Hakim Danish Finishes 14th at Mandalika After Final-Lap Incident

The Malaysian rider fought his way from 26th on the grid into the top 10 before a final-lap incident and three-second penalty left him with two championship points at Mandalika.

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Malaysian rider Hakim Danish Ramli finished 14th in the Moto3 Indonesian Grand Prix after a challenging race at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, where a final-lap incident prevented him from securing a stronger result.

Starting from 26th on the grid following a penalty received after qualifying, the 19-year-old rider made an encouraging start and immediately began working his way through the field.

Hakim Danish climbed to 21st on the opening lap before overtaking another five riders on the following lap to move into 16th. He continued his progress by entering the points-scoring positions in 15th on Lap 3.

The ZK Racing rider maintained a consistent pace throughout the middle stages of the race, reaching 12th place on Lap 10 and holding the position until Lap 18. He subsequently broke into the top 10, putting himself in contention for a better finish.

However, his progress was interrupted on the final lap when he lost front-end grip while entering a corner and made contact with Joel Kelso of GRYD Racing.

Although the incident cost him several positions, Hakim Danish managed to pick up his motorcycle and continue to the finish line. He initially crossed the line in 12th place but was later classified 14th after receiving a three-second time penalty, imposed in place of a Long Lap Penalty.

Despite the setback, the Malaysian rider collected two valuable championship points, bringing his season tally to 107 points and placing him ninth in the Moto3 World Championship standings.

Reflecting on the race, Hakim Danish said his start and early pace were positive, allowing him to gradually close the gap to the riders ahead.

“Overall, I think the start of today’s race was quite good. I built my rhythm from the beginning, made a good start and tried to overtake the riders one by one ahead of me,” he said.

He explained that he worked on improving his pace by studying the riders in front of him, particularly through sections of the circuit where he was struggling to match their speed. However, the final-lap crash ended his hopes of securing a higher finishing position.

“I crashed while trying to overtake Joel Kelso after losing front-end grip. I managed to pick the bike up and continue the race before finishing in 14th place following a three-second penalty,” he said.

Hakim Danish added that he had apologised to Kelso following the incident and would now focus on preparing for the next round at the Australian Grand Prix.

Zulfahmi also highlighted both the positive and challenging aspects of the Malaysian rider’s performance in Indonesia. He noted that Hakim Danish’s recovery from 26th on the grid into the top 10 demonstrated his potential to challenge the leading group, particularly when starting closer to the front.

However, Zulfahmi acknowledged that tactical maturity and emotional management remained important areas for improvement, pointing to inconsistent performances since the middle of the season and the additional pressure created by expectations following Hakim Danish’s strong results earlier in the campaign.

Fahmi stressed that competing at the highest level of motorcycle racing requires considerable mental resilience, with even a tenth of a second potentially making a decisive difference during a race.

The Indonesian Grand Prix was won by championship leader Maximo Quiles of CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, with David Almansa of Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP finishing second and Brian Uriarte completing the podium in third.

With the Indonesian round completed, Hakim Danish will now turn his attention to the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, where he will aim to improve his performance and add more points to his championship tally.