KUALA LUMPUR: It was a case of so near, yet so far for Moto3 wildcard rider Syarifuddin Azman who finished just outside the points in 16th at the Petronas Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix today.
Syarifuddin, who started from 21st on the grid, found himself in a three-way fight for the final points position (15th) in the business end of the race with Red Bull KTM Tech3's Adrian Fernandez and CIP Green Power's Kaito Toba at Sepang Circuit.
In the end, it was Fernandez who claimed 15th (+14.659 seconds), while Syarifuddin (VisionTrack Racing) and Kaito crossed the line 16th (+14.812s) and 17th (14.990s).
Kaito and Fernandez were both on KTM machinery.
Syarifuddin, who was riding a Honda, said he struggled to keep up with the duo on the straights.
"I am not too satisfied with my performance, I wanted to be in the points but it was just not possible today," said the 20-year-old.
"There was a lot of back-and-forth overtaking between us (Kaito and Fernandez), but I was not able to hold my lead on the straights. The KTM have more pace on the straights at the moment, which the Honda doesn't."
Syarifuddin will race in Moto3 as a full-season rider with MT Helmets MSI next year.
Former Petronas Sprinta Racing riders John McPhee and Ayumu Sasaki notched a 1-2 in the lightweight class race. The duo are now teammates at Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max.
McPhee took the chequered flag in 38:04.5890s, crossing the line just ahead of Sasaki (+0.048s). Gaviota GasGas Aspar Team's Sergio Garcia (+0.146s) completed the podium.
Meanwhile, wildcard duo Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin and Azroy Hakeem Anuar placed 19th (+53.121s) and 22nd (+55.685s) in a crash-ridden Moto2 race. Seven riders did not finish the race.
Azroy, a full-season rider in the Asia Road Racing Championships, said the race was an eye-opening experience.
"I managed a good start and was able to be in 15th position early on before the more experienced riders overtook me," said Azroy.
"It was a tough race, 18 laps felt very long to me because I am used to 12-lap races. But I learned a lot and was able to finish the race safely.
"I will continue to work hard towards achieving my goal of becoming a full-season Moto2 rider in the future."
Elf Marc VDS Racing's Tony Arbolino claimed the win in 38:25.233s. Beta Tools Speed Up's Alonso Lopez came in a distant second (+11.411s), while Inde Gasgas Aspar Team's Jake Dixon (+11.802s) completed the podium.
Dixon is also a former Petronas Sprinta rider.