The “Malaysian Wonderkid” is officially on the world stage! Hakim Danish, flying the colors of AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSi, kicked off his first-ever full season in the Moto3 World Championship today at the Chang International Circuit.
In a field packed with the world’s hungriest young riders, Hakim ended the opening day in P22 overall. While the position might look modest on paper, the lap times suggest the Malaysian is much closer to the front than it seems!
Hakim’s day was a game of two halves. After a solid morning run in FP1 (1:42.584), the heavens opened over Buriram, leaving the track “greasy” and humid for the crucial afternoon Practice (PR) session.
Despite the lack of grip, Hakim showed his grit. He shaved half a second off his morning time to clock a 1:42.084 minutes. Following P1 +1.094 seconds from 15 laps in the practice session.
For the Leader, Spain’s David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) was setting a benchmark of 1:40.990 minutes.
Because he finished outside the top 14, Hakim’s path to a good grid position just got a lot tougher. Tomorrow, he enters the Q1 “Escape Room.”
Hakim must finish in the Top 4 of the Q1 session to earn a ticket into the Q2 pole position shootout. If he can find those extra few tenths in the morning FP2 session, a Q2 appearance is well within his reach.
Credit Photo : ZK Racing
