MotoGP rookie Hafizh grabs championship points in Le Mans

PETALING JAYA: Rookie rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah fought hard to earn championship points in the MotoGP race in Le Mans, France.

The Malaysian rider just missed out on a top 15 finish in the last round in Jerez, Spain, two weeks ago as he struggled to cope with bruises sustained in a bicycle training ride.

Having recovered his fitness and confidence, Hafizh underlined his talent by finishing 14th fastest in qualifying on Saturday, his best performance to date.

Yesterday, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider rode gallantly to settle for 12th spot in the 27-lap race (42:24.735).

Hafizh earned four precious championship points to take his tally to 13.

The top 15 riders are awarded world championship points.

There was heartbreak for Hafizh’s teammate Johann Zarco.

The Frenchman started from pole but his hopes of winning his home race ended after crashing on the eighth lap.

“I want to say thank you very much to my team because they always do a fantastic job, they try to pass me their experience and this is very helpful.

“I was focused on bringing home as much points as possible for my crew in their home race,” said Hafizh, who is the nation’s first rider in the premier class.

Hafizh’s best result after five rounds so far is still a ninth place finish in the second round in Argentina last month.

Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider Khairul Idham Pawi earned his first championship point of the season after coming home 15th in the Moto2 race.

It was a frustrating end to Petronas Sprint Racing rider Adam Norrodin’s campaign when he crashed out with one lap to go in the Moto3 race earlier.