Uncertain road ahead for Hafizh and Syarifuddin

his future in the World Championships still unclear, Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah is very disappointed that the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix has been cancelled for a second year running due to Covid-19.

The Moto2 rider said the World Championships are just not the same without the iconic races at Sepang, Motegi (Japan GP) and Phillip Island (Australian GP).

The latter two have also been cancelled this year.

The Malaysian GP was scheduled on Oct 22-24.

“I am really disappointed there will not be a race at Sepang this year as I have yet to race there since Moto2 switched to Triumph engines (in 2019),” said Hafizh.

“The last time I raced at Sepang was in 2019 when I was with KTM Tech3 in MotoGP.

“I am also sure that there are a lot of fans out there who want to see Valentino Rossi racing for the last time at Sepang. Unfortunately, this is out of the question now.

“We are racing again and again in Europe. It just isn’t as nice without the Japan GP, Australian GP and Malaysian GP.

“I am also not sure of my future. If I have no team next year, there might not be a Malaysian rider in the race.”

Hafizh, who rides for NTS RW Racing GP, has yet to secure a seat in the World Championships next season. He has been a full-season rider since 2014.

Moto3 World Junior Championship rider Syarifuddin Azman was tipped to make the step up to the Petronas Sprinta Racing Moto3 squad next season after notching some impressive performances of late.

However, Syarifuddin’s future is unclear as Petronas Sprinta will fold their Moto2 and Moto3 squads at the end of this season.