A nail-biting season, the CP130 battle remains undecided until the final round at Padang Kota, Penang to where Hafizh was crowned Champion. The Ampang born rider had to fend off challenge from fellow seniors Norizman Ismail and Ahmad Fazli Sham who concluded the season second and third respectively.
However, 2010 was not the easiest of starts for Hafizh. Despite sharing the fastest lap time in the opening leg at Alor Setar, Kedah with Elly Idzlianizar Ilias, Hafizh could not find an opening to take down two-time Expert Champion, Fazli Sham on the narrow track in the final race and settled for second.
Satisfied with his debut in the premier category, Hafizh proceeded to Round 2 in Kluang, Johor with hopes to win the race. Unfortunately, due to a jumpstart, he was forced to start behind the pack and to make things worse; technical difficulties pressured Hafizh to prematurely abort the race. To win the race was 2009 Expert Champion, veteran rider and former mentor, Ahmad Fuad Baharudin.
Disappointed Hafizh moved on to the next leg in Batu Kawan, Penang to where the spotlight was focused on Norizman who broke Yamaha's dominance in the Cub Prix series on a Honda make. Some argued that Norizman was lucky as those ahead of him- Fazli Sham, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, Mohd Zamri Baba and Abdul Muhaimin Roslan all crashed out of the race. Even so, that does not stop the fact he kept a consistent pace to finish first with a comfortable 2.211s lead followed by Hafizh second.
Things went on to be difficult for Hafizh in the fourth leg held at the Sepang International Circuit. Despite having started the race second on the grid, he DNF in the second last lap of the race (lap 12) following technical complications while Norizman secured his second chequered flag for the season.
Moving on to the race at Kuala Terengganu, Hafizh opted for a much steadier pace and it allowed him to complete the heat session on top. Sadly, a 30s jumpstart penalty denied him to kick off the race from pole. This however, did not dampen the teenager's spirit as he went all out in the final to finish fourth while Fazli Sham went on to win his second race.
Having stepped up the podium twice in second place and coming in fourth, Hafizh was ranked sixth in the overall standings after the race in Terengganu with 53 points- 48 points adrift Championship leader, Fazli Sham who led with 101 points followed by Fuad second and Norizman third-separated by just a point with 79 points and 78 points respectively.
It was not until the race in Teluk Intan Hafizh rose up to the challenge. Not just that, it also marked Shell Advance Yamaha Maju reserve rider, Abdul Muhaimin Roslan break-through in the highly-demanding category as he was the only one who could keep up with Hafizh throughout the heat sessions and final.
Both riders put up a ferocious battle in attempt to clinch their first premier class win but alas, it was Hafizh who won the race after Muhaimin dropped behind following a skid which almost spun him out of control. Luckily, he managed to contain his Yamaha and completed the race second while Norizman came in third.
The Championship moves to Malacca for its seventh leg, and Hafizh couldn't be in finer form. He dominated the timed practice and heat to add another pole to his Cub Prix statistics. But in the final race, rather than Muhaimin hot on his tail, it was Zamri who became Hafizh's main rival. Both riders were virtually glued to each other throughout the race but Hafizh proved to have the upper-hand as he single-handedly countered Zamri's blocking attempt in the last lap and went on to secure his second CP130 winning podium.
Up North, Round 8 commenced in Pekan- a historic race which saw Hafizh smash Fazli Sham's hat-trick record in the premier category at just 16 years old in a battle without a fight. Further sweetening the deal, with three consecutive win, Hafizh leaps to second spot in the CP130 overall standings with 128 points just 8 points short from Fazli Sham (128 points) who was leading the standings.
In the penultimate leg at Sepang, Hafizh had high hopes to secure another win but it was Norizman who snatched it, thus proving his Honda has the technical edge over contenders on long circuits. Even so, Hafizh put up a good fight to finish second followed by Zamri third.
Down to the wire, the season finale kicked off with the top four riders in contention for the CP130 title to where the first three are separated by a margin of just two points. These riders are Norizman (146 points), Fazli Sham (145 points), Hafizh (144 points) and Zamri (127 points) which means whoever wins the race, walks home with the title.
Determined, Hafizh went hard on the throttle as the lights turned green but rival, Norizman proved to be faster as he took the lead before turn 1. Both riders tussled in the next two laps before Hafizh surpassed Norizman in lap 3 and went on to break-away from the group and crossed the finish line first place at the same time broke Norizman's record as the youngest rider to ace the premier class. To come in second was Zamri followed by Norizman third.
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