Defending champion Valentino Rossi was hugely disappointed with his race in Portugal citing rear grip problems for his lack of competitiveness at round 14 finishing in fourth place.
His team-mate and championship rival Jorge Lorenzo on the other hand managed to finish at the top of the podium closing the gap between him and Rossi by just 18 points.
“Here in Estoril we struggled last year as well, so it might be that, with our setting, the rear tyre gets very hot and this causes a lack of grip.
It is a pity that I am off the podium, but we have three more races. We must think race by race and we must work to understand what the problem was today in order to make sure that we fix it in time for Phillip Island,” said Rossi after the race.
The next round will be in Phillip Island, Australia, home circuit of Casey Stoner and winner of the race at that circuit for the last two years.
Although Stoner have not been performing well in the previous races heading up to the Portugal, he is confident that he has overcame his health problems that affected him so much in racing and that the podium result he achieved in Portugal is proof of that.
This makes it a high probability that the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix will be the deciding round between the two riders competing for the championship, Rossi and Lorenzo.
“It will be an exciting race none the less when the two riders battle with each other at the 5.543km long Sepang International Circuit (SIC) on the 25th of October,” exclaimed SIC CEO Razlan Razali.
“Mix that and a few other top notch world class riders like Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso, Colin Edwards and Loris Caparossi, makes a really good recipe for a thrilling weekend of bike racing.”
Pumping up the excitement a few notches higher, after a hiatus of more than 10 years Malaysia will be sending a Wild Card entries to this year’s MotoGP 125cc event!
The riders were selected from the Malaysian Wild Card programme comprising of 16 participants who were eventually shortlisted to 4 hopeful riders namely Elly Idzlianizar Ilias and Mohd Zulfahmi Khairuddin. The final Wild Card rider and Malaysian 125cc Wildcard Team will be unveiled on Oct 12, 2009.
The Wild Card is a collaboration between the SIC, Motorsports Association of Malaysia (“MAM”), Automobile Association of Malaysia (“AAM”) and Two Wheels Motor Racing.
This year’s Malaysian MotoGP is expected to be the most interactive ever where fans can be more than spectators and be presented with money can’t buy experience and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the riders and teams through the various activities that will be organized by the SIC. Amongst the exciting on and off track programmes to look forward to are:
– Autograph sessions on Oct 24
– Bikes Showcases
– 2 wheels stunt shows
– Pit walkabout session
– Guided garage tours
– Taxi rides on the track in MotoGP Official Safety Car
– Race side by side the MotoGP riders in a special go kart event
En. Razlan Razali added, “For the first time, Dorna (the exclusive holder of the commercial and TV rights of MotoGP) is providing SIC with exclusive starting grid passes which money can’t buy where lucky fans will have the opportunity to be up close and personal with the riders before the race starts!”
To ensure that fans have all the convenience of transportation, SIC has taken the necessary measures to provide circuit transfers in collaboration with SkyBus at strategic pick up points in Klang Valley, Nilai, LCCT and KLIA. Tickets are priced reasonably from RM4 to RM15 per way.
Malaysian MotoGP tickets are only RM80 for Main Grandstand and RM30 for K1 Grandstand. Paddock Village passes is RM2,000 for 2 days access with complete set of hospitality in our Paddock Club suites. These tickets are available at SIC ticket outlets in SIC, KL Sentral, Kiosk in LCCT and www.sepangcircuit.com or visit our ticket agents.
For more information and updates log on to SIC’s official website www.sepangcircuit.com or contact personnel below:
