KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — Syarifuddin Azman, who is better known as Damok, has been handed the wildcard slot for the Moto3 class when the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship (MotoGP) returns to the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) as the penultimate round in October.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu officially launched the 23rd edition, branded as the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia, at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas here, today.
The 2020 and 2021 Malaysian GP were called off due to the global Covid-19 pandemic and its related restrictions and this year’s race will be held from October 21-23.
SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif, in his speech, announced that Damok had been handed the wildcard slot for the Moto3 class this year.
The 21-year-old, who is currently ranked second in the FIM JuniorGP world championship standings, had previously received wildcard slots for the Portuguese GP (April 22-24), Spanish GP (April 29-May 1) and Catalunya GP (June 3-5) this season after his debut in Aragon, Spain, last year.
“This year marks the first year of Petronas as the title sponsor, after 10 years with Shell. SIC is all set to welcome all local and international motorsports fans to Sepang and we will ensure the quality of Malaysian GP is at the highest level.
“With no Malaysian riders competing full season in the Championship, I believe Damok will be the pull factor for Malaysians to cheer a fellow Malaysian on the grid. He will be riding with Visiontrack Racing… my target for him is to be among the main group, a top-10 finish,” he said.
Azhan Shafriman hoped that Damok’s participation and the Merdeka promotion launched today would help boost ticket sales, which have been slow since they went on sale in April.
Meanwhile, Petronas senior general manager of Group Strategic Communications Datin Anita Azrina Abdul Aziz said the national oil company planned to hold a series of thrilling family-friendly experiences on and off the track, including around the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) here.
“The Grand Prix title sponsorship offers an opportunity for the Petronas brand to grow and help re-energise Malaysia’s sports tourism and provides a unique platform for us to showcase Petronas Primax – the official fuel for the Moto2 and Moto3 championships – to the world,” she said.
The special National Day promotion tickets can be purchased at www.sepangcircuit.com from today until August 31, which includes a ‘Buy 3 Free 1,’ Buy 7 Free 3,’ offers and a family package of two adults and two children while the Yamaha NVX and Y15ZR bikes with SIC limited-edition livery worth RM22,000 await the lucky draw winners.
— Bernama
