Adam sizzles in wet and dry
ADAM Norrodin impressed in both wet and dry conditions on the opening day of the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix yesterday but made it clear that his job is far from over.
The SIC Racing Team rider finished second after clocking two minutes and 13.409 seconds in the first (FP1, dry) Moto3 free practice session and sixth after a short spell of rain in FP2 (2:29.655s).
Adam said he is pleased with how his Honda is shaping up for qualifying tomorrow but stressed that there is still room for improvement.
“I am quite happy today, I was reasonably strong in both the wet and dry. It definitely gives me added confidence for qualifying tomorrow,” said the 19-year-old.
“But I can’t afford to get carried away, this is just the start and we have to make it count in qualifying and the race.
“There are some things we have to improve with the bike, it had good pace in the dry (FP1) but there was some chatter at the rear end.
“I went out with good grip in the wet (FP2) but the grip faded towards the middle of the session and almost crashed on a few occasions.
“There are also some issues with the front-end braking which needs to be fixed. It is important for overtaking (late braking).”
Adam’s teammate Ayumu Sasaki (Japan) did not fare as well as he suffered a minor crash in the morning session which rattled his confidence. Ayumu settled for 25th in FP1 (2:15.622s) and 16th in FP2 (2:30.627s).
Wild card Kasma Danial Kasmayudin (Petronas Sprinta Racing) crashed twice in FP2 (2:29.776s) but still managed an impressive ninth having earlier settled for 29th in FP1 (2:16.430s).
In Moto2, Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah (Petronas Raceline) struggled with a lack of rear-end grip and could only manage 18th fastest in FP2 on 2:27.475s. He earlier placed 11th in FP1 (2:07.970s).
The wet weather specialist, who has finished on the podium twice this season, was clearly unhappy.
“I struggled on almost every turn, I needed to wait for the rear end to settle before I could open the throttle,” said the 23-year-old, who will be moving to Petronas Sprinta Racing next year.
“We made changes but it did not help. I need a good bike if I am to push hard.”
Idemitsu Honda Team Asia’s Khairul Idham Pawi was 27th in FP1 (2:09.485s) and 21st in FP2 (2:27.662s).