Not aiming to be ‘Rookie of the Year’

Syahrin Abdullah has downplayed his chances of taking the MotoGP Rookie of the Year title though he still hopes to give his peers in the category a run for their money.

Hafizh, who confirmed his seat with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 on Wednesday, said he lacks the experience compared to his fellow rookies.

“I am not too sure about that (best rookie), maybe I can be competitive among the rookies but it is not my main target,” said the 23-year-old.

“I have only tested the bike in Buriram so far. The next test is in Qatar and after that, racing starts.

“That is only a total of six days on the bike.”

The team will head to Qatar for testing on March 1-3. The first race of the season will be on March 18, also in Qatar.

Hafizh is unsure whether Tech 3 will utilise the 2016 or 2017 Yamaha chassis for this season.

Teammate Johann Zarco had used both chassis in Buriram and he preferred the 2016 version.

“The team have not decided yet which chassis will start in Qatar but they have told me that I will be using the chassis picked by Zarco.

“I think my riding style suits Yamaha bikes. I will try to be as smooth as I can and avoid aggressive moves.

“I have been told that we will be doing long runs during the Qatar test to simulate race situations. This will help me understand and manage situations such as tyre degradation.

“I hope to gain a better understanding in Qatar and build on what I have learnt in Buriram for the new season. I definitely do not want to be three or four seconds off the leader.”

Hafizh added that he will remain at Sepang International Circuit’s training base in Spain with Adam Norrodin and Zulfahmi Khairuddin as Tech 3’s base in Southern France is only four hours by road.