KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has encouraged Malaysian rider Muhammad Hakim Danish Ramli to keep striving for success after he finished fourth in the Moto3 race at the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix (GP) at the Sepang International Circuit today.
Congratulating the 19-year-old, the prime minister said he hoped Hakim Danish would maintain his determination in the remaining races of the season.
“Congratulations to Hakim Danish for finishing fourth in the Moto3 race. Keep working hard and do not be discouraged. There are still races remaining, so keep pushing to go further,” he said in a post on social media.
Anwar said he had also met other young Malaysian riders, Muhammad Qabil Irfan Azlan, Qayyim Razin Razali and Muhammad Naqib Rifqi Zulhelmi.
“I also reminded them not to give up easily when faced with challenges because every champion has also gone through ups and downs.
“I hope that one day you too will become an inspiration to more Malaysian youngsters to make the country proud on the world stage,” he said.
Hakim Danish, who rides for the Aeon Credit-MT Helmets-MSi team, narrowly missed out on a podium finish on home soil after crossing the line fourth, 4.410 seconds behind Spanish race winner Maximo Quiles.
The Terengganu-born rider produced a competitive performance, moving up to second on Lap 11 before being overtaken by two rivals on the following lap.
He had also secured podium finishes at the Italian GP and Czech Republic GP this season, underlining his ability to compete at the highest level in the Moto3 category.
The MotoGP calendar has three rounds remaining this season, in Qatar, Portugal and Spain.