KUALA LUMPUR: Adam Norrodin's future in the world championship next year will depend heavily on how he fares in the second half of the current Moto3 season, which kicked off at the Czech Motorcycle Grand Prix on Friday.
A source close to Sepang International Circuit (SIC) revealed that they have already signed a new rider for Adam's team – Petronas Sprinta Racing – for next season. This means that Adam and current teammate Ayumu Sasaki will have to fight for the one remaining seat.
Petronas Sprinta Racing (Moto3) and SIC Racing Team, which competes in Moto2, are both managed by SIC. Adam and Ayumu are currently 19th and 21st in the Moto3 standings.
"It's complicated. A lot of people believe that Adam will move up to Moto2 next season but it is not going to happen. There is also speculation that he will remain in Moto3, but there are still a lot of question marks," said the source.
"There has been some dissatisfaction with his (Adam) performance, especially the mistakes he made during the Dutch GP which should not have happened as he is already quite experienced.
"That was when the decision was made - one of them will not be retained. The team have signed a European rider for next season.
"Thus they (Adam and Ayumu) need to impress in the remainder of the season."
The source added that SIC Racing Team have already signed a Malaysian rider for next season to replace Niki Tuuli in the Moto2 team.
"I can confirm that he is a Malaysian rider. I can't reveal his name but he could be currently competing in Moto2 or in the All Japan Championships or in the Asia Road Racing Championships (ARRC)."
The only Malaysian currently competing in Moto2 is Khairul Idham Pawi who is riding for Idemitsu Honda Team Asia.
Zaqhwan Zaidi is currently competing in the All Japan series and ARRC. Also competing in ARRC are Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, Azroy Hakeem Anuar, Ramdan Rosli, Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin, Amirul Hafiq Azmi and Muhammad Ibrahim Norrodin.
Meanwhile, a full announcement on Malaysia's first ever MotoGP team and rider lineup is expected to be made during the Silverstone round on Aug 24-26.
