‘Racing always on Izzat’s mind’
It’s what he loved, says biker’s dad
KUALA LUMPUR: The last thing that Mohd Abdul Hakim Embong remembers of his son, teenage superbike rider Muhammad Izzat, was him studying the route of the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) a week before his fatal accident.
“He would come back from school and, after doing all his chores and studies, play this game of virtual race track. He kept going through it again and again because he wanted to be prepared.
“His mother complained that he was playing until 1am, but I didn’t mind because it’s what he loved,” Mohd Abdul Hakim said.
Muhammad Izzat succumbed to his injuries at 1.30pm at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital yesterday. The 17-year-old collided with and killed safety marshal Satish Suppiah, 44, in an accident during a practice session at the circuit last weekend.
Mohd Abdul Hakim, 49, said he had bought his son his first superbike when the boy was only seven.
“I noticed that Izzat loved riding his bicycle really fast and talked about being a racer some day,” he recalled.
“So, I bought him a pocket bike and he loved it so much. He was always smiling when he was on the bike. It made me happy to see him ride. And, now he cannot ride anymore. I am crushed,” said an inconsolable Mohd Abdul Hakim at the hospital mortuary.
MuhammadIzzat’s mother NorhaidahMohd Noor, 44, said her son was “a quiet, gentle and caring person”.
Muhammad Izzat will be buried in his paternal family’s hometown of Kampung Bukit Kecil in Kuala Terengganu.
For SIC chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali, the number 46 would forever be etched in his mind.
“It was distinct to me because Muhammad Izzat’s number was 46, and so was Valentino Rossi’s (MotoGP multiple world champion). The boy was a big fan of Rossi,” he added.
“It’s always at the back of your mind that something can happen any time, and these 16 to 19-year-olds are taking a huge risk by racing. Today, that fear has become a reality with two casualties.”
Meanwhile, the Automobile Association of Malaysia said it would be holding a formal enquiry into the accident.
A spokesman saidAAMhad already initiated preliminary investigations and would conduct the enquiry once various documents had been received from the Stewards of the meeting.
The Malaysian Super Series, he said, was run in compliance with the International Sporting Code of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme and the National Competition RulesoftheAutomobileAssociationofMalaysia as it was a series inscribed with International status.