KUALA LUMPUR: AN early crash hampered Khairul Idham Pawi’s efforts at the Grand Prix of the Americas, but Petronas Sprinta Racing team manager Johan Stigefelt is confident the Moto2 rider will bounce back at Jerez in a fortnight.
Khairul, who is popularly known as ‘Super KIP’, suffered a heavy crash at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday, which took its toll on him in qualifying and for the race proper. He finished out of the points in 17th.
Stigefelt however believes the 20-year-old needs to recover his confidence much quicker after crashes.
“After the crash, it was hard for him to find his confidence again. We thought that his pace in the race would be better, but he had a hard time riding consistently in the two minute, 12 second (per lap) range,” Stigefelt revealed.
“He lost a lot of time in the first lap of the race and then struggled to catch the group back up (at Grand Prix of the Americas).
“I think Jerez is a track where he can be strong again and now we are focused on that race.
“We know that Khairul’s pace is getting better, but we have to work hard and fast to help him recover his confidence as soon as possible after a crash.”
Khairul, who struggled to make an impact during his two years in Moto2 with Idemitsu Honda Team Asia (2017-2018), had shown some positive improvements during the second round in Argentina late last month where he placed 13th.