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Friday July 10, 2009

22 sessions more before naming nominees for MotoGP

By LIM TEIK HUAT

SEPANG: Motorcycle racer Mohd Iskandar Raduan feared the worst when he came down with dengue fever last month.

Iskandar was then one of the 17 riders fighting to make it to the MotoGP wildcard programme’s final phase of selection. And with four days to go, he thought that his chances were as good as over.

Yes boss: Shahrul (left) having a chat with the four riders (from right) Mohd Farid Ahmad, Mohd Zulfahmi Khairuddin, Elly Idzlianizar and Mohd Iskandar Raduan at the Sepang Circuit yesterday after the four were named for the final phase of selection.

But another rider came down with chicken pox and the parties involved in the programme decided to extend the selection trials.

And yesterday, Iskandar found himself among the four riders who made the cut for the final selection. The others were Elly Idzlianizar Ilias, Mohd Farid Ahmad and Mohd Zulfahmi Khairuddin.

Iskandar and Idzlianizar are currently competing in the expert class of the Malaysian Cub Prix championships while Farid and Zulfahmi are riders in the novice competitions.

“I am really thrilled and relieved to have survived the trials thus far,” said Iskandar, who is the championship leader in the national Cub Prix.

“I had dengue after returning from the Asian Road Racing championship leg in Japan and I thought I had to kiss goodbye to my hopes to get a MotoGP wildcard as I had to skip the last few sessions of training.

“But the trials were extended and I thank the organisers for getting to remain in the selection process. I hope to make it as it is my dream to compete in the world motorcycle racing championships.”

The parties involved in the programme are certainly moving closer to their goal to place a Malaysian rider in the “home” Grand Prix in Sepang in October.

Two Wheels Motor Racing (TWMR) promotions manager Ron Hogg said that it would be the most structured programme taken in the search to produce a local rider to make his debut on the world stage.

“From these four finalists, we will decide by September on the two riders whose names we will submit to MotoGP organisers Dorna to take part in the Malaysian GP125 race,” he said.

“These four riders will undergo about 22 training sessions from now and besides their riding skills, we will test their fitness level, mental aptitude and discipline.

Shahrol Yuzy, who was the last Malaysian rider to compete on a wildcard in 1999 before going on to full seasons in the championships, will coach the four riders.

“They will get their own bikes. Previously, the contestants had to share the bikes,” said Shahrol.

“We have made great progress and I am confident the final two chosen will not just be ready but also be competitive enough to fight for points in the race.”

The two riders will also get to train with the Ongetta ISPA team, one of the leading outfits in the GP125 championships. And they will be provided with the actual Aprilia bikes used for the races.

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