Kuala Lumpur, 24th October 2017 – Petronas and Sepang International Circuit (SIC) have entered into a strategic partnership geared towards further advancement of Malaysia and Asia’s two-wheel talents and sport.
The two parties have formed the ‘PETRONAS Sprinta Racing’ team that will focus on the development of talents to compete in the global two-wheel championships. The partnership will continue with the joint efforts of both PETRONAS Talent Development Program (TDP) and SIC Talent Development Program (SICTD) to nurture future talents rising from the Malaysian Cup Prix, Asia Road Racing Championship and Asia Talent Cup to pursue their racing careers in the Moto2 and Moto3 championships.
This will not only help ensure the sustainability of Malaysia and Asia’s two-wheel sports scene but will also bring the country closer to having a home-grown talent to compete in the premier MotoGP class in the near future.
Given their expertise and experience, SIC will concentrate its efforts on fully managing the team and riders, whilst PETRONAS will focus its efforts on expanding its brand visibility in MotoGP which has a massive global following. The partnership is also expected to pave the way for building a stronger affinity towards PETRONAS motorcycle lubricant brand, PETRONAS Sprinta, especially in focus markets such as Malaysia, India, China and Vietnam.
SIC will manage the overall day-to-day operations of the team and the performance of the riders including Hafizh Syahrin, the team’s sole contender in the Moto2 series in the next year’s World Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP), as well as Moto3 team riders Adam Norrodin and Ayumu Sasaki already under SIC’s wings. This team is helmed by former Grand Prix racer, John Stigefelt who has vast experience in the World Superbike Championship, Moto2 and Moto3 World Championships.
Speaking at the launch, Dato’ Sri Sy Zainal Abidin Sy M Tahir, Vice President, Marketing Downstream, PETRONAS said, “PETRONAS is delighted to announce this new Moto2 and Moto3 Project with Sepang International Circuit (SIC). We believe this partnership is a natural progression for our long-term commitment in developing talents as it provides a sustainable platform for riders to move up from local to international championships via SIC who has the resources and experience in managing a race team. As for PETRONAS, our goal is to increase our global visibility through MotoGP, which will potentially translate into positive effects on sales and brand awareness. We are convinced that PETRONAS, SIC and the entire Asian motorcycle racing fraternity can benefit from this partnership”.
Also at the launch is Tan Sri Azman Yahya, Chairman of Sepang International Circuit who adds, “We at SIC are delighted with this strategic collaboration. Both PETRONAS and SIC share the common goal of developing talents for motorsports. It’s high time for both companies to join efforts in doing so and we are pleased that PETRONAS is aligned with our vision for the advancement of motorsports in Malaysia. SIC shall play the vital role of managing and overseeing operations of both teams in Moto2 and Moto3 championships. With our experience and technical know-how, we have created an ecosystem that will act as the support system for these riders both on and off the racing circuits. We hope this partnership with PETRONAS will open doors to future motorsports talents that yearns to progress their careers in the world championship racing.”
This partnership will starts in 2018 until 2020 with an option for renewal. Expectation from SIC for Hafizh Syahrin in 2017 will be for him to be in the top 10 position of Moto2 (current placing is 11th in the championship). While Adam Norrodin is under pressure to perform as SIC is expecting him to be in the top 15 for 2017, he is currently in 17th position of the world championship points. While Ayumu Sasaki, although sitting in 22nd Position, is likely to be voted as the best rookie of the year. This lad has the talent and drive to succeed. We all hope he gets the support needed to make his dream come true.
