SEPANG: Former moto3 rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin has stressed the need for Sepang Circuit to be resurfaced.
Zulfahmi said deteriorating track conditions at Sepang have affected grip levels across all three tiers of the world championships – Moto3, Moto2 as well as MotoGP.
“I can say that the track has gotten worse in terms of grip. A lot of the asphalt has come loose,” he said during a media scrum at the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia on Friday.
“A lot of riders have complained that there is no grip. It is not just Moto3 riders who are complaining, even MotoGP guys are saying the same.
“If you look at the lap times, they are more than one second slower than the lap records here.
“That shows that the track conditions are not good. I believe this track has to be resurfaced because a lot of the corners are not in a good condition anymore.”
Zulfahmi said the lack of grip has amplified the importance of finding the right set up for Moto3 rookie Hakim Danish Ramli ahead of the race on Sunday.
Zulfahmi has been mentoring and managing Danish since 2020.
“Bike set up is the most important thing for Danish. He needs to focus on his race pace,” he said.
“We will be doing our long runs tomorrow (Saturday) morning but the conditions will not be exactly the same as the race is scheduled for 12pm on Sunday.
“At the moment, he is enjoying every moment here and we hope he will be able to deliver on Sunday.”
Danish did well to place fourth in the afternoon practice on Friday, which saw him book his spot in the qualifying two group – which is for the 14 fastest riders – for Saturday.