Hakim Danish keeps hopes up after narrowly missing podium finish

 A strong race by the national MotoGP rider put him in line for a third-place spot until the final corner, when he was overtaken.

Hakim Danish Ramli said he was ‘very happy with today’s race because I gave it everything’ until the final corner. ‘I tried to make a pass but ran slightly wide.’ (Facebook pic)

SEPANG:

National rider Hakim Danish Ramli narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix today but has not given up on his quest of a top-three position this season.

The Terengganu-born rider, who had secured podium finishes at the Italian GP and Czech Republic GP earlier this year, was in line to finish third today but was overtaken by Spain’s Alvaro Carpe on the final corner, leaving Hakim to finish fourth.

Spanish rider Maximo Quiles, the reigning world champion, won the Malaysian Moto GP in 33m 7.634s, finishing 3.734 seconds ahead of Indonesia’s Veda Pratama, while Carpe completed the podium 4.184 seconds adrift.

Hakim said his failure to deliver a podium finish to home fans had not dampened his spirit, but would serve as motivation to continue competing strongly in the remaining three races of the season.

“I am very happy with today’s race because I gave it everything. I fought from the start to the finish and, of course, wanted to secure a podium. At the final corner, I tried to make a pass but ran slightly wide,” he told reporters after the race.

He said the advantage enjoyed by Honda machinery at the circuit, particularly through the high-speed corners, also posed a challenge in his efforts to maintain a position among the leading riders.

The 19-year-old, who rides a KTM machine for the AEON Credit-MT Helmets-MSI team, said: “There are still three races this year and I believe it is not impossible to finish on the podium or secure another victory. I will keep fighting to achieve that target”.

The Sepang circuit racing team manager Zulfahmi Khairuddin described Hakim’s performance as impressive despite missing out on a podium finish at SIC, which he himself had achieved in 2012.

He said he had been confident that Hakim could secure a podium finish based on his performances from the practice sessions through to the race, but intense competition on the final lap saw that ambition go unfulfilled.

“Overall, we saw that Danish managed his emotions well and maintained his performance throughout the week, from the opening sessions right through to the race, where he remained competitive. Yesterday, I was really confident that he could fight for a podium, but of course, the final lap is the final lap in Moto3. We really wanted that podium, but he was unable to overtake (Alvaro) Carpe,” he said. - FMT