Jorge Martin will be moving up to Moto2 next year after signing a new deal with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team.
The 20-year-old Spaniard will be replacing the outgoing Miguel Oliveira.
Martin is currently second in the 2018 Moto3 world championship with just three points behind championship leader, Marco Bezzecchi.
It has been quite a season so far for Moto3 2018 championship leader, Jorge Martin. With three race wins and second in the championship, the Del Conca Gresini Moto3 rider has announced that he will be moving up into the intermediate class with the Red Bull KTM Ajo squad in replacement for the outgoing rider, Miguel Oliveira. (more…)
Jorge Martin wins the first Moto3 race of the 2018 MotoGP season.
Unlike last year’s race where as many as 17 riders fought for victory, the leading duo broke away from the chasing pack.
The Malaysian Petronas Sprinta Racing riders finished 8th and 11th.
Jorge Martin held on to edge out compatriot Aaron Canet to the line, to win the first Moto3 race of the year.
The pair had broken away from the pursuing group from early on to establish a two-horse race. The Losail International Circuit has the longest front straight of any circuit on the GP calendar and Canet had trailed Martin out of the last corner to set up a slipstream pass. But Canet could only show his front wheel alongside Martin just as the latter crossed the line first.
Aaron Canet – Pic from MotoGP.com
The real spectacle, however was the manic battle for third among those in a group of ten riders, including eventual third-placed finisher Lorenzo Dalla Porta, Niccolo Antonelli, Ayumu Sasaki, John McPhee, among others. Gentlemanly racing soon gave way to argy-bargy and paint-swapping hard moves with two laps to go, John McPhee was among the casualties. It was heartbreak for the Scotsman having fought up through the field into the fight for the final podium position.
Ayumu Sasaki – Pic from MotoGP.com
Ayumu Sasaki of the Petronas Sprinta Racing team fought tooth and nail to come away eighth at the checkered flag, having gone as high as fifth. He had lost the slipstream to the group midway through the race but had managed to fight back into the group. Adam Norrodin languished in the 15th to 16th positions all days, but crashes up ahead promoted him up to 11th at the finish.
The Petronas Sprinta Racing Moto3 team has been officially launched yesterday at the Sepang International Circuit.
The whole new partnership between Petronas and SIC has led to the team’s new direction for 2018.
Both Adam Norrodin and Ayumu Sasaki are ready to bring the fight to the rest of the Moto3 field.
The Petronas Sprinta Racing team was officially launched yesterday at the Sepang International Circuit. This partnership between SIC and Petronas as the official title sponsor which will run its course for three seasons will start with Adam Norrodin and Ayumu Sasaki taking their race-bred Honda Moto3 machinery to podium contentions. (more…)
Ujian pra musim Moto2 dan Moto3 2018 telah berlangsung baru-baru ini di Valencia.
Ketiga-tiga hari ujian berkenaan telah dibantutkan oleh hujan yang telah menyebabkan litar menjadi sejuk.
Penunggang dari Malaysia, Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Moto2) dan Adam Norrodin (Moto3) meluangkan masa tersebut menyesuaikan diri dengan jentera masing-masing.
The 2018 Moto2 and Moto3 pre-season tests got underway at Valencia recently.
All three days were hampered by rain and subsequently cold track.
Malaysian riders Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Moto2) and Adam Norrodin (Moto3) spent time adapting to their machines.
Malaysian Moto3 and Moto2 riders found the going tough during their respective class’ pre-season tests.
The three-day test session held at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain saw rain and subsequent cold weather, hampering the quest for racking up more track time and faster laps.
Moto2
Returning rider, Zulfahmi Khairuddin, now riding for the SIC Racing Team saw his track time cut down just three 70-minute sessions and completing only 72 laps in total over three days.
There were nine sessions (three per day) for each class. In Moto2, the first day was a total washout. No riders went on track in Session 1. Sessions 2 and 3 saw only Dominique Aegerter riding for 12 and 14 laps, respectively.
The weather stayed more or less the same on the second day. Session 4 saw only five riders posting very few laps, with Isaac Vinalez completing the most number of laps at 20. The next closest riders Stefano Manzi and Jorge Navarro completed only 7 laps apiece.
All riders saw action in Session 5 and 6 but posted times slower than the normal pace.
Session 7 on Day Three was another washout and only Mattia Pasini went out riding, completing a token 4 laps. All riders rode in Sessions 8 and 9, however, just the days before, no one put in a large number of laps to be of true meaning.
Test sessions in good weather usually see riders completing many more laps as they work on setting up their bikes.
It was a learning experience for Zulfahmi as he adapts to the Kalex, having been roped in to replace Hafizh Syahrin at almost the 11th hour.
“The first day was rain and the second day we did only a few laps to check the bike and get a feel for the bike,” said Zulfahmi.
Zulfahmi continued, “The hardest part for me is getting used to the tyres; we are now working on the engine braking to make me more comfortable to brake harder.”
Zulfahmi Khairuddin – Picture from MotoGP.com
Riders need time to adapt to the characteristics and limits of new tyres, especially when they make the switch from road-legal race compound tyres to full-on race tyres. Race tyres may provide more grip, but it remains as potential grip if the rider could not find the way to make them work i.e. keeping them in the optimal working range.
He remains optimistic and cheerful, however, “It’s fantastic to be going to Sepang next week because the weather is so much better than in Europe right now.”
Team Manager, Johan Stigefelt said, “This test was the first time riding the Moto2 bike for Fahmi; a week ago he didn’t know he would be here, so of course it’s quite nerve-wracking for him to have a complete new bike and new crew around him.”
Moto3
As with Moto2, the Petronas Sprinta Racing team’s riders Adam Norrodin and Ayumu Sasaki (from Japan) saw rain disrupting their plans. Only four riders completed a few laps throughout the day.
Day Two’s Session 4 in the morning saw only four riders completing 4 laps each; while 17 out of 24 riders went on track in Session 5.
All riders finally went on track in Session 6, which saw Sasaki posting the 11th fastest time, while Adam was way back in 24th.
Day Three was almost the same, having full participation in Session 8, only. The most lap completed was a measly 30.
Both riders crashed due to cold tyres and Adam injured a finger. “It’s been quite a frustrating first test with the weather being so cold! We couldn’t ride at all on the first day because of the rain and then even when it stopped it was too cold to get any real heat in the tyres,” he lamented.
About the last day, “Today it has been sunnier but still so cold, so when we went out I just concentrated on getting used to the bike again.”
Adam Norrodin in the 2017 Argentina GP
“Today has been a better day,” said Sasaki, “it’s been a lot sunnier but still very cold.”
Ayumu Sasaki – Picture from MotoGP.com
Both teams will head home to the Sepang International Circuit for private testing from
Kawasaki Motors Malaysia (KMSB) telah membekalkan motosikal perlumbaan yang diperlukan untuk para penunggang muda yang dipilih untuk menyertai program SIC “Impian ke MotoGP”.
Beberapa buah unit motosikal jalan raya Kawasaki Ninja 250 SL yang telah ditala untuk perlumbaan yang akan digunakan oleh penunggang-penunggang tersebut untuk berlatih di bawah kelolaan Zulfahmi Khairuddin.
Kawasaki Malaysia dikenali kerana aktif bergiat dalam mendokong arena perlumbaan tempatan dan industri sukan permotoran kebangsaan.
Lima penunggang muda telah terpilih untuk program “Impian ke MotoGP”, sebuah program yang dianjurkan oleh Litar Antarabangsa Sepang (SIC).
Penunggang yang berusia dari 13 hingga 15 tahun tersebut akan menjalani regimen latihan intensif yang diketuai oleh pelumba negara, Zulfahmi Khairuddin.
Dua penunggang terbaik akan diberikan peluang untuk bertanding di dalam siri perlumbaan FIM CEV Repsol Sepanyol dan juga Asian Road Racing Championship (ARRC) beserta dengan Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSC).
Kawasaki Motors Malaysia (KMSB) has supplied the race bikes needed for the young riders selected to undergo the Impian ke MotoGP SIC program.
A few units of the Kawasaki Ninja 250 SL streets bikes which have been tuned for racing will be used by the riders to train led by Zulfahmi Khairuddin.
Kawasaki Malaysia is known for being active in supporting the local racing scene and national motorsports industry.
In our recent report this morning, five young riders have been chosen to join the Impian ke MotoGP or ‘Dream to MotoGP’ program organised by the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). The training program which will be spearheaded by our very own national rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin will begin in the next few weeks. (more…)
Five young riders have been chosen for the Impian ke MotoGP or ‘Dream to MotoGP’ program organised by Sepang International Circuit (SIC).
Riders aged 13 to 15 will undergo an intensive training regime spearheaded by national racer, Zulfahmi Khairuddin.
The best two riders will be given the chance to compete in the Spanish FIM CEV Repsol as well as Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) and Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSC).
Out of the hundreds who applied for the ‘Impian ke MotoGP’ or ‘Dream to MotoGP’ program conducted by the Sepang International Circuit, 40 worthy individuals were chosen for the selection process a few days ago at the Sepang International Go Kart Circuit. (more…)
Musim 2018 MotoGP akan menyaksikan ke semua penunggang tetap memakai sut perlumbaan berbeg udara sekiranya mereka ingin bertanding di dalam kategori perlumbaannya.
Ke semua sut perlumbaan mestilah dilengkapi dengan sistem beg udara yang akan memberikan perlindungan pada bahagian bahu dan tulang selangka.
Ini adalah satu langkah yang baik memandangkan para pengeluar akan melabur dengan lebih lagi untuk sebuah sistem beg udara yang mana akan membuatkannya lebih tersedia untuk para pengguna.
Kategori perlumbaan Moto2 dengan nyata sekali telah didominasi oleh sebuah pengeluar casis motosikal iaitu Kalex.
Dengan sebuah casis berteknologi paling maju, hampir 70% daripada keseluruhan penunggang dalam kelas perlumbaan pertengahan menggunakan Kalex untuk musim 2017.
Para penunggang seperti Johann Zarco, Franco Morbidelli, dan juga Hafizh Syahrin telah menggunakan motosikal Kalex kerana kehebatannya itu.
