SEPANG: Khairul Idham Pawi will not race in Moto2 at the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia tomorrow after breaking his left hand in a crash during qualifying at Sepang Circuit today.
It was a disastrous day for Khairul and fellow Moto2 wildcard rider Helmi Azman, who are both riding for Petronas MIE Racing RW, as they crashed into each other at turn eight during qualifying.
Helmi highsided at the turn and left Khairul with nowhere to go. Both ended up on the deck and were taken to the circuit's medical centre.
Team manager Razmin Masli Abdul Razak said Khairul - better known by his nickname SuperKIP - came off worse from the crash and may have also fractured his left foot.
"After a medical assessment at the track, it was determined that Khairul had broken his hand and will not be able to race tomorrow," said Razmin.
"As for his foot, we are not 100 per cent sure yet as he needs to undergo a CT scan, which has to be done at a hospital. We are arranging for him to go there (hospital) now.
"As for Helmi, he has not suffered any serious injuries. He has normal cuts and bruises but will still be able to race tomorrow."
MIE Racing team owner Midori Moriwaki said crashes are part and parcel of racing.
"Both Khairul and Helmi have both been very motivated for this weekend and wanted to do their best in front of the Malaysian crowd," said Midori.
"They were both pushing very hard and sometimes incidents like this happen.
"I am, however, very pleased with how much they have improved in each session they have done here so far. Hopefully, Helmi will be able to do well tomorrow.
"If it rains, it will be even better for him as he is good in the rain."
Helmi was able to clock two minutes and 7.554 seconds while Khairul managed 2:07.570s before the crash. Helmi will start from 29th on the Moto2 grid tomorrow.