Indonesian racer Afridza Munandar died after an accident in the 2019 Asia Talent Cup race at the Sepang Circuit, Malaysia, Saturday (11/02/2019). Afridza fell in corner 10 when the race has only been going one round.
The news of the death of Afridza also had become a trending topic on Twitter. Many parties expressed their condolences while paying homage to Afridzal, including the organizers of the Malaysian MotoGP 2019. Through the official Twitter account @ MotoGP, before the Moto3 warm-up, said the race that took place today Sunday (3/11/2019) was dedicated to Afridza Munandar . “Today, we race for Afridza Munandar Welcome to Sepang as we prepare for the # Moto3 warm-up #MalaysianGP.” write the account.
In addition, the Asian Talent Cup (ATC) also paid homage to Afridza by retiring number 4 previously used by Afridza. The number retirement is a form of respect for Afridza.
This was said by ATC through an upload on his official Twitter. “In memory of the late Afridza Munandar, the Asia Talent Cup organization has decided to retire the # 4 from the competition.”
Here are 3 facts about the figure of Afridzal Munandar:
1. Achievers During the 2019 Asia Talent Cup race
Afridza was a competitive racer. Afridza won twice at the Buriram and Sepang Circuits. Twice he finished second at Buriram and Twin Ring Motegi, and twice stood the third podium at Buriram. The results left Afridza in third place in the drivers’ standings with 142 points.
Afridza is only 27 points adrift of Takuma Matsuyama who leads the standings, and only 15 points adrift of Sho Nishimura in runner-up position. For information, the winner of the race in each series gets a maximum of 25 points. Afridza also has the opportunity to become an Asian champion as well as making Indonesia famous in the international arena.
In addition, the racer born in Tasikmalaya on August 13, 1999, often went up and down the podium during the race at the national championship. Afridza is a graduate of Astra Honda Racing School (AHRS) and has tried a prestigious endurance race in Japan, namely Suzuka Endurance 4 Hours.
2. Frequently chatting with Marc Marquez
Respsol Honda rider Marc Marquez claimed to have met and talked with Afridza several times. The communication occurred when Marquez visited Indonesia. Marquez also expressed sorrow through his personal Instagram page that read “A sad day for the world of motor racing. Afridza Munandar has passed away during the race at ATC”.
To note, ATC is a motor racing competition intended for young riders in Asia and Oceania. This competition is organized by Dorna, who also runs the MotoGP and World Superbike Championships.
3. Have a unique ritual
While still racing in the domestic championship, Afridzal is known to have a unique ritual before paving. The ritual is to clean the motorcycle while reading prayers. He did this in order to have a strong bond between himself and the motor to be used.
