Skip to main content

Malaysian Grand Prix: Zulfahmi rides into history books

Zulfahmi Khairuddin (inset) managed seventh place in the 125cc event yesterday. — Picture by Yazit Razali
Zulfahmi Khairuddin (inset) managed seventh place in the 125cc event yesterday. — Picture by Yazit Razali
A PACKED Sepang circuit saw Maverick Vinales register his third 125cc victory, but they were on their feet celebrating what was the greatest achievement in Malaysian motorcycling when Mohd Zulfahmi Khairuddin passed the chequered flag in seventh place to send the 21st edition of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix into the history books. A points scoring finish would have sufficed for 20-year-old Zulfahmi in his third attempt at pleasing the passionate home crowd who had waited 21 years for even a solitary point, but the tone had already been set for a much better outcome after the Banting-born AirAsia-SIC-Ajo Motorsport rider parked his Derbi 13th on the grid in 125cc qualifying on Saturday.

Off the blocks, Zulfahmi stormed into the top 10 and maintained his pace within the second batch of pace setters, then with five laps to go he was up to eighth and passed Ongetta-Centro Seta's Jakub Kornfeil for seventh as the crowd went wild.

"I was focused on my riding but each time I passed the grandstand, I could feel the crowd roar. That inspired me to stay on the limit," said Zulfahmi after the race.
The result moved him up to 17th in the 125cc championship standings with 30 points and he is now within two points off Simon Grotzkyj's 15th spot, the championship position which Zulfahmi has targeted.

"I started well today (yesterday) and pushed hard to stay in the top 10. In the last five laps I just stayed on the limit to distance myself from the chasing pack and pushed for better positions.

"I really didn't imagine this result, not even to be able to compete against riders like Danny Webb and Efren Vasquez, but I finished ahead of them today," added and elated Zulfahmi.

"Everything I had done to prepare for this weekend had been worth it. Everything I did this week was focused on this weekend. Even when there were some problems, like yesterday (Saturday) when there were some issues with the bike, I just maintained my focus and solved it.

"In the race, I just didn't think about whether there was anything wrong with the bike. Instead I was just so focused on pushing the bike till the end of the race."

Things are pointing to another year in the third tier of the World Motorcycle Championships, with the 125cc class to be replaced by the new four-stroke Moto3 machines next year and Zulfahmi feels it is something that will provide a level playing field and a chance for him to move up the ladder.

"It will be up to the sponsors, but for me, to be in my third year and on completely new machinery, it levels the playing field a bit.

"So, with the right support and the experience I've had in the 125cc class, I think we will be able to push for higher positions," said Zulfahmi, who calmly evaded questions of his ability to challenge for the Moto3 championship in his third year next year.

Malaysian MotoGP Wildcard Programme entry Mohd Farid Badrul Hisham finished the 125cc race in 24th position and his possible entry into the championship alongside Zulfahmi is also up for debate.

Read more: NST

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ex-coach's jail sentence cut to a year

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal yesterday sentenced former athletics coach C. Ramanathan to 12 months' jail for molesting two junior athletes 19 years ago. A three-man bench led by Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus unanimously dismissed Ramanathan's appeal against conviction, but varied the jail sentence of four years to a year, which was to run concurrently. Following yesterday's ruling, Ramanathan, 75, a former teacher, walked out a free man as he had served 10 months in Kajang Prison. Convicts get one-third remission for good behaviour while in prison. However, he will lose his pension. Hishamudin, who sat with Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail and Datuk Linton Albert, said the court found no merit to overturn the conviction. "However, in reducing the sentence, we considered Ramanathan's age and the long years the appeal has taken." Deputy public prosecutor Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud submitted that then High Court judge Tan Sri Abdull Hamid E...
2 comments
Read more

Govt Always Gives Emphasis To Sporting Culture, Says PM

KUALA TERENGGANU, May 29 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badaw i said the government always gives emphasis on cultivating a strong sporting culture in achieving excellence at the international level. As such, the Prime Minister said, it was important to scout for young talents in sports. "I observe that the Malaysia Games (Sukma) has become one of the important platforms to do so. "In this arena, the potentials and skills of the youngsters can be identified for development so that they can achieve greater success in sports," he said in his message in the souvenir book of the 12th Sukma from May 31 until June 9. Abdullah said he was aware that competition in sports was very keen and challenging but this did not mean that Malaysian athletes were incapable of competing at the international level. "The fact is that we have all the characteristics required to be excellent. We must inculcate a strong fighting spirit so that we don't easily surrender,...
1 comment
Read more

Indonesia Choose Komodo Dragon As SEA Games Mascot

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Host for the 26th SEA Games, Indonesia has chosen the Komodo dragon as mascot for the 2011 Games which will be held in Jakarta and Palembang from Nov 11 to 25. The Indonesia SEA Games Organizing Committee (Inasoc), was qouted by Jakarta Post as saying that a pair of Komodo dragons, a male (Modo) and a female (Modi), were chosen in recognition of the Republic's conservation efforts to protect the dwindling number of the rare lizard. Modo and Modi were unveiled last night at a function in Jakarta, to mark the 200-day countdown before the games open on Nov 11 in Palembang. The Komodo dragons, the largest lizard in the world, only live on the Indonesian islands of Komodo in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. On Jan 15, Inasoc unveiled its logo, a Garuda eagle, to symbolize the power and grandeur of Indonesia. Indonesia dominated the Games between 1977, when it first competed, and 1997, failing to top the medal charts only twice in that p...
1 comment
Read more