IndonesianGP: Hakim Danish Takes P14 After Final-Lap Crash
Hakim Danish produced one of the strongest recovery drives of the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, only to have it undone on the very last lap. The AEON Credit - MT Helmets - MSI rider started from the back of the grid, ran inside the top ten for the final eight laps, and then crashed on lap 20. He rejoined, crossed the line 12th on the road and was classified 14th after a three-second penalty, which earned him two championship points.
A stewards' grid penalty meant Danish began the race 26th and last, rather than from his 18th place in Qualifying 2. He wasted no time making up ground in dry conditions, with 30°C air and 64°C on the track surface at Mandalika. He was already 22nd at the end of lap 1, 19th after lap 2 and 16th after lap 3, helped along the way by early crashes for Casey O'Gorman, Leo Rammerstorfer and Ryota Ogiwara.
By lap 6 he was 11th, and from lap 12 he settled into tenth place and stayed there for eight straight laps. His pace was consistent throughout, with every lap from the second to the nineteenth between 1'37.537 and 1'38.680. His best came on lap 6, a 1'37.537, which was 0.348 seconds off Matteo Bertelle's new race lap record of 1'37.189.
On lap 19 Danish was tenth, directly behind Joel Kelso in ninth. On the last lap, both went down at the same moment, with race control noting that each rider was OK. Danish rejoined the race, but Ryusei Yamanaka, Scott Ogden and Joel Esteban all got ahead of him on that last lap, and his final lap took 1'48.434, about ten seconds slower than his normal pace. Kelso was not classified.
After the race, the stewards gave Danish a long lap penalty for causing a crash. With too little time left to serve it, it was converted into a three-second time penalty. His own lap times add up to 32'59.880, which would have been 12th and just 0.081 seconds behind his teammate Yamanaka in 11th. With the three seconds added he was classified 14th in 33'02.880, 26.059 seconds behind winner Maximo Quiles. That is 0.126 seconds behind Valentin Perrone in 13th, and only 0.008 seconds ahead of Jesus Rios in 15th. The incident and penalty cost him two places and two points.
Quiles won by 2.994 seconds from David Almansa, with Brian Uriarte third and Bertelle fourth. On home soil, Indonesian rider Veda Pratama finished sixth. Six riders were not classified.
Danish's two points take him to 107 in the world championship, but he drops from seventh to ninth overall, 244 behind Quiles, who now has 351. For a rider who spent most of the afternoon inside the top ten after starting last, 14th is a harsh reflection of his pace.
Credit Photo : ZK Racing
