Razlan Razali was one of the founders of the RNF MotoGP Team, but announced his departure last Friday – even though he owned 40 percent of the shares. CryptoDATA confirmed the Malaysian’s departure from the team principal position, a decision that was made about a month ago and is related to ‘poor performance and financial decisions’. An internal audit was also mentioned.
Now, Razali defended himself, in statements quoted by the site Motorsport.com ensuring that the information from CryptoDATA is false: ‘I think the overall assessment, I would say, is that for a team to be where it is today and Dorna to say such things, there is definitely a problem. And only Dorna can do what they are doing to ensure the credibility of the sport, the image, so that it is not harmed in any way. So, it means there is a problem. That said, I have a problem with CryptoDATA. I believe that over the years our vision of what we want for the team has changed‘.
The Malaysian emphasized that MotoGP is, above all, a sport where winning is the goal, there is also the business aspect with the need to make payments and have sponsorships: ‘That is secondary to us. For the people at CryptoDATA it is more about business. And that is where the alignment went a little wrong and led to this situation‘.
Regarding his departure, without going into details Razali assured that he resigned ‘three weeks ago’, even though he only left the team principal position this Sunday. The record on the UK government website Companies House confirms that Razali’s functions as director ceased on November 14. His son, Noraida, also ended his connection as director one day later.
And Razali also said: ‘In this world we live in, it’s all about respect, all about professionalism, all about doing the right things. […]. There are certain key pillars that you have to adhere to in order to do business. And that is where the situation is a little off with what is happening at the moment‘.
As for the documents allegedly proving Razali’s irregular expenses, the Asian defended himself in statements to the Motorsport.com website: ‘I haven’t seen this. I think it’s definitely an attempt to do something to protect themselves, being defensive, and to discredit me. I’ve been in this paddock for 14 years, I’ve been here since 2008 as a promoter, for 11 years at the Sepang Circuit, and five years as a team boss. And these people come in one year and now they’re publishing all this. The truth will come out sooner or later‘.
On the other hand, Razali defended Dorna: ‘They don’t just expel people for no reason. This is scary for other MotoGP teams and potential investors, so there must be a strong basis for them to make that decision. I believe both parties, Dorna and us, were surprised. They are new here and I think the championship needs someone new, especially in this industry, the technology industry‘.
