Petronas Sprinta Racing Team Archives

Moto2: Vierge-Dixon Sedia Angkat Nama PETRONAS Sprinta Racing

Pelumba pasukan PETRONAS Sprinta Racing, Xavi Vierge dan Jake Dixon sedia memulakan kempen Moto2 2020 di Litar Losail, Qatar hujung minggu ini.

Saingan Moto2 bakal menjadi tumpuan utama minggu ini tatkala aksi kelas premier MotoGP dibatalkan disebabkan kerajaan negara itu mewajibkan setiap pengunjung luar untuk dikuarantin sehingga 2 minggu susulan penularan wabak Covid-19.

Bagaimanapun, Vierge tidak terkesan dengan situasi semasa tatkala mahu meneruskan aksi konsisten yang dipamerkan hujung minggu lalu ketika ujian pra-musim.

Meskipun 2020 merupakan tahun pertama bagi Vierge bersama PETRONAS Sprinta namun dia tidak kekok susulan sudah biasa dengna chasis Kalex dan penggunaan enjin Triumph.

“Saya sangat gembira dengan ujian pra-musim terutamanya terhadap kru dan pasukan ini. Setiap hari prestasi saya meningkat dan segalanya tampak positif.

“Saya tak sabar untuk beraksi hujung mini ini kerana perlumbaan kali ini unik dan istimewa. Tetapi apa yang penting adalah menamatkan perlumbaan kerana musim yang panjang menanti,” jelas Vierge.

Malangnya, nasib sama tidak menimpa Dixon yang mengalami kecederaan jari ketika ujian pra-musim di Jerez.

Dia tidak dapat melakukan ujian optimum sebaliknya terhad kepada proses penyesuaian terhadap jentera baharu.

Bagaimanapun, Dixon kekal positif dalam melakar keputusan baik pada Ahad.

“Ujian pra-musim di Qatar tidak sebagus diharapkan tetapi bagi saya ketika ini adalah menyesuaikan diri dengan jentera. Saya tidak bimbang kerana saya tahun aspek yang saya perlu fokuskan.

“Disebabkan aksi MotoGP dibatalkan jadi perlumbaan kami akan bermula di sebelah petang, saya berharap kami akan dapat melakar keputusan positif,” katanya.

Aksi Moto2 bakal menjadi tumpuan utama di litar sepanjang 5.4km itu susulan pembatalan kelas premier.

Jangan lupa ikuti kami di YouTube dan Instagram!

VIDEO HARI INI

Malaysian MotoGP a Driving Force for Tourists to Malaysia

The Malaysian MotoGP is an important driving force in bringing tourists to Malaysia.
It has brought in 1.81 million tourists from 1999 to 2018.
Teams and riders sponsored by Tourism Malaysia were present at a meet and greet event.

The Malaysian MotoGP is an important driving force in bringing tourists to Malaysia.

Director General of Tourism Malaysia Datuk Musa Yusof said that MotoGP had brought in 1.81 million tourists to Malaysia between 1999 to 2018. He presented the statement at the Meet & Greet Session with MotoGP Riders at MaTIC (Malaysian Tourism Centre), Jalan Ampang.

Riders from the PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team, PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team, Red Bull KTM Ajo Racing Team, ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team graced the event. Riders present at the event were Franco Morbidelli, Adam Norrodin, John McPhee, Ayumu Sasaki, Khairul Idham Pawi, Brad Binder, Jorge Martin, Can Oncu, Remy Gardner, Tetsuta Nagashima.

The riders were asked about their experiences in Malaysia, as well as which tourism sites they would like to visit. They also carried out autograph and photography sessions.

The teams and riders sport the “Visit Malaysia” logo on their race bikes and race suit, visible to TV viewers the world over.

Viewers in Malaysia also feel proud to see the “Visit Malaysia” logo in the world’s premier racing classes and at the international stage. It also augurs well for next year which ties in with Tourism Malaysia’s “Visit Malaysia 2020” programme.

The 2019 Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix will be held from 1st to 3rd November 2019 at the Sepang International Circuit.

Adam Norrodin to Replace Khairul Idham Pawi at Misano

Ex-PETRONAS Sprinta Moto3 rider Adam Norrodin will be the latest replacement for Khairul Idham Pawi.
He is the latest substitute rider in the PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team in Moto2.
Pawi is recovering from a hand injury.

Ex-PETRONAS Sprinta Moto3 rider Adam Norrodin will be the latest replacement for Khairul Idham Pawi.

Norrodin will take over the Moto2 reins in the PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team at the Misano GP. Pawi is still nursing the injury to his right finger which had partly been amputated.

Norrodin used to race for the Sepang International Circuit team in the Moto3 class from 2016 to 2018, partnering Ayumu Sasaki. When the team became the PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team for this season, Scottish racer John McPhee replaced Norrodin.

The Malaysian rider went to ride for the SIC Junior team, contesting in the European Moto2 championship.

Although he has experience riding a Moto2 machine, this will be his first time on the Triumph-powered Moto2 machine in the Moto2 World Championship.

“It’s a shame that KIP is not able to return to racing, but I’m really happy to have been given this opportunity; it’s like a dream come true,” Norrodin said. “There’s something new for me to learn, but it’ll be interesting for me – it’s a new chapter for my story and I need to say a huge thanks to Dato’ Razlan Razali and the team for still believing in me.”

Team Principal Dato’ Razlan Razali said “One of our objectives is to encourage and nurture Malaysian racing talent so with Khairul Idham Pawi still recovering, there was an ideal opportunity to give Adam Norrodin the opportunity to sample Moto2 at world championship level.”

Mattia Pasini, Jonas Folger and Bradley Smith have substituted for Pawi this season. As Smith will be representing the SIC team at Misano for the MotoE race, he will unavailable as substitute.

Hafizh Syahrin in PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team for Moto2 in 2020?

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.

PETRONAS Yamaha SRT Principal Dato’ Razlan Razali: Many Told Us Fabio Quartararo was the Wrong Choice

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.

“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.

Where is Khairul Idham Pawi a.k.a. SuperKIP?

Khairul Idham Pawi a.k.a. SuperKIP was the first Malaysian rider to win in a world championship.
His first win was in Argentina in 2016.
He is currently recuperating after a number of surgeries to his right hand.

Khairul Idham Pawi a.k.a. SuperKIP will always be remembered as the first ever Malaysian racer to win a race (and added another later) for the country in a world championship.

His first win was in the Moto3 race at Argentina in 2016 and would go on to win another three months later in Germany. He has since moved up the Moto2 championship in 2017.

But he’s been missing from the Moto2 grid lately, and his PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team substituted him with Mattias Pasini and Jonas Folger.

The injuries to his right hand turned out to be more serious after his crash in Jerez in May this year. Surgeons had to partially amputate the little finger.

Pawi made a comeback at the Czech Republic round in Brno but acute pain forced him to withdraw halfway through the race.

Further surgeries caused him to miss the Austrian round. MotoGP surgeon Dr. Xavier Mir inserted a screw into the reconstructed bone in Pawi’s finger. The surgery was performed in the Hospital Universitari Dexeus in Barcelona, Spain.

Pawi aims to return to the Moto2 grid when fully fit. However, he may not recover in time for the Malaysian MotoGP round.

There are currently talks of him moving back to Moto3 next year to replace Ayumu Sasaki in the PETRONAS SRT outfit, while Hafizh Syahrin takes his place in the Moto2 PETRONAS SRT team. We shall wait for the official announcement.

Moto3 2019: John McPhee Gives Petronas Sprinta Racing Team Maiden Victory

John McPhee rode a gritty Moto3 race at the French GP to give the Petronas Sprinta Racing Team their maiden victory.
He had also given the team their first Moto3 pole position.
Tatsuki Suzuki had again led the most laps before crashing out.

John McPhee rode a gritty Moto3 race at the French GP to give the Petronas Sprinta Racing Team their maiden victory.

The Scottish rider had see-saw beginning to the weekend but managed to capture pole position in Q2. He was also fastest during the morning’s warm-up session.

McPhee was third at the end of Lap 1 but he hung in there, keeping himself in the top three for most parts of the race.

Again, it was Tatsuki Suzuki who led from the start. Although pursued closely by the group, Suzuki controlled the pace from the front. Unfortunately, his bike’s rear tyre slid under him in Turn 3 on Lap 17.

By then McPhee and Lorenzo Dalla Porta have gone through. Suzuki’s crash opened up a gap behind the duo, leaving them to duke it out to the finish. But it was McPhee who held the advantage from the penultimate lap and past the finish line. Della Porta finished second, while Aaron Canet battled his way up to come home in third.

The victory was also the first podium for McPhee in three years.

French Moto3 Top 5 Finish:

John McPhee
Lorenzo Della Porta
Aaron Canet
Gabriel Rodrigo
Andrea Migno

PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team (SRT) Mulakan Ujian Pra Musim Mereka

Khairul Idham Pawi yang sedang menguji jentera Moto2 yang baharu – Sumber imej: PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team

Pasukan PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team bagi kelas Moto3 dan Moto2 telah menjalankan ujian pra musim persendirian mereka.
Ujian ini telah mengambil tempat di litar halaman pasukan berkenaan, iaitu Litar Antarabangsa Sepang.
Ujian ini telah diadakan sebelum bermulanya ujian pra musim Moto3 dan Moto2 rasmi di Jerez.

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PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team (SRT) Takes Over Pre-Season Testing

The PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team for Moto2 and Moto3 are currently conducting private pre-season testing.
The tests are taking place at the team’s home track, Sepang International Circuit.
The tests are ahead of the first official Moto2 and Moto3 pre-season tests at Jerez.

PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Teams for Moto2 and Moto3 took to the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) in private pre-season tests starting 11^thFebruary. SIC is the team’s home track.

Team riders are Khairul Idham Pawi for the Moto2 class, and Ayumu Sasaki and John McPhee for the Moto3 category.

Their tests sessions followed in the footsteps of the third official MotoGP test which took place from 6^thto 8^thFebruary. The PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo put their Yamaha YZR-M1s through their paces for the upcoming season. The Yamaha factory later announced on 7^thFebruary that Quartararo will also ride the 2019 Yamaha YZR-M1 like his teammate Morbidelli’s and those of the factory Yamaha team.

Franco Morbidelli at Sepang Winter Test 2019 – Photo credit MotoGP.com

Khairul Idham Pawi #89 – Moto2

Khairul Idham Pawi and his crew continues their work on the new Kalex machine which is powered by the new Triumph three-cylinder engine. The tests will allow Pawi to familiarize himself further to the machine. He improved his pace as the day progressed.

Pawi testing new Moto2 bike – Photo credit PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team

The tests focused on the new engine initially, before moving to chassis, geometry and suspension set-ups.

Ayumu Sasaki #71 and John McPhee #17 – Moto3

The Sasaki/McPhee pairing concentrated on obtaining the optimum motorcycle base settings on the new 2019 Honda. Work focused on learning the new engine, chassis, and chassis geometry.

McPhee testing new Moto3 bike – Photo credit PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team

Both riders put in many laps to obtain the sizeable data required. Sasaki logged 51 laps while McPhee logged another 38.

Next Tests

Testing continues today and tomorrow. The two Moto2 and Moto3 teams will head to their official tests at Jerez, Spain beginning 20^thFebruary and Losail, Qatar from 1^stMarch. As for the MotoGP team, the final official pre-season test will begin from 23^rdFebruary. The 2019 MotoGP season kicks off in Qatar from 10^thMarch.

Peluang Buat Khairul Idham Pawi Dalam Pasukan Petronas Yamaha Sepang MotoGP

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Litar Antarabangsa Sepang, Dato’ Razlan Razali, telah menawarkan satu peluang buat Khairul Idham Pawi bagi menyertai pasukan MotoGP.
Peluang untuk menyertai pasukan Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team dalam MotoGP bergantung kepada keputusan Moto2 Pawi pada tahun 2019 dan 2020.
Pawi bakal menjadi penunggang MotoGP Malaysia pertama dalam sebuah pasukan MotoGP Malaysia sekiranya dia berjaya.

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Opportunity for Khairul Idham Pawi in Petronas Yamaha Sepang MotoGP Team

Sepang International Circuit CEO, Dato’ Razlan Razali offers an opportunity to Khairul Idham Pawi to join the MotoGP team.
Joining the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team in MotoGP depends on Pawi’s Moto2 results in 2019 and 2020.
Pawi will be the first Malaysian MotoGP rider in a Malaysian MotoGP team should he make it.

Sepang International Circuit (SIC) CEO, Dato’ Razlan Razali offers an opportunity to Malaysian rider Khairul Idham Pawi in the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team in the MotoGP championship.

Datuk Razlan Ramli, courtesy of gpmalaysia

Khairul Idham Pawi shocked the world when he won two Moto3 races in his debut season in 2016. He was Malaysia’s first GP race winner in any category. Both wins came during wet races, but he didn’t score well in dry races. However, he was moved up to the Moto2 category in 2017 where he languished in the tail end of the field.

As for 2019, he signed up with the Petronas Sprinta Racing Team and remains in Moto2.

Dato’ Razlan told Crash.net that Pawi had been moved to Moto2 too early. On the other hand, he’s positive that Pawi had learned a lot in those two years.

“He came to visit our Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team in Valencia. We showed him around and said, ‘look, you have two years to do something because we want you to be our first Malaysian MotoGP rider in this team.’”

Dato’ Razlan hopes that “pep talk” will spur Pawi to perform his best during the 2019 season, as there is a path for progression in the team.

Besides Hafizh Syahrin riding for the Tech 3 KTM team this year, having a Malaysian rider riding for a Malaysian team will die the country’s fans much to cheer for.

Watch this space for the official launching of the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (MotoGP) and Petronas Sprinta Racing Teams in Moto2 and Moto3 on 28^thJanuary.

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