With the intense races of last Sunday in Japan still fresh in our memories, the World Championship circus has already disembarked in Malaysia and is getting ready for a new episode of the three-chapter-run in less than twenty days. The three classes offered hard-fought races last Sunday in Motegi, filled with exciting moments. And the show will go on this weekend at the circuit of Sepang situated close to the modern city of Kuala Lumpur. As regards the interests of the Repsol riders, Japan was a positive Grand Prix for some but rather average for others. In MotoGP it was positive for Max Biaggi and negative for Nicky Hayden. The Italian, after his third place in the Czech Republic, was back on the rostrum in Japan (second), after a close fight until the race finish with fellow citizen and winner of the race Loris Capirossi and his Ducati on Bridgestone tyres. He had a brilliant performance as opposed to his Repsol Honda team-mate. Nicky Hayden did not shine at any time during the weekend, and despite starting on Sunday from the second row of the grid with the sixth fastest time, he wasn´t able to follow the race pace of the leading group finishing in a back seventh place. Fourth last year in Sepang, the North American rider will try to get back the fine form and step again on the podium he visited for the last time in Germany, just before the summer break.
In the 250cc, Dani Pedrosa is directly pointing at his third consecutive world championship title (125cc in 2003 and 250cc in 2004) and despite the multiple problems suffered by the Repsol rider at the Japanese Grand Prix, he showed once again that he is on a different level within his class. Pedrosa, who took the victory last year in Sepang and became 250cc World Champion just one week later in Australia, has right now a comfortable advantage of 63 points over the second classified rider, Casey Stoner. This advantage gives him the necessary ease to face the remaining races. However, neither Dani nor his team want to relax, and they will be looking for the victory in Sepang, once the rider has recovered from his three crashes in Japan. The two Repsol Aspar Team members Randy De Puniet and Sebastián Porto knew that the superiority of the Hondas in Japan would let them in mechanical disadvantage, but they tried hard to stay in the leading group during the race, and, although they both managed to do so most of the time, keeping themselves in the queue of the large pack of then heading the race, none of them was able to take part in the fight for the places on the podium. Porto, with several technical problems along the weekend, crashed during a braking manoeuvre, while his team-mate De Puniet, who had been waiting for his moment to take the risk, finished fifth. In Sepang, things will return to normal and the both should be ready to fight for a place on the rostrum.
In the minor class and despite the eventful race in Motegi, all riders will be in Sepang, including Sergio Gadea despite his spectacular crash running over Luthi and his motorbike on the main straight. Despite the spectacular accident, Gadea is fortunately all right and will be back on his bike on Friday, with the firm intention of getting back on the podium. His team-mate Héctor Faubel, third at the Japanese Grand Prix, will have in Malaysia a new chance to clinch the victory he is so much looking forward to.
Rider´s comments
MotoGP. Max Biaggi:
“I´m looking forward to the next race. I finished third in Brno and second at Motegi. It would be so good to go one better in Malaysia and win the race there! Racing at Sepang is fantastic. They have warm weather throughout the year, first class organisation and infrastructures. All the grandstands are covered; they are a wonderful work of modern architecture. The track is very fast and is both physically and technically hard work. The spectators are fantastic as well, because they come from all over Asia. That´s what I´d call a Continental Grand Prix. Our Michelin´s worked so well in Japan, I hope they can do even better in Malaysia. As I said after the race last week I would very much like to avenge the Bridgestone victory last week and will do all I can to make this happen. Some of my Japanese fan club guys will come down to see me in Sepang, that makes me feel very comfortable.”
MotoGP. Nicky Hayden:
“I always say that when we have a bad race weekend all I want to do is to get back on the bike and I´m happy we go straight to Malaysia. We need to get on the pace fast something that we just didn´t manage to do in Japan. I´m happy to have moved up in the championship but I know we only did this at the expense of the riders that didn´t finish. I´ve made many laps on this circuit because we´ve spent several days testing here I the past. It isn´t an easy circuit because it´s really long and wide. It was hard to get used to it at the beginning but, in general, I think that it´s a good circuit because it has a bit of everything. The grip is very important because the track temperature increases a lot in the afternoon.”
250cc. Dani Pedrosa:
“I hope to have a calmer weekend than in Japan; it wont be difficult. The shoulder is getting better, Im still applying ice to lower the inflammation and these days will be good to recover and rest. I was really knocked down after Japan. In the end the result was much better than what we had expected but these things show you that we have to continue focussed race after race, because the situation can change in a single weekend. The only thing that worries me now is to be in the best possible shape on Friday, to be able to start working hard from the first practice”.
250cc. Randy De Puniet:
Malaysia is a circuit I like and I think that if we manage to find the right set-up from the first day, well be able to aim to a better result than in Motegi. Sepang is a considerably long and wide circuit, in addition to being a very technical track, where you must have a good setting to make the best out of it. Last year I was only able to finish fifth despite starting from third. The fifth place I took in Motegi might seem good, but Im not happy at all. We have to understand each other and give our best to get a good result here, in Malaysia and finish the season in the best possible way.
250cc. Sebastián Porto:
Im not happy with the result in Japan, but now Im only thinking about the next race in Sepang were I was second last year. This circuit and the one in Qatar, that is, the two next ones, are very hard because theres usually intense heat and a high humidity level, implying an additional difficulty. The riders resistance is fundamental and it also makes it difficult to choose the right tyres. As usual, we will try to find the right setting already on Friday to be able to look forward to a good result.
125cc. Héctor Faubel:
If I managed to get on the third step of the podium in Motegi, Honda´s home track, I think that I´ll have chance to be again up there now that we´re going to Sepang, because its a circuit that adapts much more to the Aprilia. I also feel really focussed and 100% confident. The most important for me is that the bike is working well right from the beginning, in order to be able to do a good job throughout the weekend. I really like this track. It is very nice, but the conditions under which we race here are very hard, due to the heat and humidity.
The venue of the GP
Sepang International Circuit (www.malaysiangp.com.my)
The most impressive and innovative circuit built so far, the Sepang International Circuit, was officially opened on March 9, 1999 by the countrys Prime Minister after 14 months of intense work. Situated 85km from the city centre of the Malaysias capital Kuala Lumpur, it has multiple and easy accesses both via highway and railway as well as a modern expressway. Being situated only 5 min from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, it is an ideal place for world-class international events.
With the length of 5.543 km, the track features 15 turns, ten right-hand and five left-had ones, and 8 straights, the longest of which is 927.543 m with access speed of more than 300km/h. Its 24 metres in width turn the track into the widest layout of the world championship, including a delicate chicane to be covered at high speed. The Malayan circuit is with no doubt a place where overtaking, suspense and thrills are assured. Sepang can accommodate up to 130,000 spectators. It can fill up the grand stand with 32,000 spectators at the Main Grand Stand and 18 corporate suites. The double frontage grandstand affords a unique view of the circuits longest straight with the start and finish lines, and was constructed along the east-west alignment to ensure shade from the suns glare at all times. The first Grand Prix was staged in 1999 and since then it has become an unavoidable date on the world championship calendar, fulfilling the strictest international safety and quality standards.
The heart of the circuit and focal point is the three-storey pit building, facing the main grand stand, equipped with ste-of-the-art facilities including 33 pits, Race Control Room, Timekeeping Room, Paddock Clubs and management offices. The large circuit complex has also restaurant, hotel, exhibition hall, golf course, shops and other sports facilities. The track is electronically linked through a network of fibre optic cabling system along the track to 27 closed circuit TV cameras. Safety is the utmost importance and for that the circuit has a special block dedicated for its Medical Centre. During major events; this block will be transformed into a fully equipped mini hospital
Competition at the Sepang Circuit, the longest of the MotoGP championship after Assen, is usually held under suffocating heat and high humidity levels, typical of the season, adding an extra difficulty to the event. Luccio Cecchinello has the track record in the 125cc since 2002 (213.919), Dani Pedrosa in the 250cc since 2004 (208.015) and Valentino Rossi in MotoGP (203.253) since 2004 as well.
