The SIC Racing Team has found their new permanent rider in the form of Niki Tuuli, a WorldSSP rider from Finland.
The 22-year-old started his WorldSSP riding career in late 2016 but has impressed the entire field with his results.
CEO of Sepang Circuit Datuk Razlan Razali believes that Tuuli will be able to make the SIC Racing Team competitive.
After the unexpected announcement of Zulfahmi Khairuddin prematurely ending his 2018 Moto2 rookie season, the SIC Racing Team has revealed yet another surprise in the form of his replacement rider. Finnish WorldSSP rider Niki Tuuli will be riding the Kalex machinery starting next round this weekend at the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France.
.@NikiTuuli 🇫🇮 joins SIC Racing Team in Moto2.
➡️ https://t.co/lzDyFBoCeM#WelcomeNiki #Moto2 #SICRacingTeam pic.twitter.com/KWFn0QxGgk
— PETRONAS SRT (@sepangracing) May 14, 2018
The 22-year-old from Finland has had some major success in the WorldSSP series despite his young age. He joined the series in late 2016 and with only four rounds left, he surprised the entire field by finishing second in each and everyone.
According to Tuuli, “First of all, I want to say thanks to SIC Racing Team for this opportunity. I’m really excited and looking forward to this upcoming challenge. Moto2 has been one of my dreams and now it’s a reality.”
“I’ve been riding 600cc bikes since 2012; the first six years with Yamaha and now this season I’ve been riding with Honda. Obviously, Moto2 is different to Supersport but the SIC Racing Team is a good team with lots of experience, so with their help, I believe I can adapt well to the Moto2 class,” added Tuuli.
According to Datuk Razlan Razali, CEO of Sepang Circuit (SIC), “As Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah has said, there are really no other Malaysian riders that can be competitive in Moto2. Hence why we have engaged 23-year-old Finnish rider Tuuli, and as you have seen from his profile, he has tremendous experience racing 600cc bikes.”
“We do not want this team to just exist so a Malaysian can ride, we want the team to be competitive, we want the team to excel, improve and gain credibility. Unfortunately, we are not able to find a suitable Malaysian that can do that,” added Datuk Razlan.
The next MotoGP round is happening this weekend at the iconic Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix Race Circuit in France. Will the SIC Racing Team able to shake things up in Moto2?
