Round 4 of the FIM JuniorGP World Championship at Motorland Aragon got off to a promising start for Malaysia’s young talent, Hakim Danish. During Free Practice 1 (FP1) and Free Practice 2 (FP2), Danish experimented with new setup configurations in search of the best combination ahead of the qualifying sessions.

In the 15-minute Qualifying 2 (QP2) session, Danish made an impressive start by placing fifth in the early stages. Unlike most riders, he opted not to return to the pit and remained on track to maximise the time available. However, during the crucial final three minutes, Danish found himself caught in a large group of riders, limiting his chances to improve his lap time. The session was incredibly tight, with nine riders finishing within one second of the leader. Danish ended the session in seventh place.

Race 1
At lights out, Danish launched off the line from P7 and made a bold move through Turn 2 to climb into fourth position. The race continued with fierce competition among the leading group of eight riders. By Lap 4, Danish was overtaken and dropped to seventh, but he fought back in Lap 8 and managed to finish strongly in fourth place, a solid result in a highly competitive field.

Race 2
Race 2 turned into a true test of Danish’s mental resilience and determination. Starting once again from P7, he showed aggression early on but came under intense pressure at Turn 8, falling back to ninth position. Refusing to give up, he mounted a comeback and reached fifth place by Lap 6. Unfortunately, just before Turn 1, his bike suffered a technical issue, forcing him to retire from the race.

As a result, Danish was unable to score any points in Race 2. He dropped one position in the overall standings and now sits seventh with a total of 51 points, 63 points behind the championship leader, Brian Uriarte of Spain.

Hakim Danish: “Race 1 was quite challenging with a lot of overtaking, and I had to maintain a very consistent pace due to the hot weather and tyre performance starting to drop. I managed to stay consistent, but I’m a bit disappointed to have missed out on the podium. I couldn’t finish Race 2 due to a technical issue with the bike, even though I felt really good during the race. Anything can happen in racing, but I won’t lose heart and will carry this spirit into the next round.”

Zulfahmi Khairuddin: “It was a very positive week throughout the Free Practice sessions, with excellent feedback from Danish and the team. I wasn’t able to be with them due to my involvement in the FIM MiniGP Malaysia race, but I’m pleased with the progress shown. From the start, Danish looked strong and confident during practice, and he went into the races with great self-assurance.

Race 1 ended with a strong and competitive performance, finishing in P4. We were very satisfied with how he rode. Going into Race 2, we maintained the same setup, but unfortunately, a mechanical issue occurred. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, it was a rare technical fault. These things can happen in racing, and this time, luck simply wasn’t on our side.

Nevertheless, the positive momentum remains important, and we’ll carry this spirit into the next round. Thank you to everyone for the continued support, we’ll keep pushing to improve our position in the championship moving forward.”