A PACKED Sepang circuit saw Maverick Vinales register his third 125cc victory, but they were on their feet celebrating what was the greatest achievement in Malaysian motorcycling when Mohd Zulfahmi Khairuddin passed the chequered flag in seventh place to send the 21st edition of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix into the history books.
A points scoring finish would have sufficed for 20-year-old Zulfahmi in his third attempt at pleasing the passionate home crowd who had waited 21 years for even a solitary point, but the tone had already been set for a much better outcome after the Banting-born AirAsia-SIC-Ajo Motorsport rider parked his Derbi 13th on the grid in 125cc qualifying on Saturday.
Off the blocks, Zulfahmi stormed into the top 10 and maintained his pace within the second batch of pace setters, then with five laps to go he was up to eighth and passed Ongetta-Centro Seta's Jakub Kornfeil for seventh as the crowd went wild.
"I was focused on my riding but each time I passed the grandstand, I could feel the crowd roar. That inspired me to stay on the limit," said Zulfahmi after the race.
The result moved him up to 17th in the 125cc championship standings with 30 points and he is now within two points off Simon Grotzkyj's 15th spot, the championship position which Zulfahmi has targeted.
"I started well today (yesterday) and pushed hard to stay in the top 10. In the last five laps I just stayed on the limit to distance myself from the chasing pack and pushed for better positions.
"I really didn't imagine this result, not even to be able to compete against riders like Danny Webb and Efren Vasquez, but I finished ahead of them today," added and elated Zulfahmi.
"Everything I had done to prepare for this weekend had been worth it. Everything I did this week was focused on this weekend. Even when there were some problems, like yesterday (Saturday) when there were some issues with the bike, I just maintained my focus and solved it.
"In the race, I just didn't think about whether there was anything wrong with the bike. Instead I was just so focused on pushing the bike till the end of the race."
Things are pointing to another year in the third tier of the World Motorcycle Championships, with the 125cc class to be replaced by the new four-stroke Moto3 machines next year and Zulfahmi feels it is something that will provide a level playing field and a chance for him to move up the ladder.
"It will be up to the sponsors, but for me, to be in my third year and on completely new machinery, it levels the playing field a bit.
"So, with the right support and the experience I've had in the 125cc class, I think we will be able to push for higher positions," said Zulfahmi, who calmly evaded questions of his ability to challenge for the Moto3 championship in his third year next year.
Malaysian MotoGP Wildcard Programme entry Mohd Farid Badrul Hisham finished the 125cc race in 24th position and his possible entry into the championship alongside Zulfahmi is also up for debate.
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