Hafizh is the fiercest racer in third round, says Azlan

JAYA: Veteran rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman sees JDT Racing Team rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah (pic) as the strongest competitor out there in the ASB1000 category of the Asian Road Racing Championships (ARRC).

The third round will be taking place at Motegi, Japan, from June 7-9 and Azlan, who rides for TKKR Racing Team, believes Hafizh will only grow stronger as the championship progresses.

Hafizh claimed the first victory for JDT Racing Team in the ARRC after winning Race 1 of the second round at Zhuhai International Circuit in China last weekend.

His chances of earning a double in the premier class, however, were dashed after Race 2 was called off due to bad weather conditions and typhoon threat.

Azlan finished third in Race 1 in Zhuhai. He was already a race winner, having come out on tops in Race 1 in the opening round in Buriram, Thailand, last month.

Azlan is currently second in the overall standings with 52 points behind Indonesia’s Andi Farid Izdihar, who has 65 points.

Hafizh is third with 45 points.

“I have competed against him when we were riding in the Moto2 world championships at one point of our careers,” said Azlan.

“I am relishing racing against him in ARRC again.

“He is a very experienced rider and nothing can stop him once he gets the race feeling.

“Hafizh did not have much time to get familiar with the bike and he failed to finish Race 1 in Buriram but he fought his way to second in Race 2 the next day.

“He is certainly a very experienced rider and it is indeed a challenge to me to get another podium in Motegi.

“But it is fun to have another Malaysian rider to give good competition,” said Azlan, who was the inaugural overall winner of the ASB1000 category in 2019.