Hakim salvages four points after dreadful Japanese GP weekend

KUALA LUMPUR: Hakim Danish Ramli salvaged four points from a dreadful Japanese Grand Prix weekend by finishing 12th at the Motegi circuit on Sunday.

The AEON Credit-MT Helmets-MSI rider recovered from 21st on the grid to secure a points finish after suffering multiple crashes over the weekend.

The result lifted Hakim from eighth to seventh in the riders' standings with 105 points.

His troubles began in the first free practice session, where he crashed and finished 22nd.

Another fall followed in practice, and he finished 17th, leaving him needing to fight his way through the first qualifying session.

Hakim improved to 11th in the second free practice session, but couldn't carry that progress into qualifying.

He finished eighth in Q1, missing out on a place in Q2 and leaving himself a difficult task from 21st on the starting grid.

However, Hakim recovered nine places in the race, leaving Motegi with something to show for a bruising weekend.

At the front, Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP's David Almansa won in 32 minutes 45.54 seconds, edging Aspar's Max Quilles by just 0.046 seconds.

Red Bull KTM Ajo's Alvaro Carpe finished third, 2.738 seconds behind Almansa, to complete an all-Spanish podium.

For Hakim, the four points proved enough to gain a position in the championship despite his troubled build-up to the race.

The action moves to the Mandalika International Circuit for the Indonesian GP next week.