Malaysia’s young rider Qabil Irfan Azlan said his debut in the 2024 Spanish Superbike Championship (ESBK) at the Jerez Circuit was affected by cold weather and a slippery track, but he saw it as a positive development.

The 2023 MiniGP World Series Championship world champion finished Race 1 in a good sixth place.

Unfortunately, the slippery circuit conditions due to the cold weather resulted in a more challenging Race 2 for Qabil.

“I’m not very happy with this result (Race 2) because I’m not good with the bike. The circuit was slippery, cold and the tires slid. I also need to improve my riding style during the race that took place in cold weather,” said Qabil.

Regardless, Qabil and his ZK Racing manager, Zulfahmi Khairuddin will improve their performance in the second round of the season which will take place at the Valencia Circuit from May 30 to June 2.

“Our purpose in coming here is to give Qabil an early experience of racing in Europe. The result in Race 1 is a proud result while the result for Race 2 is a valuable experience for us to improve on in the next round.

“All week here Qabil spent the session in ninth and 10th place but in the race, Qabil was with the front group competing for the podium. Qabil finished Race 1 in sixth place.

“But, for Race 2 it was a difficult race for Qabil. He didn’t feel confident with the bike, the circuit felt slippery from the first lap until the end of the race because of the cold weather.

“This is a good experience for Qabil and the team. We will return to Malaysia to train well for round 2 in Valencia,” said Zulfahmi.