KUALA LUMPUR: SIC Racing Team will head into their home race in Sepang next week on a high after both their young Moto3 riders did well to finish in the top 10 at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix today.
Japanese Ayumu Sasaki, who qualified in 17th, pushed hard from the start and was rewarded with a seventh place finish. He crossed the line 0.834 seconds behind race winner Joan Mir (Leopard Racing), who won in 24:51.490s.
SIC Racing teammate Adam Norrodin came in eighth (+1.291s) at the Phillip Island circuit.
The race came to an early end as the red flag was brought out with nine laps remaining due to heavy rain. Mir's win was enough to see him secure the world championship title while it was also Ayumu's best finish so far in Moto3.
Adam, who started from 22nd on the grid, said the duo's performance was a huge confident boost for the team.
"I am really happy with our result today. It’s been a difficult weekend for us, so for both Ayumu and myself to finish in the top ten is great," said the 19-year-old.
"Everyone in the lead group was fighting really hard because we could see that rain was coming.
"I saw many crashes and conditions were quite tricky with some wet patches on track but I just focused on staying with the leaders and holding my position.
"As a team this is our best result of the season. I can't wait for Sepang now."
Ayumu, who is a former Red Bull Rookies and Asia Talent Cup winner, said he felt confident in the race despite struggling earlier in qualifying.
"The conditions improved from the start and I had a good feeling in the front group. We battled a lot and I felt confident with the bike," said the 17-year-old.
"It is unfortunate that it started to rain again and the red flag came out because we were getting stronger and stronger every lap.
"Nevertheless I am pleased with this result and I will do my best to come back even stronger in the last two races of the year. I am looking forward to Sepang".
In Moto2, Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah (Petronas Raceline), who qualified 23rd, finished just out of the points in 16th. He crossed the line a distant 34.911s behind race winner Miguel Oliveira (39:25.920s) from Red Bull KTM Ajo.
Idemitsu Honda Team Asia's Khairul Idham Pawi came in 21st (+57.548s)
Malaysia will host the next round of the championship on Oct 27-29 at the Sepang circuit.