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As the Moto3 riders exited the last corner in the very final lap of the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, more than 12 riders were going against each other on the front straight as they fought to gain the top spot following a race full of action and drama throughout. (more…)
We all know that 2019 will be a major season for the entire MotoGP grid. With the changes and additions satellite bikes and the possible reshuffling of riders, there are also rumours on Sepang International Circuit (SIC) securing the first Malaysian MotoGP team next season. (more…)
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…)
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
“Today has been a better day,” said Sasaki, “it’s been a lot sunnier but still very cold.”
Both teams will head home to the Sepang International Circuit for private testing from
The rumours that have been going around for quite some time are finally confirmed late yesterday when Petronas announced that they will not be sponsoring national rider Hafizh Syahrin to continue his Moto2 efforts in 2018. (more…)
The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) is determined to groom Hafizh Syahrin for the big time: MotoGP.
As was reported earlier, Hafizh Syahrin’s long-time team Moto2, Petronas Raceline Malaysia had split ways for the 2018 Moto2 season (click here for our report). Hafizh will join the Petronas Sprinta Racing Moto2 team next year. The team is managed by SIC.
SIC’s Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Razlan Razali has expressed the intention of having Hafizh in MotoGP with Dorna and MotoGP teams. “We have expressed our interest with Dorna and also discussed the matter with a number of MotoGP teams this past week,” he said.
But the 2018 slots have all been taken. “There are still slots available for new satellite teams in 2019,” added Datuk Razlan.
Datuk Razlan is confident that Hafizh will do better with Petronas Sprinta Racing, before making the leap to the top class.
The fact that Malaysian racers, including Hafizh, have traditionally done well in wet weather is not lost upon Datuk Razlan, “We also need them to do well in dry races. Hafizh has done well (in mixed weather races) here at and this is what we want.”
Datuk Razlan believes Hafizh will do better in 2018 as Petronas Sprinta Racing (read: SIC) will provide him a better bike and mechanics.
The target for Hafizh Syahrin is to finish in the overall top five in the Moto2 class next year. Syahrin is currently in 11th this season, with one race to go. He had finished 9th overall in 2016.
Difficulties saw Hafizh finishing last Sunday’s Shell Malaysia Moto2 race in sixth, after qualifying in tenth.
This report is adapted from Sepang Circuits Facebook post. You could visit their Facebook page by clicking here.
And have you heard that Petronas wants to give some lucky people a year’s worth of engine lubricants? You can be one of those lucky people too by taking part in a simple contest. For more information on the contest, you can visit www.mymesra.com.my/pengejarimpian
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