PETALING JAYA: A flu bug put paid to Moto2 rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah’s hopes of scoring championship points at the Australian Grand Prix in Philip Island.
Hafizh, who started 17th on the grid, got off to a good start and was placed 11th in the early stages. But he was drained of energy as the race progressed and decided to call it a day on lap 14.
“I did not feel well at all with the flu and it got worse during the race. I went to see the track doctor before the race started.
“I wanted to challenge in the early laps but I lost all the strength as the race went on and had to pit in.
“I am very sorry to the fans, teams and my sponsor. Now I hope to make it up in Sepang next weekend,” said the Petronas Raceline rider who is 18th in the overall standings with 42 points.
Malaysian Moto3 rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin also failed to finish his race following a slip-up.
Malaysian rookie Hafiq Azmi fared slightly better, finishing 18th.
The championship heads to Sepang Circuit for the penultimate round this weekend.
