KUALA LUMPUR: Moto3 rider Hakim Danish Ramli is thrilled that he would have super support from home fans at the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix in October.
Sepang International Circuit (SIC) have decided to set up a dedicated grandstand for fans in honour of Hakim's recent achievements.
Hakim scored his first win for AEON Credit-MSi team at the Czech Republic GP and also achieved a third podium finish at the Italian GP.
The 18-year-old Hakim said he was surprised with the SIC's move and described it as a boost ahead of the action on his home turf.
"A special grandstand for Hakim? I just found out. This is a blessing," said Hakim.
"Thank you to Mr. Shafriman for this. It gives me extra motivation and enthusiasm to race in Sepang.
SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif said the initiative was a sign of appreciation for his outstanding achievement in romping to his first victory in the Moto3 World Championship this season.
"It's rare to see a rookie rider achieve victory in his first season. For me, this is a very special success.
"We don't want it to be a one-off victory, instead we want to see more podiums after this so that the Jalur Gemilang and Negaraku continue to make its presence seen on the international stage," said Azhan after welcoming Hakim from his European campaign at KLIA in Sepang on Thursday.
"We will set up a special grandstand near the main grandstand, with initial plans involving two blocks of seats that will be added depending on the response.
"So anyone who has not bought a ticket can get it now and change it to the grandstand later.
We also welcome more corporate companies to join in supporting Hakim and SIC.
"Further announcements will be made at the MotoGP press conference in September," he said.
"We are happy with his first GP. There were a few problems in the last round in Germany last week though but that's racing.
"There were times when we were on top, there were times when we were on bottom but the important thing is for Hakim to continue to fight and make the country proud.
