Petronas And SIC To Takes On MotoGP Next Season

By Farhanah Azmi SILVERSTONE (Great Britain ), Aug 25 (Bernama) -- After witnessing a national rider in the Silverstone MotoGP race this year, Malaysia will create history with direct involvement as a competing team. Malaysian racing promoter, Sepang International Circuit (SIC) will enter the premier MotoGP class with Malaysia’s oil and gas multinational Petronas as the official Title Partner. With the collaboration, it will make it the first fully-fledged Malaysian outfit in the world motorcycle championship. The agreement takes effect in 2019 and will remain until the end of 2021. The announcement was made at a press conference at the British Grand Prix attended by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, on Friday. Commenting on the collaboration, Syed Saddiq said: "We have seen a Malaysian ride in the MotoGP class this season and with a Malaysian team on the grid next season, there will be plenty to cheer about for Malaysia." He noted that the newly-form edMotoGP team would pave a new and bright future for Malaysian motorsports. "It has been proven that sports has the power to unite a nation and I believe with this initiative from Petronas and Sepang International Circuit, we will not only achieve brilliance on the track but also unity among fans regardless of race, religion and colour," he said. Also present at the press conference were SIC chairman, Azman Yahya; President and Group CEO of Petronas, Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin; SIC chief executive officer Razlan Razali; Dorna chief executive officer, Carmello Ezpeleta; General Manager of Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd Motorsports Development Division, Kouichi Tsuji and Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, Lin Jarvis. The new MotoGP outfit officially confirmed the signing of MotoGP rookie Franco Morbidelli of Italy and Moto2 rider Fabio Quartararo of France. Both riders are set to contest on board Yamaha YZR-M1 machines with prominent Petronas branding, following an agreement between SIC and Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. Petronas will leverage on MotoGP to advance its technology in the field of motorcycle lubricants, seamlessly integrating its Fluid Technology Solutions into the team's day-to-day operations. "Through this collaboration, Petronas now has another platform to push forward technology innovation, in the field of fuel and lubricants for motorcycles. "We believe this is the perfect research and development avenue in our quest to offer innovative products and solutions to our customers...Ultimately, our aim is to bring efficient, high performance fuel and lubricants, from 'track to road' for our valued customers globally," said Wan Zulkiflee. This would definitely mirror the company's successful relationship with Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport, winner of four consecutive Formula One Constructors World Championships. -- BERNAMA