![Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal says he wants to retain Malaysian rookie Hafizh Syahrin for the 2018 MotoGP season after he impressed during the test in Thailand. Poncharal was left seeking a second rider after Jonas Folger was forced to sit out the season to recover from Gilbert Syndrome, the illness which kept the German sidelined for the final four races of 2017. Syahrin emerged as favourite to take the vacant satellite Yamaha following the Sepang test – at which Tech3 fielded ex-Aspar rider Yonny Hernandez – after parting ways with the Petronas Sprinta Moto2 team; though was only confirmed for the Thailand test. Poncharal is keen to hold onto the triple Moto2 podium finisher after proving to be a “perfect fit” for Tech3, though admits he still has to “convince” his partners Syahrin is the right choice to replace Folger. “I want to keep him for the 2018 season, but I have to first convince all my partners,” the Tech3 boss said. “Right now there's nothing decided, but I won't hide the fact that I'd be very disappointed if we can't come to and agreement. “I think we've found a rider who is the perfect fit for what we're looking for. After the unfortunate and late withdrawal of Jonas Folger, it's the best solution we have.” Syahrin ended the Thailand test 22nd overall and just 1.756s from pacesetter Dani Pedrosa on the factory Honda. His performance across the three days of running at Buriram left Poncharal “amazed”, and feels the Malaysian will be capable of even stronger showings once he has had some more time on the M1. “There was pressure on Hafizh's shoulders in Buriram; no Malaysia had ever ridden in MotoGP,” Poncheral added. “He also had a bit of a handicap compared to other rookies like Takaaki [Nakagami], Franco [Morbidelli], Tom [Luthi] or Xavier [Simeon], who already had a few kilometers on the clock [on MotoGP machinery]. “He had to perform, without crashing, and in these conditions it's easy to make a mistake. He has done a great job, he progressed every day and he finished only 1.7s from the best laptime, knowing that he's far from having reached his full potential. “I am really amazed. In addition, he's someone who is super humble off track, super nice. I always consider Monster Yamaha Tech3 to be a junior team, and Hafizh also sticks to that profile.”](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgupaRqLCeWzGzpYIDlNVSIcCahH1nHiHXBTxtblkcmuRRMQGuFEWYsMdEOjiwAV9CBJVsNlkXc6IU4r2M931X09nMCRyGSHmN02nME6kP2JbJr3YPWQJq1p_s6u7DfWtgucqSycZ/s1600/hafizh-syahrin-buriram-test-motogp-2018-j1jpg.jpg "Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal says he wants to retain Malaysian rookie Hafizh Syahrin for the 2018 MotoGP season after he impressed during the test in Thailand. Poncharal was left seeking a second rider after Jonas Folger was forced to sit out the season to recover from Gilbert Syndrome, the illness which kept the German sidelined for the final four races of 2017. Syahrin emerged as favourite to take the vacant satellite Yamaha following the Sepang test – at which Tech3 fielded ex-Aspar rider Yonny Hernandez – after parting ways with the Petronas Sprinta Moto2 team; though was only confirmed for the Thailand test. Poncharal is keen to hold onto the triple Moto2 podium finisher after proving to be a “perfect fit” for Tech3, though admits he still has to “convince” his partners Syahrin is the right choice to replace Folger. “I want to keep him for the 2018 season, but I have to first convince all my partners,” the Tech3 boss said. “Right now there's nothing decided, but I won't hide the fact that I'd be very disappointed if we can't come to and agreement. “I think we've found a rider who is the perfect fit for what we're looking for. After the unfortunate and late withdrawal of Jonas Folger, it's the best solution we have.” Syahrin ended the Thailand test 22nd overall and just 1.756s from pacesetter Dani Pedrosa on the factory Honda. His performance across the three days of running at Buriram left Poncharal “amazed”, and feels the Malaysian will be capable of even stronger showings once he has had some more time on the M1. “There was pressure on Hafizh's shoulders in Buriram; no Malaysia had ever ridden in MotoGP,” Poncheral added. “He also had a bit of a handicap compared to other rookies like Takaaki [Nakagami], Franco [Morbidelli], Tom [Luthi] or Xavier [Simeon], who already had a few kilometers on the clock [on MotoGP machinery]. “He had to perform, without crashing, and in these conditions it's easy to make a mistake. He has done a great job, he progressed every day and he finished only 1.7s from the best laptime, knowing that he's far from having reached his full potential. “I am really amazed. In addition, he's someone who is super humble off track, super nice. I always consider Monster Yamaha Tech3 to be a junior team, and Hafizh also sticks to that profile.”") |
| Hafizh Syahrin [Photo: GP-INSIDE] |
Bos tim satelit Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Herve Poncharal mengatakan bila ia merasa terkesan dengan penampilan pebalap Malaysia Hafizh Syahrin sepanjang sesi pra-musim yang berlangsung di Buriram akhir pekan lalu yang membuatnya ingin menempatkannya sebagai pengganti Jonas Folger yang harus absen sejak MotoGP Jepang musim lalu karena sakit.
Folger yang mengalami gejala Gilbert harus mengundurkan diri sepanjang musim balapan 2018 ini agar pebalap Jerman tersebut bisa berkonsentrasi untuk berobat.
Sejak runner-up MotoGP Jerman musim lalu itu harus beristirahat, Poncaharal harus menggantikan posisinya dengan Michael van der Mark pada sisa musim lalu.
Namun demikian, Poncharal juga menyebut bila ia belum membuat keputusan final soal Syahrin karena harus membicarakannya terlebih dahulu dengan para mitranya.
“Saya memang menginginkan Syahrin bersama kami sepanjang 2018 ini tetapi saya harus membicarakannya terlebih dahulu dengan semua mitra saya. Jadi sekarang ini, kami belum membuat keputusan sama sekali. Yang pasti, saya akan merasa kecewa sekali bila kami gagal merealisasikannya,"ujar Poncharal.
“Saya rasa kami telah menemukan pebalap ideal untuk mengisi posisi Folger karena Syahrin hanya berselang 1,756 detik dari Dani Pedrosa yang memuncaki pra-musim Buriram,"imbuh pria asal Prancis ini.
Poncharal juga menyebut bila Syahrin memang masih perlu jam terbang yang lebih banyak karena masih kalah bila dibandingkan Takaaki Nakagami, Franco Morbidelli, Tom Luthi atau Xavier Simeon.
“Saya rasa kami telah menemukan pebalap ideal untuk mengisi posisi Folger karena Syahrin hanya berselang 1,756 detik dari Dani Pedrosa yang memuncaki pra-musim Buriram,"imbuh pria asal Prancis ini.
Poncharal juga menyebut bila Syahrin memang masih perlu jam terbang yang lebih banyak karena masih kalah bila dibandingkan Takaaki Nakagami, Franco Morbidelli, Tom Luthi atau Xavier Simeon.
Tetapi Poncharal yakin dengan kapasitas peraih podium di kelas Moto2 dan Moto3 ini dan Syahrin telah membuktikan tekanan yang dihadapinya sewaktu di Buriram karena inilah kali pertama Malaysia memiliki pebalap yang tampil di arena balapan kelas premier.
“Karena baru pertama kali, Syahrin bisa mengatasi tekanan dengan baik dan tak mengalami insiden. Dengan tekanan yang dihadapinya, ia sebetulnya mudah melakukan kesalahan. Tetapi ia justeru tampil bagus dan hanya terpaut 1,7 menit saja dari Pedrosa yang menjadi pebalap tercepat. Ini menunjukkan potensi Syahrin,"imbuh Poncharal.
“Syahrin juga pebalap yang memiliki kelakuan baik dan rendah hati, "pungkas Poncharal.
