No English, no homesickness: Ex-MotoGP boss applauds Danish’s determination

KUALA LUMPUR: While most young athletes sent to train abroad get homesick and lose focus, the opposite is true of Hakim Danish Ramli.

Former Sepang Racing Team boss Datuk Razlan Razali praised Danish for the immense determination and constant desire to improve that he has shown throughout his formative years.

Danish, who scored Malaysia’s first Moto3 podium finish in a decade at the Italian GP on Sunday, was discovered through the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) MiniGP programme in 2020.

He has since then been groomed by SIC, via Zulfahmi Khairuddin’s ZK Racing outfit, and has spent most of his time in Europe since he was 13.

“Danish has definitely made everybody proud of him. To be honest, I did not expect him to be this competitive in his rookie season, especially as he is racing against a lot of very established riders in Moto3,” said Razlan when contacted today.

“Danish has been based in Europe from a very young age and I can remember that there was a point that he did not want to come back to Malaysia.

“I remember his mother asking Zulfahmi to bring him back.

“That shows how determined he was, and still is, to do something (special). For a young boy from Terengganu who could barely speak English, that says a lot.”

Razlan, who previously helmed SIC from 2008-2020, said Danish’s success is the culmination of years of “trial and error” in developing talent.

After only seven races this season, Danish has already achieved one podium finish, four top-10 finishes and two front row starts, an outstanding achievement for a Moto3 rookie.

He will only turn 19 next month.

“To me, it is about the platform that has been created (by SIC). We now have a programme that is working for us,” said Razlan.

“We are sending riders to Europe much earlier now to compete in the European Talent Cup, Junior World Championships and the Red Bull Rookies Cup because the best riders are mostly from Spain and Italy.

“Riders, no matter how talented they are, have to be moulded correctly, otherwise it will not work.

“This (success) comes after a lot of trial and error, starting from the very first year with Zulfahmi (as a rider) and all the other riders who have followed. We got it right this time.”

Zulfahmi himself spent six seasons as a rider in the lightweight class between 2010-2015 before moving on to the Supersport World Championship in 2016.

After retiring from racing, he set up ZK Racing to mould the next generation of Malaysian riders.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

المصدر: New Straits Times