The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Former world champ Hayden seeking a first top-three finish in Sepang
- Rookie rider Muhd Farid ready to take on the big guns of 125cc
- Wildcard Zamri has higher expectations for second outing
| Former world champ Hayden seeking a first top-three finish in Sepang Posted: 19 Oct 2011 04:07 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: A pair of red lions pranced around to greet the arrival of Ducati rider Nicky Hayden at the Dainese grand opening in Taman Tun Dr Ismail yesterday. Hayden was captivated by the lion dance spectacle, especially after being told that the dance was for good luck, which is what he will need as he seeks his first-ever podium finish in the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit this weekend. Hayden, the world champion in 2006, is riding for Ducati this year alongside the legendary Valentino Rossi but has yet to step onto the rostrum at Sepang, where he has had the best results of finishing fourth on five previous occasions. Rossi, who counts the track among his favourites, already has six wins and three podiums from previous outings here. "I have never finished in the top three but I have always been very consistent, with five fourth-placed finishes in my career, along with one fifth and a sixth from all my visits. I hope to step up this time," said the American, who felt that it would be a different challenge here altogether compared to the Australian Grand Prix last week. "The conditions in Malaysia are typically hot and steamy, very different from what we had at Phillip Island last Sunday. "The Sepang Circuit has a good mix of everything, so you need the bike to do everything well. There are some long straights, where you need a fast bike that brakes well, and some fast corners. "There are also some slow little hairpins ... so it's a good mix of everything that really challenges the rider and his bike. "It will be interesting to get back on this track after spending a lot of time here in February (winter testing)," added the 30-year-old from Kentucky. Hayden needs to do well here if he hopes to finish better than his illustrious team-mate Rossi. Hayden is just behind Rossi in eighth spot on 132 points. Rossi has 139 points with the field heading for the final round of the championship in Valencia in two weeks' time. Hayden was a special guest at the grand opening of international bike apparel and accessories brand Dainese, which specialises in protective wear for motorcycling and downhill skiing. It has also developed an innovative suit that has an airbag integrated into the one-piece leather suit, which inflates when the internal microprocessor detects a crash. Hayden was appreciative and he will be among the riders using it in the MotoGP this year. "At the speed we are going, we are bound to crash as everyone is pushing the barriers. Health is important for me as it is an 18-round championship. It is comfortable and I don't feel it when I'm wearing it," said Hayden. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Rookie rider Muhd Farid ready to take on the big guns of 125cc Posted: 19 Oct 2011 04:07 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: After three days of intensive testing at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) last week, local wildcard pick Muhd Farid Badrul Hisam (pic) is ready to face the biggest challenge of his career by qualifying for the 125cc grid at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycling Grand Prix this weekend. Farid, who admitted that he was still getting used to the Derbi RSW machine, is confident that all the problems will be ironed out before tomorrow's practice which will give him a taste of what to expect during Saturday's qualifying session. "I am still getting used to the bike after three days of intensive testing last weekend. There is still some work to be done on the set-up before Friday," said the 16-year-old Farid, who is the son of former top motocross rider Badrul Hisam Mohd Zin. "Other than that, I am confident of doing well in the free practice sessions, which will really give me a taste of what to expect during qualifying. "I did okay during testing and I feel that I can go five seconds faster if the conditions favours me during qualifying." Besides Farid, all eyes will also be on local riding sensation Muhd Zulfahmi Khairuddin as he looks to give himself a belated birthday present on Sunday with a point-scoring performance in front of his home fans. Zulfahmi turns 20 today and is currently 18th in the standings with 21 points. With only one day to go before the start of the Malaysian MotoGP, the organisers SIC announced that all tickets for K2 Hillstand and K1 packages had been sold out while tickets for the K1 Grandstand was selling fast. Tickets for the F Grandstand and B Hillstand were sold out last week. SIC chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali said they were targeting 65,000 spectators for race day. "We expect more fans to come during race day, knowing that Malaysians like to leave it to the last minute to buy tickets," he said. "Although the MotoGP title has been decided, with Casey Stoner emerging champion at Phillip Island last week, the Moto2 title is still up for grabs as only three points separate championship leader Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing) and Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol). "The battle for the 125cc class is also expected to go down to the wire in Sepang as Nicolas Terol (Bankia Aspar Team) is not yet certain of the championship title with Johann Zarco (Air Asia-Avant-Ajo) trailing by 25 points. "Besides, we will also be witnessing four Malaysians on the grid for the first time with Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah and Mohd Zamri Baba in Moto2." Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Wildcard Zamri has higher expectations for second outing Posted: 19 Oct 2011 04:07 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Zamri Baba still has the jitters as he gears up for a second appearance in the Moto2 event of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycling Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit here this weekend. Zamri finished 22nd out of 39 riders in his debut outing last year and he knows that expectations will be higher this time. "Last year, my target was just to finish the race. I managed to secure 31st position on the grid but crossed the finish line in a position that far exceeded expectations. With more preparation this year, I am well aware of the higher expectations," said the 28-year old rider. "But I will put my best feet forward as this opportunity doesn't come along every year. I've worked very hard for this wildcard slot and I'm really glad to get the chance to represent Team Petronas Malaysia." Zamri, who just returned from participating in Round 5 of the Petronas Asia Road Racing Championship in China, said that "the level of competition in Moto2 is getting higher and higher". "I know it won't be any easier the second time around. This is because all the riders have been constantly improving," he said. "In my first outing last year, I was nervous and I was not familiar with the machine. But now I am in a comfortable position. From the two testing sessions I've gone through, I know how far I can push (the machine) ... I am more confident handling the Moriwaki machine." Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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