KUALA LUMPUR: After struggling with injury at Jerez, Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah reasserted his status as one of the leading contenders for the MotoGP Rookie of the Year title with a commendable show at the French Motorcycle Grand Prix yesterday.
Starting from a season's best 14th on the grid, the Malaysian did well to finish a creditable 12th, which saw him as the best performing rookie at the Le Mans circuit.
Hafizh crossed the line 34.962s behind race winner Marc Marquez (41:49.773s) of Spain. Italian's Danilo Petrucci (+2.310s) and Valentino Rossi (+5.350s) completed the podium.
Franco Morbidelli (Italy), also a strong contender for Rookie of the Year, was 13th while fellow newcomers Takaaki Nakagami (15th) of Japan, Swiss Tom Luthi (16th) and Belgian Xavier Simeon (18th) all placed in the top 20 in a race which saw six rider failing to finish.
Among them were Hafizh's teammate and poleman Johann Zarco who crashed in the eighth lap. It was hugely disappointing for the Frenchman who had been hoping to impress in front of a home crowd.
Despite the result, Hafizh felt he could have done better if not for a slow start to the race.
"I was feeling very good in the race, but it’s a shame that I had a bad start and then I was (stuck) behind a slow group which I had to pass one by one," said the 24-year-old.
"I knew that my pace was very strong and I think I could have been inside the top 10 with this (pace).
"But it’s difficult to pass on this track and you also need to be really brave to overtake in the first corner. I tried it many times, but in the end, I lost the faster group in front.
"Overall it was a good experience for me and I feel my confidence is starting to come back."
The Ampang-born had finished just out of the points in 16th in Jerez earlier this month after struggling with injuries he suffered in a cycling accident in the run-up to the race.
The championship will now head to Mugello for the Italian Motorcycle Grand Prix on June 1-3.