Hafizh returns to venue where his MotoGP adventure started
PETALING JAYA: Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah will be hoping to make a memorable return to the venue where he got his first riding experience on a MotoGP bike.
Thailand hosts its inaugural MotoGP race at the Chang International Circuit this weekend, marking the start of what will be four flyaway races climaxing with the Malaysian MotoGP in Sepang early next month.
After Thailand, the next race is in Japan, followed by the Australian MotoGP race. The last race of this season’s calendar is the Valencia MotoGP in Spain on Nov 18.
It was at the new venue eight months ago where Hafizh tested a MotoGP bike for the first time and impressed the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 bosses enough to earn a full-season ride.
The talented rookie has not disappointed so far and is aiming to return to the place close to his home country and impress his fans in claiming back as many points as possible from Italian rival Franco Morbidelli, who is leading the Rookie of the Year classification.
“I have great memories regarding Thailand, because in the beginning of the year I got to know that I’ll be testing a MotoGP bike at the Chang International Circuit, where I finally rode the M1 for the very first time.
“I had a good test and was just less than two seconds from the top.
“Now I hope this track can give me an extra boost for this weekend, as I really look forward to arrive in Buriram and also because it’s the beginning of the Asian rounds,” said Hafizh, who is 18th in the overall standings with 24 points.
Hafizh is hoping to get championship points after finishing empty-handed in the last three rounds.
“The last two, three races I was struggling. We know that we face a tough situation together with Yamaha, so I hope they can fix something to give us the chance to fight for some better results again.
“I wish I can do well and come back to the points scoring positions.
“I still believe in myself, the team are working incredibly hard, so we keep on doing this and never give up.”