Hafizh Syahrin | Photo credits: Asphalt & Rubber
The 2019 MotoGP season is about to start and teams and riders are already on the fantastic Sepang International Circuit for the first official test session of the year. After a much needed Winter break, Hafizh Syahrin is back on track with his new team, the Tech3 KTM, and the young Malaysian spoke to the press during an event today at the Malaysian racetrack.
2018 was a good season for Syahrin, who moved to MotoGP at the very last minute, joining Tech3 team led by Hervé Poncharal. But although he had no experience on the MotoGP prototype, Syahrin showed right from the start that he had what it takes to race the “big boys” in MotoGP, and he scored points in more than half the races held last season, even though he was fighting an injury and being a rookie.
Hafizh Syahrin almost got the “Rookie of the Year” award, but was beaten by Franco Morbidelli on the final showdown race in Valencia. But that didn’t erase the excellent rookie season for the former Moto2 race winner.
Looking forward to work again with Tech3, but now inserted on the KTM family, Hafizh Syahrin makes no secret of how he feels to be racing with KTM in MotoGP, and his expectations on the season that’s about to start
“I feel really proud to be the first Malaysian rider in MotoGP. This gives a huge motivation not only to me but also to the young Malaysians, who I hope will replace me one day. Now we start a new chapter. I didn’t have any experience with KTM before but from what I saw during the first tests the bike is really good. In Valencia and Jerez, I tried to get to know the machine. We know that we need to try a lot and to understand many aspects better. We need to do this step by step. I hope we can improve already during the next test in Sepang. The crew around me stays the same but the team is growing in terms of people and support, especially from KTM. My goal for this year is trying to improve from my rookie season and learn from my mistakes. For sure, 2019 will be tough but we will try our best and give everything, which is always more than 100 percent. My goal is to bring KTM to the top. I can’t wait for this season to begin”.
The 24-year-old Malaysian is set to participate on the first test session of the year in Sepang, together with his new teammate, Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira, who steps up from the Moto2 class after being runner-up on the championship with KTM Ajo machinery.
Follow iMotorbike to be up to date with all the news on Hafizh Syahrin and his season in MotoGP with the Tech3 KTM team!
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