Razlan believes that Malaysia may not have riders in the premier class, even in the next decade. Currently, there are no riders ready for the premier class, and this is a reality all stakeholders must accept.
Razlan emphasizes the need for a balanced and consistent program for rider development and team formation, as done in the past.
He points out the challenge in MotoGP is the lack of prepared riders, with only Syarifuddin Azman in the current World Championship, unlike the past when Malaysia had many riders.
He notes that Malaysia is lagging behind countries like Indonesia and Thailand in rider development, urging relevant parties to revisit their programs.
There are promising young talents like Hakim Danish, Daniah Syahmi, and Qabil Irfan, but investment should continue until they are ready for the World Championship. Partial investment won’t suffice.
Another challenge is the absence of teams for promising talent, and it’s unclear what development programs are in place.
While Malaysia has young talents in the pipeline, they are not yet of the right age to compete at the highest level.
Razlan emphasizes that it’s challenging for Malaysia to have a rider in the MotoGP class in the next 10 years.
The last Malaysian rider in MotoGP was Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah in 2018 and 2019. The lack of representation highlights Malaysia’s hurdles in nurturing and promoting talents on the global stage.
It’s crucial for Malaysia to rethink and revamp its approach to rider development and team formation to compete in the highly competitive world of MotoGP.