Last-lap pass earns Hafizh the points in Italian MotoGP

PETALING JAYA: Rookie rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah fought hard to finish a commendable 12th in the MotoGP race in Mugello, Italy.

The Malaysian rider made a bold move to overtake Spaniard Tito Rabat on the last lap to finish the 23- lap race yesterday in 42:05.665.

Hafizh claimed four precious championship points to bring his tally to 17 so far.

He is now ranked 16th in the overall standings after six rounds.

The top 15 riders are awarded world championship points.

The Monster Yamaha Tec3 rider equalled his best qualifying performance from the previous race in Le Mans two weeks ago by posting the 12th fastest time of 1:47.188 on Saturday.

Hafizh, who also finished 12th in Le Mans, was pleased to end the weekend on a strong note.

“I was truly close to the top in qualifying, it’s just 0.9 seconds, which makes me very proud.

“A huge thanks to my team because we were very fast from this morning,” said Hafizh, whose best result so far is still a ninth place finish in the second round in Argentina in April.

Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider Khairul Idham Pawi finished out of the points in 18th spot in the Moto2 race earlier.

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