The DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team return to Europe ready for action, as the Championship embarks on its first European Grand Prix of the season at the Circuito de Jerez, Spain.
Jakub Kornfeil, who showed his ability to battle with the leaders at the South American circuit, will be looking for redemption following his challenging but progressive Grand Prix weekend in Argentina. Determined to continue his point scoring succession, the Czech rider is feeling optimistic and ready to claim his top ten finish.
Zulfahmi Khairuddin is set to raise the bar in Jerez after a disappointing end to his Argentine GP didn’t reflect his pace and progress throughout the free practice sessions. With renewed fortitude the Malaysian rider has high hopes to improve his performance and fight for the points at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Johan Stigefelt – Team Manager
“We go to Jerez with three races under our belt. Following the race in Argentina, I believe we can do well at this next Grand Prix, especially with Jakub. He his feeling very confident with the bike now, so I hope he can continue to progress like this. When we were in Jerez for the final preseason test we didn’t have an opportunity to test much in the dry, like our competitors did who were there previously, so we could be a bit behind at the beginning. Nevertheless we will be working as hard as possible to be competitive from the start. With Fahmi he needs to continue like he did in the free practice sessions in Argentina. His qualifying again let him down, so this is where he must really focus and improve. We are all aware about what we need to do and how we can work on this as a team. To be stronger, we must plan our sessions a bit better, which I believe will be easier now we are in Europe because we have more knowledge and experience with the KTM. The Moto3 class is new to us but after these first three races we are a lot more prepared, so there are no excuses. We must get going, collect more points and better our performance and that is what we will be aiming for this weekend.”
#63 Zulfahmi Khairuddin
“Since the final preseason test at Jerez in March, we have improved the set-up of the bike a lot. I have a good feeling with the KTM now and after Argentina I feel I can push more. We are getting closer to the front group, which we have shown in the practice sessions at the last two Grand Prix’s. Now I must carry this through to the Qualifying to make sure we have a better chance in the race. My aim in Jerez is to collect some points. I know it will be difficult but it’s not impossible. We have to be competitive from FP1 and qualify better than we have so far. We have already shown at the test that we are quite fast in the wet at Jerez but now we have to be fast also in the dry. With the bike setup I have and a team who always support me, I believe we can have a good weekend in Jerez.”
#84 Jakub Kornfeil
“This is the first European race of the year, so I’m looking forward to heading to Spain. I think the Jerez Grand Prix will be good and a very interesting race. I think like Argentina it is possible to have a big leading group battling for the podium, which is always more fun, both for the riders and the fans watching. At Jerez I believe we have a lot of potential to be at the front. We are much happier with the set up that we have now and I am feeling more comfortable and confident on the bike. The only thing we need to improve a little is the speed. This will be one of the most important things for us at the Jerez track. If we can do this, I think the Honda and KTM can be competitive together.”
