KUALA LUMPUR: Motorcycle racer Syarifuddin Azman will get to rev up valuable mileage in Moto3 after being selected as a replacement rider for the injured Alberto Surra.
Surra suffered a heavy crash during Moto3 practice at the Grand Prix of the Americas earlier this month and is out for at least two rounds.
Syarifuddin, 20, will step in for the Rivacold Snipers rider at the Portugal GP, which begins on Friday, as well as the Spanish GP at the end of the month.
This is not the first time Syarifuddin – who is a full season rider in the FIM Junior GP series – has tasted action in the lightweight class of the World Championships.
He raced at Aragon last year – then filling in for Petronas Sprinta Racing's John McPhee – and managed a respectable 13th place in the race.
Syarifuddin said: "For the Portimao race (Portugal GP), I want to improve on what I achieved in Aragon last year and hopefully try to finish in the points.
"I want to be better from the very first session. Last year I made a lot of mistakes and crashed during the practice and was not able to get a lot of mileage in.
"I was also quite nervous during the qualifying session which hampered my performance. I hope to do better this time."
Meanwhile, there was also good news for Danial Syahmi Sharil who has been accepted as a full season rider in the highly competitive Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup this season.
He is only the second Malaysian rider to have been accepted for the series after Hafiq Azmi in 2011-2012.
Danial, 20, is also competing as a full season rider in the FIM Junior GP series this year alongside Syarifuddin.