PUTRAJAYA, Nov 8 — Local motorsport veteran and RNF MotoGP team principal Datuk Razlan Razali feels a lot of effort is needed to see local riders line up along international riders in the starting grid of the World Motorcycle Championship (MotoGP), especially in the Premier Class.

The former Chief Executive Officer of the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) said based on his assessment, it would not be easy for local riders to break into the elite field of MotoGP riders and the reality must be accepted by all in the motorsport industry.

Razlan said Malaysia currently has only one rider in the Moto3 category of MotoGP, namely Muhammad Syarifuddin Azman, compared with more than one rider featuring in the Moto2 category of the MotoGP in the past.

"To me, when making a comparison, we are still way behind Indonesia and Thailand. Therefore, I hope those involved in motorsport can take the matter seriously. Actually we do have some talented riders like Hakim Danish, Daniel Syahmi and Qabil Irfan but they are still young.

"We must continue to invest in their progress until they are ready to compete against the rest of the world...don’t stop halfway,” he said when met at a programme organised by the Motorsports Association of Malaysia’s (MAM) called Motorsports Youth Session here today.

Razlan feels local riders would also not be able to break into MotoGP’s Premier division because no teams from the country is involved.

"In the past we had a team and good infrastructure, but the support was not continued, now when there is talent, there is no team...even in 10 years, it would be difficult to see Malaysian riders featuring in the MotoGP,” he said.

The last time a Malaysian rider featured in the Premier Class of the MotoGP was Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah back in the 2018 and 2019 season. — Bernama