KUALA LUMPUR: Khairul Idham Pawi and Helmi Azman have been given Moto2 wildcards for the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia which starts at the Sepang Circuit on Friday.
Petronas Mie Honda Racing Team made the announcement on their social media pages today (Oct 29).
Khairul is currently a full-season rider in the Supersport World Championship while Helmi competes in the Asia Road Racing Championships in the Supersport 600 class.
The duo, however, have both tasted Moto2 action before.
Khairul, better known by his nickname SuperKIP, spent four years as a full-season rider in the intermediate class between 2017-2020 before moving on to superbikes.
Helmi got his first taste of the intermediate class as a wildcard rider in last year's Malaysian GP, also with Petronas MIE Racing.
He finished 23rd from 31 riders in the race last year and is hoping to improve on his performances this time.
"I have a better understanding of the bike after experiencing Moto2 for the first time last year," said Helmi recently.
"My goal is to continue improving on my lap times with each session. I want to be more competitive."
Helmi added that he is focusing on improving both his physical and mental strength ahead of the Malaysian GP.
Malaysia does have a full-season rider competing in any of the three classes - Moto3, Moto2 or MotoGP - in the World Championships this year.
Syarifuddin Azman raced as a full-season rider in Moto3 last year though was unable to secure a seat in the lightweight class this season.