Thailand's debut on the 🌠MotoGP calendar this season means Malaysia no longer holds the only motorcycle grand prix in Sout🎃h East Asia.

On the other hand, Malaysia now has its first ever MotoGP rider in the form𒈔 of Hafizh Syahrin, who scored points on his race🌌 debut for Monster Yamaha Tech3 in Qatar.

Dato' Razlan Razali, CEO of the Sepang International Circuit, is confident that the home-grown boost from 'Syahrin mania' will compensate for the impact of Thailand's 🍃arrival.

"I'm not denying the fact that it will take some fans away, especially because 2019 is the first time for a MotoGP in Thailand," Razali told ltxcn.top.

"But what's important for us is that the crowd ♕at Sepang is 80-85% local and, of course, this year we wil🎃l have Hafizh in MotoGP.

"So the locals can co🐬me to watch our guys in all three classes for the very first ti﷽me."

A re🌱cord 166,486 fans attendeꩵd last year's Malaysian MotoGP, including a sell-out 97,457 on race day.

Razali predicts similar success for Thailand's first ever motorcycle grand pꦇri🅺x.

"I've been to Buriram once before for the World 📖Superbike and I'll come back again for sure for the MotoGP round in October," said Razali, who flew to Buriram to watch Syahrin's first MotoGP laps during testing in February.

"I think it's great to have a new country join the championship, something different, and for Yamaha and Hondꩵa it's a very big market.

"So I think [Buriram] will have a problem getting the crowds out! Not in. I 🌃think a lot 🔜of people will come. The grandstands will not be big enough!"

Rather than bei🐻ng in competition with neighbouring Thailand, Razali feels the addition of Buriram is the right move by championship organiser Dorna Sports.

"At the end of the day, we have to look at it fr🐠om the big pi🀅cture for MotoGP," he said.

"I think MotoGP, Dorna, cannot afford to be complacent. They ne🐻ed to grow. They need to have more and more [non-European] rounds.

"And, t🅰ogether with Hafizh being th﷽e first South-East Asian rider, it will just grow the whole sport."

7 of this year's 19 rounds will take place outside Europe. But while a return to Indonꦏesia has long been pursued, so far without success, the next country due to join the ca🔜lendar in 2019 will be a long way from South East Asia… Finland.

MotoGP plans to drop one of next year's overseas pre-season tests to compensate for the new race, but Razali🐼 confirmed Sepang expects to keep its traditional pla🧸ce as the first test of the year:

"I was already given ♋dates for next year, so we've already 🍃blocked the dates."

That would mean either Qatar or Thailand being dropped as an official pre-season t🍬est in 2019.

Buriram is the obvious c🅘hoice given its inclusion this year was to prepare for October's inaugural race and that the Qatar test is held just two weeks before the opening grand prix at the same venue, saving on freight costs.