KUALA LUMPUR: Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah's father has stressed that there is no shortcut to success when it comes to developing riders capable of challenging for top honours in the sport.
Abdullah Harun believes it is imperative that riders are given a solid foundation in the sport before they are even allowed to race.
Hafizh, recently signed by Monster Yamaha Tech3, is the first ever rider from Southeast Asia to compete in MotoGP.
"If you look at how the Europeans develop their riders, they take a much more patient approach and focus on the fundamentals with much less emphasis on racing in the beginning," said Abdullah.
"The coaches will only allow their riders to race when they are already confident of their ability to handle race situations.
"It is the same for me, I believe we have to educate and train our riders well before we let them race. This is how I developed Hafizh, there are no shortcuts to success.
"You have to take things one step at a time, you cannot be in standard two or three and go straight to university. You have to go to secondary school first and then to pre-university, et cetera,”
The 50-year-old, who had groomed Hafizh for a career in racing from a very young age, added that he is hoping to help more riders succeed in the sport.
Abdullah, himself, has a long history in motorsports as a mechanic.
"It is my intention to develop more riders like Hafizh in Malaysia and at the moment I am helping out ONEXOX TKKR Racing Team.
"I am hoping to help bring one of their riders to compete at a higher level such as CEV or other higher level competitions."
TKKR riders are currently competing in the Asia Road Racing Championships and the Malaysian Cub Prix Championship this season.