Malaysian young rider Hakim Danish surged 13 places to finish 12th at the Moto3 San Marino Grand Prix. The result closes the gap on Indonesia’s Veda Ega Pratama in the world championship standings to just three points.
Misano Grid Penalty Fails to Stop Danish Charge
Competing for the AEON Credit–MT Helmets–MSI team, Danish executed a remarkable recovery ride at Misano after starting from 25th on the grid. The Terengganu-born rider had originally qualified 18th. However, he received a seven-place grid penalty during Q1 for impeding another competitor. The sanction dropped him to the penultimate row alongside Nicola Carraro.
Team Manager Addresses Slipstream Strategy
Team manager Zulfahmi Khairudin noted that the penalty served as a valuable learning experience for the rider navigating the competitive Moto3 class, particularly when hunting for slipstream advantages during qualifying sessions. Despite the setback, Zulfahmi praised the rider’s resilience once the lights went out.
“This is part of the challenge in Moto3 that we always have to remind the riders about, especially because they want to get slipstream advantages,” Zulfahmi told Berita Harian, as cited by GP Nesia. “However, we can see Danish gave his best in the race after getting the penalty. He started from 25th and managed to recover to finish 12th.”
Climbing the Field Past Regional Rivals
Danish steadily carved his way through the field. He broke into the top 20 within the opening 10 laps of the race. His climbing pace allowed him to overtake multiple riders, including fellow regional standout Veda Ega Pratama. Veda struggled to secure championship points at Misano, finishing the round in 18th place. This extended a difficult run that left the Indonesian rider without points in two consecutive rounds.
Championship Standings and the Road Ahead
The four championship points collected at Misano elevate Danish’s season tally to 94 points. He remains eighth in the provisional Moto3 standings. Meanwhile, Veda’s recent scoreless outings have tightened the margin between the two rising Asian talents to a mere three points.
While acknowledging Danish’s potential to fight near the front of the pack, Zulfahmi emphasized the importance of eliminating minor mistakes that can derail an entire weekend. “I believe in Hakim Danish’s potential,” Zulfahmi stated. “It’s just that sometimes small mistakes can have a big impact on the whole race.”
Both riders will look to adjust their strategies and find momentum ahead of the upcoming rounds on the calendar. The battle for regional supremacy in the lightweight class continues to intensify.
Worth a look
