Runner-up Hakim rues missed chance in Motegi

PETALING JAYA: Young rider Hakim Danish Ramli (pic) came close to winning the third leg of the Asian Talent Cup but had to settle for second spot at the Motegi Twin Ring Circuit in Japan.

In the 15-lap race, Japan’s Shinya Ezawa took the chequered flag with a time of 31:10.239, followed by the 15-year-old Hakim (31:10.300). Third place went to Qatar’s Hamad Al-Sahouti who clocked 31:10.567.

The second race wasn’t held due to poor weather conditions.

Hakim revealed that it was a tight race but one he could have won if he got his plans right.

“In the last lap, I was going for the kill. I managed to overtake Ezawa, but I did it in turn 10, which is a curve. I should have done it in turn 11 because it was a straight line,” he said.

“Also, I had braking issues, but overall, I would say it’s still good to finish second and hopefully this momentum continues in the next three legs.”

Meanwhile, Farres Putra Fadhill finished eighth with a time of 31:40.269 while Farish Hafiy Farid Sezli (31:40.314) and Emil Idzhar Ezuan (31:57.971) finished 11th and 15th respectively.

In the overall standings, Hakim is second with 92 points, just four points behind Ezawa.

The next race will be held at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand from Sept 30-Oct 2.