Ahmad Fazrul Sham has inked a deal with Yamalube AHM ahead of the PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship at Stadium Batu Kawan, Penang this weekend.
The former SCK rider who was left without a ride at the end of the 2014 season and missed the opening round at Temerloh will partner Mohd Haiekal Akmal Zakaria in the hotly contested CP130 category, where his brother, Ahmad Fazli Sham also competes.
A rider with vast experience, Fazrul made his first Cub Prix appearance in 2004 through the Wira Epg before moving up to the premiere category in 2006. However, the 31-year old has yet to win the CP130/Expert title but came close on two occasions, in 2006 behind now retired Suhadi Ali Rahmat and in 2008 behind Fazli Sham.
Since then Fazrul has struggled to get into the top five overall despite claiming several podium finishes and his best result was in 2012 when he rounded up the season sixth overall.
“I am delighted to be joining Yamalube AHM and this is a great opportunity for me. I am under no illusions how difficult racing in the CP130 class is going to be, but I can’t think of a better team to join than AHM to help me regain my form,” said Fazrul.
“I am also very motivated to embark on this new adventure because I will once again ride with Yamaha, a brand that has brought me a great deal of satisfaction in the past. Above all, I have a lot of confidence now because I will represent AHM, one of the longest serving team in the Cub Prix paddock,” he added.
When asked to talk about his impression for the Batu Kawan this weekend, Fazrul commented, “Considering I missed the pre-season testing and the opening race, I have a lot of catching up to do. But this will not deter me from giving the best. I have spent the bulk of my career riding Yamaha so I believe this will put me with the midfielders. What I need to focus on now is to search for the best setup, especially the suspension to close the gap with the frontrunners. “
“As for my aims, every rider dreams to win but that would be too ambitious considering this is only my first race of the season with a new team. So if I can finish with the top five would be satisfactory. A podium finish would be a bonus.”
FAZRUL SERTAI PASUKAN AHM UNTUK MUSIM 2015
Ahmad Fazrul Sham bakal membawa cabaran baharu apabila kini tampil bersama pasukan Yamaha Yamalube AHM bermula pusingan kedua Kejuaraan Cub Prix AAM Malaysia PETRONAS di Stadium Negeri Batu Kawan, Pulau Pinang, minggu ini.
Bekas pelumba SCK Racing yang terlepas aksi pusingan pertama di Temerloh tempoh hari akan bergandingan bersama Mohd Haiekal Akmal Zakaria di dalam kelas CP130 yang juga turut disertai abangnya, Ahmad Fazli Sham.
Fazrul merupakan antara pelumba cukup berpengalaman setelah tampil di dalam saingan Cub Prix sejak 2004 bermula kelas Wira Epg dan kemudiannya melangkah ke kelas perdana pada tahun 2006. Pelumba berusia 31 tahun itu bagaimanapun masih gagal memenangi gelaran CP130/Expert namun dua kali meraih gelaran naib juara iaitu pada tahun 2006 di belakang Suhadi Ali Rahmat dan dibelakang abangnya, Ahmad Fazli pada tahun 2008.
Selepas itu Fazrul gagal menempatkan diri di kelompok lima pelumba terbaik keseluruhan sekalipun seringkali menaiki podium dengan pencapaian terbaik sekadar di tangga keenam keseluruhan pada tahun 2012.
“Saya gembira dapat menyertai pasukan Yamalube AHM dan ia satu peluang baik untuk diri saya. Saingan CP130 ketika ini semakin sukar dan saya berharap pasukan AHM dapat membantu meningkatkan kembali prestasi saya,” jelas Fazrul.
“Saya juga begitu bersemangat untuk memulakan cabaran ini kerana saya kembali menggunakan jentera Yamaha, jentera yang banyak membantu saya meraih kemenangan sebelum ini. Keyakinan saya juga bertambah kerana pasukan AHM juga bukanlah pasukan asing, mereka merupakan antara pasukan paling lama di dalam Cub Prix,” tambahnya.
Bercakap tentang sasaran di Batu Kawan minggu ini, Fazrul berkata, “Banyak yang saya telah ketinggalan, dan sudah tentu banyak perkara yang saya terpaksa dapatkan semula. Namun ini tidak menghalang saya dari cuba melakukan yang terbaik. Hampir sepanjang karier saya telah menggunakan jentera Yamaha jadibsaya rasa ia bukan masalah kepada saya. Apa yang penting saya perlu fokus untuk mendapatkan pelarasan terbaik dan sistem suspensi bagi membolehkan saya berada dekat dengan pelumba di hadapan.
“Sama seperti pelumba lain, saya juga mengharapkan kemenangan namun ia bukan tugas mudah memandangkan ini perlumbaan pertama saya bersama pasukan baru. Saya fikir sudah cukup baik seandainya saya dapat menamatkan perlumbaan di kelompok lima terbaik dan satu bonus andainya dapat menaiki podium.”
