KUALA LUMPUR, 9 May 2018:
SIC Racing Team and rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin will part ways in the Moto2 World Championship (MotoGP) after a mutual agreement, effective immediately.
After four races in the 2018 season, the former Moto3 and World Supersport Championship rider has made a decision, supported by the team, to not continue in the Moto2 championship.
“After the last race in Jerez, I find it very difficult for me to make any sort of improvement in my results since the start of the season. After careful thought and deep discussion with the team, I have decided that it is best for me to end my Moto2 career.
“I would like to convey my sincere gratitude to those involved, especially to SIC chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali and team manager Johan Stigefelt for their trust in giving me a chance to compete in the Moto2 championship. I am very sorry to the team and sponsors if this decision has come in an abrupt way,” he said in a statement issued by Sepang International Circuit (SIC) yesterday.
Zulfahmi was announced as a replacement for Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah – who was signed to ride for MotoGP outfit Monster Yamaha Tech3 team – in February. Last season, Zulfahmi was riding in the World Supersport Championship under the banner of Orelac Racing Verdnatura for two seasons since 2016.
Despite ending his contract with SIC Racing Team, Zulfahmi will still be involved in racing in his current role as the mentor in the SIC-backed ‘Impian ke MotoGP’ programme – which aims to unearth raw talents in two-wheel racing.
“I will focus my energy and experience towards guiding the young talents we have in the programme as we aim to create a viable pathway to the pinnacle of two-wheel racing, the MotoGP. To everybody at the SIC Racing Team, I say thank you for guiding and helping me this far.”
Meanwhile, Razlan expressed his thanks to Zulfahmi and acknowledged the challenges in the super competitive Moto2 World Championship.
“First of all, I would like to thank Zulfahmi for his hard work and dedication after four rounds in the championship. I’m aware it was difficult for him to adapt to the super competitive Moto2 championship even with his experience in the World Supersport Championship.
“I’m also aware how difficult it was for him being a replacement for Hafizh. But at that time, Zulfahmi was the available option we had judging from his experience.
“Although he may not quite be ready physically and mentally to race in Moto2, he took the challenge in his stride and did give his best in each of the rounds, unfortunately he was not able to improve his timing in the championship.”
Razlan said SIC is expecting to make an announcement about Zulfahmi’s replacement by this week.
– Bernama