SEPANG: Jakub Kornfeil notched a perfect farewell in his final race at the Sepang Circuit for Drive M7 SIC Racing Team today.
The Czech rider finished a commendable second in a crash-ridden Moto3 race at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, crossing the line 7.108 seconds behind winner Francesco Bagnaia (Pull and Bear Aspar Mahindra) who clocked 29:29.351 seconds.
Red Bull KTM Ajo's Bo Bendsneyder (+7.253 seconds) completed the podium.
Khairul Idham Pawi (Honda Team Asia) came in eighth (+13.506 seconds) while Amirul Hafiq Azmi, competing on a wildcard for Peugeot MC Saxoprint, was 11th (+45.827 seconds).
Kornfeil said he is happy to repay the faith Malaysian fans had in him.
"I was lucky, as I pushed hard from the start, otherwise, I could have been caught up in the crashes on turn six and seven," said Kornfeil.
"The support from the SIC and Malaysian fans have been tremendous in my two years with the team and I am very happy to get a podium here for them."
A strip of oil at turn six saw six riders, including SIC's Adam Norrodin, crashing out in the first lap. A total of 14 riders did not complete the race.
Kornfeil, who is competing in his second year with SIC, will move to German-based Saxoprint next year.