NO MORE WILDCARDS; AZLAN GOES MOTO2 ON MERIT Malaysian motorsports fans will soon have another Grand Prix rider to cheer for as Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman heads to the international arena following a sterling performance in 2012 and 2013 in the PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship and the PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship. Azlan’s entry will not be a wild card entry, nor will it be a paid ride. Instead, the 29-year-old will be joining the Honda-backed team, Honda Team Asia. This will take effect from the thirteenth round of the MotoGP onwards beginning with San Marino from September 11 to 13, 2013. Azlan will be the fourth Asia Road Racing trained rider on the Moto2 grid joining Thailand’s Thitipong Warokorn as well as Indonesia’s Doni Tata Pradita and Rafid Topan Sucipto. According to MUSASHi Boon Siew Honda team director Dato’ Sri Tan Hui Jing, Azlan will be the first Malaysian rider to join a GP team on merit alone. “We would like to emphasise that we are not paying for Honda Team Asia to give the seat to Azlan. Instead, he has been offered the opportunity solely on merit alone. On our part, Boon Siew Honda has invested a lot of resources into Azlan’s development up to this stage and we will continue to focus our efforts on producing more riders of Azlan’s calibre through the Cub Prix-ARRC route. With that, we thank Honda Motor Corporation Japan for their belief in Azlan’s who have expanded a tremendous amount of effort in the creation of this opportunity ” The Malaysian rider had consistently raked in impressive results over the past few years. He won the Malaysian Cub Prix title in 2012, finished sixth in the gruelling Suzuka 8-hour World Endurance Championship in July this year, and is currently the championship leader in the SuperSports 600cc category of the Asia Road Racing Championship with an unbroken string of podium finishes in 2013. “Rather than say that this is a dream come true, I would say that this is the beginning of a dream coming true. I have worked hard for this opportunity but I did not do it alone. There are many parties to thank in my journey as a rider – my family for their support, the Malaysian media, the fans, and of course Boon Siew Honda who had invested so much in my development,” said a delighted Azlan. “I am looking forward to this latest challenge and I will work hard to prove that I am worthy of this trust,” he concluded. Azlan will be flying to San Marino immediately after the conclusion of Round 5 of the PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship in Autopolis, Japan this September 8.