Afiq counts his blessings he’s still pursuing his racing career

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian driver Afiq Ikhwan Yazid has been lucky to be able to pursue his racing career despite the current economic climate.

The 27-year-old from Kuala Lumpur has had his contract sorted out with one of the top racing outfits in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Series.

Afiq and Japanese driver Toshiyuki Ochiai will be the main drivers for the Japan-based HoJust Racing Team competing in the series.

The six-round championship starts with the season opener in Sepang, Malaysia, early next month.

Afiq made Malaysia proud when he partnered Kei Cozzolino of Japan to win the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals in Italy in November last year.

“It will be hard to match what I achieved last year. I managed to make history as the first Malaysian to win the World Finals,” said Afiq.

“It’s a prestigious battle involving drivers from the different Lamborghini series in Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America.

“My contract was negotiated early and I’m lucky to be able to continue doing what I love.

“We’ve partnered together (with Ochiai) to win Lamborghini Super Asia races before, so we hope to continue to be on top again,” said Afiq, who was part of the initial Sepang International Circuit sponsorship plan for four wheels when they entered the Asian Le Mans Series last year.

Afiq partnered Jazeman Jaafar and Nabil Jeffri to win the 6 Hours of Buriram Race in Thailand but he later withdrew due to his driving commitments in the Lamborghini series.