Khairul Idham Pawi: “I don’t think I have ever gone a day without going outside to train before this!”

2020-04-22 10:59
Where is KIP at the moment?

“After the first race in Qatar, I came back home to Malaysia and that is where I have been staying during this lockdown period.”

When did quarantine start in Malaysia?

“I think it was very soon after Qatar that they started introducing some restrictions. Now, I think it has been about a month that we have been in quarantine and cannot go out.”

How are you training and keeping fit for the restart of the season?

“As we have to stay at home I have been training indoors. I have my bike set up so I can ride that indoors and I also have some weights at home so I have been able to work on my strength training too. I really miss training outside though as I don’t think I have ever gone a day without going outside to train before this!”

Have you started to do something that you had no time to do before?

“We don’t know when the season will start again so I’m trying to focus on that and keep training hard to be ready. But I have been doing some cleaning round the house and some more cooking as there isn’t too much to do apart from training.”

How did you feel at the first GP of the season?

“We had some ups and downs during testing and also in the race in Qatar, but we expected that. It’s been a long time since my last race and I have jumped back on the Moto3 bike so I have had to adapt to that. It was a great feeling to be back racing again though; I had definitely been missing it a lot.”

How are you adapting to the Moto3 category?

“I was making improvements each time I rode the bike and I was adapting my style to the needs of the Honda bike more and more every time I rode it. I know I need to improve in the fast corners, as the Moto3 bike handles very differently to the Moto2 bike in those conditions.”

How different is this Moto3 bike with the one you rode in 2016?

“In some ways, it is actually not that different! Obviously improvements have been made the last few years but it’s good to ride, I just need the time to adapt to it again.”

What do you think are the main differences between Moto2 and Moto3?

“I think the main differences are that the Moto3 bike is lighter than the Moto2 bike and the engines are different. The riding style needs to change between the two because of this, but in Moto3 I have so much confidence in hard braking zones. Both categories are also so competitive and many of the riders are extremely quick and able to challenge for the title.”

How is your relationship with team-mate John McPhee?

“I have a very good relationship with John; he is a great team-mate to have. I have a lot of respect for him and he has helped me a lot, both in testing and at the race. I know that with him we will be able to improve and I will go even faster when racing resumes.”

Do you have a message for the people that are also living in quarantine conditions at the moment?

“Stay safe, stay at home and look forward to what will come next in life when quarantine is over. I hope the world will be a better place when we’re out of lockdown and we can all enjoy that.”

And for the MotoGP fans?

“I want to say thank you so much to all the fans for supporting us and we hope to start racing soon. I know I am missing it just as much as them. We just need to follow the advice, do what is needed and then we can be back racing and having fun.”

Source: SIC Racing Team

Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story