PETALING JAYA: Moto2 rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah raced his way into the history books as the first Malaysian to claim a podium finish in the intensely competitive CEV Repsol Spanish Championships in the second leg at the Motorland Aragon Circuit in Spain yesterday.
A smooth start combined with a well prepared machine saw the Petronas Raceline Malaysia rider storm his way from fifth on the starting grid to second place to record his maiden podium finish.
Hafizh finished the race in 29:27.524, just 0.075 seconds ahead of American Kenny Noyes (29:27.599).
Spaniard Roman Ramos won the 15-lap Race 1 in 29:11.275.
It was a much cherished moment for the 19-year-old Hafizh, who started the race determined to make amends after finishing empty handed in the opening leg in Catalunya early this month.
During the opening leg, Hafizh had dominated the weekend in Catalunya, including taking pole position in qualifying but he crashed out on the first lap.
It was only his second front row start in Catalunya and Hafizh, in his second season, can breathe a sigh of relief to prove the faith in him to make it in the top level is not unfounded.
“It’s hard to believe I finally made it on the podium after a tough time in the unofficial practice on Friday and qualifying on Saturday due to harsh weather conditions.
“I am extremely pleased and I would like to extend my gratitude to the team and sponsor for making all this possible,” said an elated Hafizh, who rode his way to a 22nd finish in his first wildcard appearance in France Grand Prix in Le Mans last week.
“It was tough. A lot of riders pushed for a good position early but the cold tarmac means less grip and this resulted in a lot of crashes.
“I did not want to repeat another mistake of crashing out of the race so I kept a steady pace throughout to ensure I pick up championship points,” said Hafizh in a telephone interview from Aragon yesterday.
Hafizh finished fourth in Race 2 and is currently fourth in the championship standings with 20 points.
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