Hafizh hopes new winglets bring luck
SEPANG: The country’s first MotoGP rider, Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah, hopes that the installations of winglets on his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine will help him achieve the best rhythm ahead of the 2018 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix race on Sunday.
The use of the wings was for the first time by the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 racer but his team-mate from France, Johann Zarco had tested it earlier.
Hafizh, 24, was hoping that the installation of the wings, which was a positive development for his engine, could qualify him for the second qualifying round (Q2) once again after successfully doing it at Phillip Island at the Australian GP last week.
“This is the first time I am using the wings on my machine and I hope that the add-ons will bring good to me to obtain better results as early as the first training session. I hope to be able to create a surprise later.
“I have never it tried yet but I am confident it will help the machine to be more stable so that the front tyre will not lift too much simultaneously giving grip to the front tyre,” he said when met after a pre-racing media conference here yesterday.
At the Australian Grand Prix, Hafizh who started the race in the 10th spot show-cased an exciting ride and held the eighth position before skidding in the 18th round.
Hafizh, nicknamed ‘El Pescao’, now had 34 points to finish in 18th place after 17 races and 12 points behind Honda’s Franco Morbidelli, and hoped to grab the title of the 2018 season’s best rookie rider. -