SEPANG — An aggressive move by Moto3 rider Syarifuddin Azman at the 2023 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) race backfired as he got involved in a crash, ending the competition in the last spot at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), today.
Recalling the moment of the crash, the 22-year-old rider, better known as Damok, said with three laps remaining, he was trying to close the gap with the rider in front as he was confident he could score points.
“I overtook one rider and tried to catch up with the front rider and may have exceeded the limit, so I tried to attack from the corner and I lost (control), maybe because I was too aggressive.
“In the 10th lap I saw that I was in a position (to fight for points) so I was confident that I could finish the competition in 13th position, but it was not meant to be this week,” said the MT Helmets—MSi rider who finished the competition in 20th position with a time of 34m 25.180s.
Damok, however, remains optimistic about his chances as he gains confidence with the KTM machine with two Grand Prix races remaining, namely at Lusail International Circuit in Qatar on November 17-19 and Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain on November 24-26.
“I hope the team keeps the same machine for the next race so I’ll be more confident. With two rounds remaining, I hope I can perform well and collect points,” he said.
Meanwhile, Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP’s Collin Veijer took the Moto3 title after clocking 33:30.072s while his team-mate, Japan’s Ayumu Sasaki, finished second with 33:30.138s followed by Leopard Racing’s Jaume Masia in third with 33:30.400s. — November 12, 2023