FOLLOWING in the footsteps of Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi, MotoGP rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah is set to try his hand at car racing this year.
Sepang International Circuit (SIC) yesterday confirmed that Hafizh will be competing as a wildcard in both the Sepang round of the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) and the FIM Endurance World Championships (EWC) on Dec 14-15.
SIC also confirmed that Malaysian drivers Mitchell Cheah and Douglas Khoo will each receive a wildcard for the Sepang round, which is the season finale for the WTCR.
Hafizh said: “I want to try something new with WTCR as Dovizioso and Rossi have done (in other series) it in the past.
WTCR is very famous in Europe.”
“I have always had an interest in cars, but I have not done a track day before.
“The competition, I believe, will be stiff. I will have to learn fast because I do not want to finish last.
“I will be involved in testing with a WTCR team in November and will also look at getting tips from our drivers — Mitchell , Jazeman Jaafar and Nabil Jeffri,” said Hafizh in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
“EWC is a long race and even though there will be three riders sharing the same bike, everyone will have to be consistent during their stints.
“I have a better idea of what to expect when it comes to EWC as I was involved in it in Suzuka in 2017.”
Several other MotoGP riders, including Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team’s Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, are said to be interested in competing in the EWC.