Hafizh gets his first points of the season
Syahrin Abdullah can breathe a sigh of relief after earning his first points of the season at the French Motorcycle Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider, who started from 21st on the grid, matched teammate Miguel Oliveira until the end of the race at the Le Mans circuit.
A 1.5-second penalty Oliveira incurred for cutting corners late in the race saw Hafizh moving up to 14th while his teammate, who had crossed the line first, settled for 15th in the final race standings.
“I enjoyed the race. In the beginning, it was a bit difficult to find the speed but lap by lap I settled into a rhythm.
“I tried to fight Oliveira and stayed close to him. Finally, he made a mistake, and I ended up in 14th.
“These two points have huge meaning and I want to dedicate them to my family and everybody around me, especially the French fans,” said Hafizh.
Tech3, founded in 1989, is one of the most experienced teams in the world championships. They are based in Provence in Southern France.
Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (SRT), who are the newest team on the grid in MotoGP, can also be happy with their results in France considering the mixed weather conditions throughout the weekend.
Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo were not able to replicate their stunning qualifying performances in Jerez but both finished well within the points in seventh and eighth respectively.
It seems that Petronas' world championship teams cannot put a foot wrong at the moment as Petronas Sprinta Racing, which is also managed by Sepang International Circuit, scored a historic first win in Moto3 through John McPhee.
Petronas Sprinta's Mattia Pasini, who is filling in for the injured Khairul Idham Pawi, also did well to qualify fourth in Moto2 but was taken out by another rider who crashed in front of him during the race.
Team Principal Datuk Razlan Razali believes that all Petronas sponsored teams in MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 will continue to grow stronger.
“The best aspect about the weekend was the Moto3 victory for McPhee. We have been waiting for this win since 2015, and we finally got it this weekend,” said Razlan.
“We signed him this winter because we knew he could bring us these victories. I hope he can keep this momentum going at the coming rounds.
“Pasini had good pace in Moto2 but unfortunately he encountered a crash right in front of him and couldn’t avoid it.
“I am very happy that our MotoGP riders finished in the top ten.”
The Italian Motorcycle Grand Prix is next. It will be held at the Mugello circuit on May 31-June 2.