Qabil Irfan Nears Podium In Moto4 European Cup Debut in Barcelona

The country’s young racer performed brilliantly with a fourth-place finish with the SIC-GRYD Racing team in the opening action of the 2026 season.

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Sensational young Malaysian rider, Qabil Irfan Azlan, began his debut campaign on the European stage with quite an impressive performance when he finished the opening race of the 2026 Moto4 European Cup in fourth place at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, Spain, today.

Representing the SIC-GRYD Racing team, Qabil proved he was capable of competing with more experienced European racers when he appeared competitive from the start of the race despite only making his first appearance in the championship.

Rising from eighth place, Qabil gives tough competition to the podium group

In the race that lasted 13 laps, the 14-year-old rider started from eighth place before displaying aggressive and consistent riding to finish in the top five.

Qabil swapped positions with the front group several times before managing to enter the podium midway through the race. However, the fierce competition all the way to the finish line saw him having to settle for fourth place.

The young national rider finished just 0.192 seconds behind the winner from Spain, Álvaro Lucas, who recorded an overall time of 24 minutes 19.948 seconds. Second place went to Italian rider Edoardo Savino, while his compatriot Lorenzo Pritelli completed the podium.

Collected 13 championship points in European debut

The result allowed Qabil to take home 13 championship points, thus opening his first campaign in the Moto4 European Cup with quite positive achievements.

More importantly, his performance in Barcelona proved that Qabil is now among the podium contenders and has the potential to become one of the country’s best prospects on the path to the highest stage of world motorcycle racing.

Qabil wants to appear more aggressive in Portugal

Commenting on his race, Qabil admitted that he was satisfied with the start he made despite having to adapt to the more aggressive riding style of European riders.

“For me, the start went very well. I started from eighth place and managed to move up to fourth position. To be in the front group, I need to make a good start and try to overtake as many riders in front as possible,” said Qabil.

“I had a little bit of a confidence problem with the front tire, but I still tried to maintain my position. The riders in Europe are very fast and their riding style is also more aggressive than in ESBK. This is a new experience for me.”

Qabil also expressed his intention to perform more aggressively at the next round in Portugal in an effort to achieve his first podium in the Moto4 European Cup.

“For the next round in Portugal, I will try to be more aggressive to chase a podium position. With this team everything is going well and I am very happy.”

SIC Racing praised Qabil’s maturity

Meanwhile, SIC Racing Team Manager, Zulfahmi Khairuddin, praised Qabil’s performance and maturity throughout his debut race.

“Qabil showed quite good maturity for a young rider. He was not afraid to compete with more experienced European riders and managed to remain in the front group throughout the race,” said Zulfahmi.

“What’s most pleasing is that he’s not just following the race pace but really fighting for the podium. Fourth place is a positive start and we believe he can go even further.”

With his convincing performance in Barcelona, ​​Qabil is now seen as one of the young Malaysian riders with the most potential to make a name for himself on the international stage in the near future.