Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah
KUALA LUMPUR: National Moto2 rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah continues his stunning performance by finishing third in the Moto2 of the Japan Grand Prix at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit yesterday.
The 23-year-old Petronas Raceline Malaysia rider clocked 32 minutes 12.035 seconds in the 15-lap race while two Spanish riders – Alex Marquez of Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS and Xavi Vierge of Tech 3 Racing claimed the top two finishes.
Marquez posted a time of 32:08.901s while Vierge clocked 32:10.366s.
The victory was the second podium finish for Hafizh Syahrin after winning the same position in the San Marino Grand Prix at the Misano World Circuit in Italy last month.
Hafizh Syahrin collected 16 points and secured the 10th place on overall in the Moto2 category, with 82 points after 15 races this season.
Another Malaysian rider, Khairul Idham Pawi of Idemitsu Honda Team finished 23rd with a time of 32:59.432s
Meanwhile, Hafizh Syahrin said he was very happy to secure his second podium finish of the season and the success gave him the motivation to keep pushing in the remaining races.
“We were quietly confident throughout the weekend, and it was a matter of remaining calm and focused. The race went perfectly. The bike responded well and kept the pace all weekend, and we also managed to record several fastest laps,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Hafizh Syahrin registered his best lap of 2:07.172 seconds at lap 10. Team coordinator Razmin Masli Abdul Razak said it was a great outing for the team in such tricky weather conditions.
“We are delighted with third place, and we would like to thank our supporters, partners and sponsors for continuing to believe in us. We will now go to the next flyaway race in Australia rejuvenated by this fine achievement,” said Razmin. — Bernama
Kalex rider Hafizh Syahrin of Malaysia powers his machine during the Moto2 race. — AFP photo