MARRIAGE FIRST, THEN IT’S BACK TO THE GRIND FOR HAFIZH

PETALING JAYA: Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah’s bachelor days will come to an end soon.

The 23-year-old Moto2 rider is getting married to Nor Suzana Abdul Manap on Dec 16.

Hafizh may be settling down at an early age but that doesn’t mean he is taking his career lightly.

He will come under the care of the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) as he rides for the Petronas Sprinta Racing team for the 2018 Moto2 season and he is looking to raise the bar.

“I plan to have just one wedding reception in Kuala Lumpur. There’s not much time. I only plan to take a short break before I leave for off-season training in Spain with SIC Team Moto3 riders Ayumu (Sasaki) and Adam (Norrodin) in January.

“After that, I will take part in two rounds of winter testing in Valencia in February, although the season starts in March.

“I will have the latest bike and it’s going to be better than the 2017 edition. So, there’s no reason for me not to aim for a strong finish,” said Hafizh, who romped to victory in the Pirelli Malaysian Superbike Championships at Sepang Circuit on Sunday.

Hafizh struggled to find his footing at the start of the season this year but made a remarkable turnaround when he picked up two podium finishes in San Marino and Motegi, Japan.

He claimed second place in the weather-interrupted San Marino Grand Prix in September before riding to an impressive third in the Japanese Grand Prix under similar wet conditions in October.

Hafizh finished 10th overall with 106 points.

“I hope to be good in dry conditions as well although I tend to perform better in a wet race.

“Hopefully, I’ll get more podium finishes with the support of the team and my wife,” said Hafizh, who will be out to impress next year in order to secure a prized ride in MotoGP by 2019.