Injured Adam determined to fight at Sepang

(From Left) Petronas Sprinta Racing, Adam Norrodin, Ayumu Sasaki and Niki Tuuli.

Pic by NSTP/SUPIAN AHMAD

KUALA LUMPUR: Although, Adam Norrodin's performances over the past few seasons have been erratic, there has never been any doubt of his fighting qualities.

Visions of a determined Adam desperately pushing his bike across the finish line after crashing in the final lap at the Argentina Motorcycle Grand Prix in 2016 — in what was only his second race in Moto3 — remain vividly in the memory of Malaysian racing fans till today.

And fans can expect the Petronas Sprinta Racing rider to put in another heroic performance in Moto3 at the Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix which begins on Friday.

The 20-year-old will compete for a third race in a row with a broken bones in his shoulder and a completely torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

"I have serious injuries at the moment. I broke two bones in my shoulder at the Japan GP (last month). The x-ray showed that I have two missing bones in my left shoulder," said Adam.

"And I just found out after a scan yesterday that the ACL in my left knee has torn.

"Both my shoulder and knee need to be operated on but I have decided to put it off until after the Valencia round (season ender) because it will take some time for me to recover.

"For the mean time I can still race, it will hurt but the painkillers will help."

Despite the injuries, Adam is determined to do the country proud and secure a podium finish in what will be his final season with the Petronas Sprinta Team.

The Johor-born, who is currently 20th in the Moto3 standings on 46 points, finished a commendable seventh in Australia last week.

“My target is to finish on the podium. I feel more confident than I was last year.

“We managed to sort out a few problems with the bike which were holding me back at Phillip Island last week and have switched to a new engine."

Adam praised Petronas for their involvement in the world championships and believes their increasing support will see Malaysia churning out more world class riders in the future.

"I feel that Petronas are very serious about the world championships. Next year they are expanding their family to include MotoGP.

"I feel proud that a company such as Petronas has decided to back us and I believe their efforts will help develop more Malaysian riders capable of competing in the world championships in the future."

Petronas Sprinta Racing made its debut in Moto2 and Moto3 this year and will be joined by the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team MotoGP outfit next year. It will be the first time Malaysia have a team competing in the premier class.

-nst online.