Following a superb victory at the Phillip Island track last Sunday, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team is fully motivated to turn up ready for combat again this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit.
This race weekend will be testing the riders’ stamina even more than usual, as the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix is the last of the triple back-to-back races, and the region is known for its extreme heat. Nevertheless, Valentino Rossi is looking forward to getting back into action this weekend at the Sepang track, and for good reasons.
The Doctor has had his fair share of success in Malaysia. He delighted the fans by snatching victories in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010, securing second places in 2002, 2005, 2014, and 2016, and taking third places in 2009 and 2015. This weekend he hopes to add another top result to this impressive list in order to inch closer to second position in the championship standings, from which he’s currently 15 points adrift, as he holds on to third place.
Having stepped onto the top step of the Australian rostrum last weekend, Maverick Viñales is now just 15 points behind his teammate and currently still in fourth position in the overall rankings. The recent victory leaves him even more impatient to meet his fans at the Malaysian track, which is another strong circuit for him.
The Spaniard is determined to keep his newly gained momentum going this weekend, especially as he’s yet to claim a premier class MotoGP prize in Sepang. In previous years he reached the podium on two occasions, securing a win in the 125cc class in 2011 and in the Moto2 race in 2014. In 2016 he secured sixth place, his best premier class placement at this track thus far.
The Sepang International Circuit held its first Grand Prix in 1999 and has been on the MotoGP calendar ever since. The 5.5 km track has a reputation for providing very exciting racing thanks to a mixture of slow and medium to high-speed corners (five left and ten right), and its two long straights, the longest measuring 920m. The circuit is also one of the longest tracks of the MotoGP season, which has to be completed in extremely hot and humid conditions, making this weekend’s GP, at the end of the triple-header, extra challenging for the riders.
Valentino Rossi
Championship: 3rd – Points: 195
“Unfortunately in Australia I lost important points for the championship and I’m very disappointed about that, but I’m happy for Maverick and for Yamaha. Now we have to concentrate on the third and last race overseas at Sepang and it will be important to have a good weekend. We must continue to work hard because we have to be competitive at every race. Sepang is not one of our favourite tracks, but we will always try our hardest to get the best results possible.”
Maverick Viñales
Championship: 4th – Point: 180
“After the victory in Australia, sincerely, I’m very happy. The team has worked very hard to overcome the crisis that we were going through. I’m feeling comfortable and I’ve regained my confidence. But we have to think about the next race in Sepang. We are highly motivated. It’s a circuit with very different climate conditions to those we’ve had in Phillip Island and in Japan – it’s always really hot and that makes it a very physically demanding race. I thought we made an important step in Phillip Island and actually I felt really good on my M1. We are on the right path and if we continue like this, hopefully we can finish the season with more victories.”
Massimo Meregalli
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Team Director
“The win in Australia was fantastic for the team, but we have only a little time to enjoy it, because we have to focus on the Malaysian GP this weekend. That said, Maverick’s victory does help, as it gives the team extra motivation, so we can start the race weekend with a positive mindset. Many factors come into play at the race weekend in Sepang. It’s the last GP of the triple-header, so the riders’ physical condition can play a big part, especially because they’re riding in hot and humid weather. After two hard-fought races, we’re ready for the final push. For sure, both our riders would like to continue challenging at the front and finish the 2018 season in the best way possible, so that will be our objective.”
Zarco and Syahrin Impatient to Bounce Back in Malaysia
Following a tough Australian race day, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 duo of Johann Zarco and Hafizh Syahrin can’t wait to arrive in Malaysia for the second last round of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship.
While the fast Frenchman is fully motivated to make up for the lost points and recover ground in the fight for the independent riders’ championship, Syahrin faces a very special weekend. The MotoGP rookie will head to his country for the very first time in the premier class and aims high in front of his home crowd. The much-anticipated hot event is set to commence with the first Free Practice session at 10.55 local time (3.55 CET) this Friday.
Johann Zarco
Championship: 7th – Points: 133
“The Sepang International Circuit is a track I like and one, I can be fast on. I hope my Yamaha will give me a good feeling again. It’s going to be like in Thailand with very hot temperatures and difficult conditions to race, but I feel fit for this round, even after the crash in Australia. Therefore, I look forward to have a good race and catch as many points as possible to be the first independent rider.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Championship: 18th – Points: 34
“I’m looking forward to arrive in Sepang after the good sensations we got in Phillip Island. Although the result was not great in the end, two thirds of the race were fantastic and I learned from the top riders in front of me, plus I was able to stay close to them. Unfortunately, we lost the front in turn four and also in the straight we were missing some power from the engine. I just can’t wait for my home race, which gives me some extra motivation. We keep working hard and believing in ourselves. For sure, we’ll try to do our best there.”
Hervé Poncharal
Monster Yamaha Tech3 – Team Manager
“The next round only in a few days’ time is going to be Malaysia – a very important race for the Championship, great event, great circuit, where we do a lot of testing during the winter, where we have a lot of data and where MotoGP is big like it was big in Thailand. This year it will be even bigger, especially for us, because we have the home hero, the MotoGP star in Malaysia, which is Hafizh Syahrin. He will arrive there as a rock star. There are quite a few things organized around him by the media for the marketing of the Malaysian Grand Prix, so we will be very busy there, helping everyone. The first person will for sure be Razlan Razali, who is a friend and who we owe a massive thank you for helping us during the winter to have Hafizh on board. So, it’s going to be a pretty interesting event for us. In terms of results, this has always been a circuit where we have had interesting races. Last year Johann was on the front row in the dry Qualifying and ended up third behind the two Ducati’s in the full wet race, so we’ve got good memories about that. Hafizh should be fast, we hope, although he has never rode a MotoGP bike on that circuit, but it’s his home country, which is always a very special boost. Especially after the nightmare day we experienced in Australia on Sunday, we can’t wait to be on track for FP1 just to forget about this and to be focussed on Malaysia. I hope there will be many, many fans for Monster Yamaha Tech3 with Johann and of course the local boy Hafizh. See you all there!”
