Rising Malaysian star Hakim Danish continues his adaptation journey in the Moto3 World Championship after a challenging opening day at the iconic Circuit of the Americas, finishing outside the top 20 in Practice for Round 3 of the 2026 season.
Racing at the demanding Austin layout for the very first time in his career, the AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSi rider showed flashes of potential but ultimately faced the realities of a steep learning curve against the world’s best young talents.
Hakim began his weekend in FP1 with a best lap of 2:16.709, placing him P20 and trailing the session leader by 2.5 seconds. The session ended on a difficult note as the Malaysian crashed in the final five minutes—an early setback on a circuit known for its technical complexity and elevation changes.
Despite that, the young Terengganu-born rider responded positively in the afternoon. With no further incidents, Hakim improved his pace to 2:15.013, though it was only enough for P20 again, still +1.256 seconds off the benchmark.
Leading the charge was Spain’s Maximo Quiles of the CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team, who set the pace with a commanding 2:13.757, underlining the gap Hakim must close heading into qualifying.
Missing out on the crucial top 14 means Hakim will now enter the Q1 session, where track position and timing will be critical in securing a place in Q2.
Credit Photo : ZK Racing
