Expanding into the Moto2™ Category for 2018, SIC Racing Team are preparing to take on the intermediate class with the return of Malaysian rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin.
Three days of official testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo from the 6th to 8th February kick the season into gear, with most of the intermediate class field also out on track. That will be the Malaysian’s first taste of his new team and machine as he makes his return to the MotoGP™ paddock following a stint in World Supersport.
“Zulfahmi Khairuddin will now join us in Moto2 for 2018, which was a bit of a surprise because we had planned for Hafizh to be riding, but nevertheless we are prepared,” explains Team Manager Johan Stigefelt. “We have been working very hard for the last six months to prepare the Moto2 project and we have everything in place. We have very good people behind this project and this team. We will give Fahmi the best support and the best bike; I think he will be surprised how nice it is to ride a Moto2 bike. Of course it will be difficult too, it’s a tough Championship and it will require a lot of hard work from him but Fahmi feels confident and ready to take on this challenge. We will be there to help him prepare and support him throughout.
“Now we have nine days of testing before the first round at Qatar, so we have a lot of work to do and a lot of things to try and help Fahmi in his change from Supersport to Moto2 but I am sure he will like the bike and love the team, as he already knows many people here, so it will be an easy transition for him."
Ahead of the switch, Khairuddin is aiming to do a lot of laps and get up to speed as quickly as he can, with more testing planned soon, too.
“It’s really great to have this opportunity,” begins Khairuddin, “so I would like to thank SIC, especially Razlan for his continuous support and belief in me. I’m really excited to return to the MotoGP paddock. In Valencia the focus will be on improving my feeling on the Moto2 bike and getting up to speed quickly. I don’t think it’s that bigger step for me from Supersport to Moto2 but for sure the competition will be hard and I have to do a lot more laps. I hope to get some good data in Valencia before we test the following week in Malaysia.”
The three days of official testing at Valencia are from the 6th to 8th of February, before the next Official Test will then take place at Jerez.