MotoGP World Championship moves on to clash in Sepang

Monday, 13 October 2008

The 2008 MotoGP World Championship enters its final week with the Polini Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix on October 19th, the penultimate round of the current campaign and an event with the possibility of further deciding the final standings for the year.

With eight victories and an additional six podium finishes on the board, Valentino Rossi has already wrapped up his sixth MotoGP World Championship, with his remaining goals for the year being to enjoy himself onboard the Fiat Yamaha M1 and pick up some additional wins for his 2008 tally. The Italian counts the Sepang circuit that hosts the latest round as one of his favourites, reflected by his four premier-class triumphs in Malaysia. Rossi is expected to be back at full fitness following his neck muscle ache and throbbing headache encountered at the Australian Grand Prix –conditions which failed to derail his podium assault despite a fourth row start.

The winner of the Phillip Island race and last year´s visit to Sepang, Casey Stoner could secure second place in the overall classification on October 19th. The Australian is 36 points ahead of nearest rival Dani Pedrosa, the only rider with a chance of halting the Ducati rider´s attempts at the runner-up spot. Stoner has put off a wrist operation until the end of the season, with the express purpose of testing the Desmosedici GP9 in the post-race Valencia test.

Jorge Lorenzo is still in with a chance of third place in the series, 27 points separating the second Fiat Yamaha rider from arch-rival Pedrosa. The MotoGP newcomer is also looking to clinch the 2008 Rookie of the Year crown at the Sepang Circuit at which he took the 250cc World Championship last season, with longtime rival Andrea Dovizioso just one place below him in the standings.

The third former MotoGP World Champion on the premier class podium in Australia –only the second time that such a triumvirate had occupied the rostrum spots- Nicky Hayden is one of the form riders of the moment. The American has never placed in the top three at Malaysia, however, despite placing fourth at his first quartet of races in Sepang.

Colin Edwards, Chris Vermeulen, Shinya Nakano and Loris Capirossi complete the top ten, with Vermeulen and Capirossi joined in the Rizla Suzuki garage at Malaysia by Nobuatsu Aoki. The Japanese test rider is the third wildcard rider for the team in 2008, following appearances from Ben Spies and Kousuke Akiyoshi in America and Japan, respectively.

The Sepang International Circuit is a 4448m long track constructed in just 14 months to hold its first Grand Prix back in 1999. Four slow corners follow two long straights and ten medium to high speed corners at a wide track made for overtaking, and one of the longest laps in MotoGP is made all the more gruelling by Sepang's tendency for intense heat and humidity. The circuit is located 50km south of Kuala Lumpur city.

The Polini Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix takes place on Sunday October 19th, with practice sessions kicking off on the preceding Friday.

I read aoki is gonna ride the hybrid 2009-specification machine

Wildcard Aoki joins Suzuki for South East Asian trip

Monday, 13 October 2008

Rizla Suzuki´s main riders Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen welcome test rider Nobuatsu Aoki back into the team for the Polini Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Following the disappointing results of tenth and fifteenth respectively for Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen in Australia the pair head into the last two rounds of the year hoping to end a season of ups and downs on a positive note.

Meanwhile, as was the case when Ben Spies made wildcard appearances earlier this year at Laguna Seca and Indianapolis and when Kousuke Akiyoshi appeared as a wildcard in Japan just over two weeks ago, the Rizla Suzuki team will field a three-rider line-up in Malaysia this weekend as Nobuatsu Aoki comes back in to join Capirossi and Vermeulen.

The Suzuki team stayed on for a day of testing at Phillip Island last week and after a disastrous home GP for Vermeulen he hopes some of new parts used there can be put to immediate good use this weekend.

Having finished eleventh (2006) and seventh (2007) on his previous two Grand Prix visits to Malaysia, Vermeulen commented, `I am really looking forward to heading back to Sepang, as it´s a track we have tested and have proved that the Suzuki goes well. Let´s hope that some of the test parts we tried at Phillip Island will be beneficial. It will also be great having Nobu (Aoki) there on some more development parts and I hope that they will be an advantage to Loris and me, and we´ll be able to use them in the race-team very soon.´

Capirossi is approaching his tenth Sepang visit in a similarly positive mood having earned two victories (1999 in 250cc and 2005 in MotoGP) and two further podium finishes (second in 2001 and 2006, both in MotoGP) from his previous nine visits. However, the experienced Italian did add a warning note about a possible top speed deficit for Suzuki on the long straights at the Malaysian circuit.

`I am quite optimistic about Sepang as I really enjoy the track there and we made some really good tests there earlier in the year,´ stated Capirossi. `We certainly got the bike working quite well there so let´s hope all the new parts we have had this year will help when we return. For us it won´t be too easy because there are two really long straights, but I know we will all try to do our best. Sometimes that is not enough to get a good result so we hope that all the work the factory is doing will help us and we will keep trying as hard as we can over the next two races and see what happens.´

Suzuki certainly appear to be doing everything possible to bridge the gap on their rivals in terms of competitiveness and that is where Aoki comes into the picture – with the specific task of evaluating several new parts for the 2009 Suzuki 800cc prototype this weekend, in readiness for further developments over the winter.

Last year Aoki was also on the GSV-R800 as a wildcard in Sepang - finishing a solid thirteenth in the race - and the former World Championship regular is looking forward to returning to Grand Prix action commenting, `I can´t wait to get to Malaysia; I´m very excited about racing at Sepang and working with Loris and Chris. This is my first race of the year and I enjoy the track as I have done hundreds of laps there in testing.´

`It will be a very important weekend for me because I will be using many new parts that we hope will work well and the other guys can start to use as soon as possible.´

yes...

now let's see if the wildcard is gonna blast the regular riders again



Rossi looking to win final two races

By Pablo Elizalde Monday, October 13th 2008, 11:51 GMT

Valentino Rossi says he is aiming to win the final two races of the season despite having already secured his eighth world title.

The Yamaha rider clinched the title in the Japanese Grand Prix, where he scored his eighth win of the year.


But despite his dominant season, Rossi says he is going to try and win the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend, although he is aware that Ducati rival Casey Stoner will be very strong after his win in Australia two weeks ago.


"I am looking forward to going to Malaysia because we have done quite a bit of testing there with Bridgestone so we have a lot of data - not something we have had for most of this season," said Rossi.

"I was quite strong there in the winter and I hope it's the same again this time, especially since we know a lot more about the tyres now.

"We have two races left and I would really like to try to win them both, plus I also want to keep up Yamaha's excellent podium record this season.

"I love Malaysia and I have had some great races there in the past, plus it generally suits our bike very well so with any luck we can look forward to a fun weekend.

"That said, we know that Casey will be very strong again as well as others so it will no doubt be a good battle."


Teammate Jorge Lorenzo is also eyeing a strong result in Sepang, and the Spaniard admits he is eager to return to the podium.

"We've scored decent results over the last four races so I'm optimistic going into the final two rounds of my rookie MotoGP season," said Lorenzo. "We've got a couple of fourth places recently so now I'd like to get back on the podium.

"I hope and believe that Michelin will come up with some tyres that give slightly better performance than in Japan and Australia, where we were just a little bit short of being with the best.

"Sepang is well known for the heat and the changeable conditions; one minute it can be boiling hot and then the next it's throwing down with rain. I'll be training hard this week to stay in good shape and finish off a positive trip around the Pacific."

You've got to love slow pre-race news, you heard it here first, Vale wants to win the last two races, I'm sure the rest of the riders do to .

true!

LOL

at least 3 or 4 of them

the others are used to not

It's been raining every evening here and normally the rain starts at 16:00 onwards. Even if it rains, I hope it'll be after the race because when it rains, turn 4 will be flooded and I don't want another red falgged race to happen, unless Vale is in the lead.

oh noooo

NOT rain race again...

-

FIAT YAMAHA TEAM TAKE PODIUM MISSION TO MALAYSIA

A glorious MotoGP season for the Fiat Yamaha Team reaches its penultimate chapter this weekend, with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo targeting the podium at the Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur. From the fresh air of Phillip Island the series heads to sticky and steamy Sepang with both riders keen to maintain Yamaha's record of having at least one rider on the podium in every single race so far this season.


Second place in Australia for Rossi, who was already crowned World Champion at the previous round in Japan, resulted in his 149th visit to a Grand Prix rostrum and leaves him just ten short of the all-time record held by Giacomo Agostini, whom he also robbed of the all-time win record earlier this season. The 29-year-old, who is the most successful rider at Sepang with four victories, is also just 35 points short of the highest ever tally in a MotoGP season, which he shares with Casey Stoner, with 50 still up for grabs.


After back-to-back fourth place finishes in the last two races, Lorenzo has also pinpointed a top-three return as his main goal for this weekend. The Spanish rookie, who won the 250cc race at Sepang two years ago and clinched his second world title in the class with third place last year, has played a crucial part in Yamaha's success this season, with the factory lifting the Teams' and Constructors' titles. He currently lies fourth in the championship and with a 37-point advantage over Andrea Dovizioso he looks set to stay there - an unprecedented position for a debutante in the four-stroke MotoGP era.


Sepang is one of the widest tracks on the MotoGP calendar, measuring 16 metres across in some areas, and always features high track temperatures in the tropical climate. With four major hairpins, and some fast and frequent changes of direction in its 5.542km layout, Sepang provides a stern workout for the entire bike set-up and its largely consistent, if demanding, climate makes it the ideal winter testing venue.


Valentino Rossi

"LOOKING TO HAVE FUN"
"I am looking forward to going to Malaysia because we have done quite a bit of testing there with Bridgestone so we have a lot of data - not something we have had for most of this season. I was quite strong there in the winter and I hope it's the same again this time, especially since we know a lot more about the tyres now. We have two races left and I would really like to try to win them both, plus I also want to keep up Yamaha's excellent podium record this season. I love Malaysia and I have had some great races there in the past, plus it generally suits our bike very well so with any luck we can look forward to a fun weekend. That said, we know that Casey will be very strong again as well as others so it will no doubt be a good battle!"

Jorge Lorenzo

"I'D LIKE TO GET BACK ON THE PODIUM"
"I'm looking forward to arriving in Malaysia and going to a quite a fast circuit, which I like and where most importantly we've tested already this year and things didn't go badly. We've scored decent results over the last four races so I'm optimistic going into the final two rounds of my rookie MotoGP season. We've got a couple of fourth places recently so now I'd like to get back on the podium. I hope and believe that Michelin will come up with some tyres that give slightly better performance than in Japan and Australia, where we were just a little bit short of being with the best. Sepang is well known for the heat and the changeable conditions; one minute it can be boiling hot and then the next it's throwing down with rain. I'll be training hard this week to stay in good shape and finish off a positive trip around the Pacific."

Davide Brivio - "One eye on the statistics"

"We have reached our most important targets for the season so the focus for us is on having fun but we also have one eye on the statistics. It would be nice to keep this podium run going for Yamaha until the end of the season and if Valentino can make the points record it will mean we've had a strong finish to the year, which is clearly all we want. We know Sepang very well from the preseason testing but, as with every season, by the time you come back for the race you have a whole season of development under your belt and the bike is very different. The data is useful but really we start from scratch with the setting. The circuit has two long straights, which test the bikes' top speeds, but overall it's a good track and Valentino likes it very much. Hopefully we can have another fun weekend, like at Phillip Island."

Daniele Romagnoli - "Jorge has already surpassed expectations"

"Malaysia is a track we already tested at three times in the winter - once at the end of 2007 and twice at the start of 2008. We have a base set-up, lots of information and Jorge knows how to ride the bike here. If you look at the results so far this season Michelin have done well at tracks where we have tested previously so I'm sure they will be competitive again. We fought for pole position in the last round at Phillip Island and quite honestly we were a little disappointed not to be on the podium. It would be great to make up for that this weekend but whatever happens Jorge has already surpassed our expectations for him this season so there is absolutely no pressure on him - we just want him to enjoy himself and to do his best."

Valentino Rossi : Information

Age: 29

Lives: Tavullia, Italy

Bike: Yamaha

GP victories: 96 (70 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)

First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)

First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)

GP starts: 208 (147 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)

Pole positions: 51 (41 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)

World Championships: 8 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 5 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information

Age: 21

Lives: London, UK

Bike: Yamaha

GP victories: 22 (1 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)

First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)

First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)

GP starts: 109 (15 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)

Pole positions: 30 (4 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)

World Championships: 2 x 250cc

Sepang: Record Lap

Casey Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 2'02.108

Sepang: Best Lap
V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 2'00.605

Grand Prix Results: Sepang 2007

1. C.Stoner (Ducati) 43'4.405

2. M.Melandri (Honda) +1.701

3. D.Pedrosa (Honda) +2.326
5. V. Rossi (ITA) Yamaha +4.773
Jorge Lorenzo Result: Sepang 2007
3. J. Lorenzo (SPA) Aprilia +2.957 (250cc)

Han. I hope it's not going to be raining, I love rain, but I don't want the rain ruin everything....
so I have to buy an yellow umbrella just incase...