The PETRONAS MIE Racing RW Team is on track at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit, taking part in the Malaysian Moto2 World Championship round as a wildcard entry with riders Muhammad Helmi Azman (#55) and Khairul Idham Pawi (#89).

Friday morning (CET+7) brought a forty-minute free practice, in which the squad immediately got to work, keen to make the most of every session. Local riders Pawi and Azman have good knowledge of the Malaysian circuit, which meant they could focus their efforts on setting up their Kalex machines to suit both riding style and track conditions together with their technicians. In the hot and humid conditions typical of Sepang and on a track that was still partially wet for the start of this initial session, the two riders made good progress. Improving on their times with almost every lap, the duo positioned twenty-ninth (Azman) and thirty-second (Pawi) at the end of this first constructive phase, with a respective fastest time of 2’09.550 and 2’10.195. 

Later on in the day, and in higher temperatures (air temp. 34°C/track temp. 52°C), the two Malaysian riders returned to a now fully dry track for the first of two official practice sessions. The pair continued to build confidence with the Kalex and make further adjustments to setup, which brought gains in terms of overall feeling. Azman was able to have valuable tenths off his earlier time and make a good step in the final minutes to set a best of 2’08.727 and confirm twenty-ninth place. Thirty-second overall on day 1, Pawi found an extra tenth during FP1 (2’10.045), despite largely using the session to iron out a few grip-related issues in preparation for tomorrow’s FP2 and Qualifying sessions. 

Muhammad Helmi Azman #55

“The track was in mixed conditions as the first session began, half wet, half dry, so I just worked to understand the wet conditions before switching to the slick tyres as the track began to dry. I tried to find a good rhythm and build confidence with the bike as we worked to find the right setup. At the start of FP1, I worked with the used tyre to try and find a good setup with that. Then later in the session, I put in a fresh tyre for a time attack and was able to make good improvement. I want to do more tomorrow in terms of my lap times as I try to close the gap to those in front.”

Khairul Idham Pawi #89

“The feeling is totally different compared to the bike I’ve been riding in Superport, of course. In the free practice, I was struggling to find entry speed and the right feeling, but that’s normal after not riding this bike for so long, I think.  I expected to improve in FP1 but unfortunately, we had some issues with rear grip that caused us to lose time. Hopefully things will go better tomorrow, when I will work to try and improve my riding style and the lap times too.”