Four riders make the cut for MotoGP

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SHAHRUL Yuzy, the first and only Malaysian thus far to have competed in two full seasons of the World MotoGP, wants to see his protege make an impact in the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) from Oct 23-25.

Shahrul, who has been appointed as the coach to the Malaysian team, said it would be a launching pad for the Malaysian wild card.

“We did not have any Malaysian in the championship after 2002. Now that we have been given the chance, I hope the Malaysian rider will give a good performance in the championship,” Shahrul said after a trial session involving four riders.

Sitting pretty: Coach Shahrul Yuzy (sitting on the bike) with the riders from (left) Farid Ahmad 21,Elly Iskandar 25, Iskandar Reduan 24 and Zulfahmi 18.

The foursome of Elly Idzlianizar Ilias, Mohd Iskandar Raduan, Mohd Farid Ahmad and Mohd Zulfahmi Khairuddin were involved in the two-day trials to shortlist two riders.

Of the two riders picked, one will be a wild card entry in the championship while the other will be a reserve with the possibility of earning the second wild card.

The four riders were shortlisted from 18 riders identified during the Petronas AAM Malaysian Cub Prix championship. All 18 were taking part in either the Expert or Novice categories in the championship.

Workout: Elly Iskandar during the practice session at Sepang circuit.

“We had monitored their results in the Cub Prix championship in May. In June, the squad was trimmed to eight. After almost three months and going through a series of time tests, we had shortlisted the four riders.

“Besides their riding skills and times, discipline and attitude were also taken into account before finalising the list,” Shahrul said.

Fitness trainer Norman Angel was also engaged to get the riders into tip-top condition. The physical training sessions were a compulsory activity for the riders thrice a week.

Shahrul said the Malaysian riders were well prepared and had shown a lot of progress in the last three months.

“They have had about 2,000km of practice sessions at the SIC. They are well aware of the weather conditions at the track. They are showing a lot of enthusiasm in training. So the rider picked as the wild card has the potential to finish well in the race,” Shahrul said.

The two riders picked will be on attachment with Ongetta Ispa, one of the leading outfits in the 125cc world championships.