300 hopefuls race to be a part of ‘Impian ke MotoGP’

KUALA LUMPUR: Impian ke MotoGP – a brand new initiative by Sepang International Circuit (SIC) to unearth new gems in motorsport – has drawn a strong response with almost 300 applicants for the pilot programme.

With the target of taking five riders to the international stage, the programme seeks to nurture and guide raw talents from the local racing scene and mould them into world-class riders.

Lauched on Dec 18 last year, successful applicants will have the opportunity to compete in international championship races while optimising the assets and resources available to SIC, including knowledge transfer from SIC riders Adam Norrodin, Ayumu Sasaki and Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah. Registration closed on Dec 31.

SIC chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali said the overwhelming interest in the programme was a good sign of a sound grassroots development in motorsport, especially two-wheel racing.

“I’m really excited by the interest in the programme with nearly 300 applicants registered for it.

“The number of applicants indicates the credibility of what we are trying to do, which is turning grassroot talents into world championship riders,” he said.

The programme, which is open to riders aged between 13 and 15 will have applicants tested, screened and then selected in Phase 2 from Jan 13-14 at the SIC go-kart track.

Five candidates will then undergo a series of further tests on a 250cc production machine and SIC’s Honda NSF250RR race machines.

The testing and selection will be done by World Supersports and former Moto3 rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin and former Asia Road Racing Championships runner-up Ahmad Zamani Baharudin.

Upon completion of the tests, the best two will compete in either the Spanish CEV Championship or Junior World Championship beginning with the first round in Estoril, Portugal, in March.

The other three successful candidates will race in two different series throughout the year – the Malaysian Cub Prix under the Wira Category and the KTM RC390 Cup Asia before they could move on to the international stage. All riders will be with the programme for at least three years.

Zulfahmi was glad to be part of the initiative even though he’s busy with his training.

“I’m happy to share my knowledge with these young riders. After years of racing on the international stage, I feel that I have enough to give back to the younger generation and see Malaysian motorsports move up another notch,” said Zulfahmi.

I’m happy to share my knowledge with these young riders. Zulfahmi Khairuddin