The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team to field Pawi and Toba in the 2024 Supersport World Championship
The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team continues to formulate its plans for the 2024 racing season and can now confirm that it will field Malaysian rider Khairul Idham Pawi and Japanese rider Kaito Toba in the 2024 Supersport World Championship.
Having recently confirmed that its 2023 WorldSSP riders Tarran Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin will remain with the team but move up to compete in the Superbike category, the squad has now identified two strong young riders as its World Supersport representatives for the 2024 season.
Born on 20 September 1998, Pawi is a Malaysian rider who has extensive experience in the Moto3 and Moto2 world championships. The 25-year old is currently leading this year’s ARRC Supersport championship, and has just competed in the WorldSSP championship for the first time, having lined up with the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team as a wildcard entry in the season finale at Jerez in Spain.
Born on 7 April 2000, Toba has already amassed seven years of experience in the Moto3 World Championship despite his young age. The winner of the 2014 Asia Talent Cup, young Kaito went on to compete in the Red Bull Rookies Cup and the CEV Moto3 Junior world championship before progressing to Moto3. Much of his racing has been aboard Honda machinery. The talented Japanese currently places eleventh in the 2023 Moto3 championship standings, thanks also to a podium finish at the inaugural India GP round.
Khairul Idham Pawi
“I want to thank everyone on the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team for giving me the opportunity to compete in World Supersport. I got to know the team at Jerez, during the final round of the 2023 season, and everyone was very helpful throughout every session. WorldSSP is an ultra-competitive category with lots of fast riders. Moving from Moto2 is a big challenge, but I’ll do my best to adapt quickly and keep up with them. I know most of the circuits from my time in Moto3 and Moto2, but there are a few I’ve never visited. It’ll be tough in those cases, but I’ll try to learn fast. My initial goal is to consistently score points and then figure out how to improve as the season goes on. I’m thrilled to be part of the PETRONAS family again, just as I was in 2019 and 2020. It’s a dream come true to be associated with such a big name, and I’ll work hard to achieve the best possible results.”
Kaito Toba
“I’m thrilled to join the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team. This is a big opportunity for me, and I am very proud to be part of this project, with the prestigious PETRONAS brand as title sponsor. I extend my gratitude to PETRONAS, Honda, and Midori (Moriwaki) for putting their faith in me. This marks a brand-new chapter in my career, as I’ll be competing in the Supersport World Championship for the first time. Though I’m used to training with a 600 machine, I have yet to experience the CBR600RR. So, I plan to make the most of every winter test session we have, to build good feeling with the bike right from the outset. The 12-round calendar includes tracks I know but also two or three that I’ve never seen. Having not yet ridden the bike, I cannot have any realistic expectations, but one thing is for sure – I can’t wait to embark on this new challenge and am prepared to give it my absolute best.”
Midori Moriwaki – Team Owner
“It is a great pleasure to welcome two strong riders like Khairul Idham Pawi and Kaito Toba to our PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team. They are both incredibly skilled and real fighters, with a brilliant racing background at international level. They will be able to harness their significant experience and showcase their skills aboard the CBR600RR, challenging themselves in a new championship and lending their knowledge and skills to our team’s exciting project. The entire PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team couldn’t be happier or more excited to start working with Khairul and Kaito.”
