Ducati in Sepang
– Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo finished first and second in last year’s GP here; it was the first time that both riders stepped onto the podium together since becoming teammates.
– Dovizioso won the last two GPs in Malaysia, with 2016 being his first victory with Ducati. Since then he has achieved a total of 10 wins.
– The Sepang circuit is the only track where Dovizioso has won more than once since he became a MotoGP rider.
– In 2016 Andrea scored the victory, pole position and set the fastest race lap.
– Ducati has 5 wins in Sepang: two by Dovizioso, two by Stoner in 2007 and 2009, and one by Capirossi in 2005.
– 339.60 Km/h is the maximum speed clocked at Sepang by a MotoGP machine, a record achieved by the Ducati of Andrea Iannone in 2015.
– Lorenzo clinched two of his five world titles at the Malaysian circuit. In 2007, he mathematically won his second 250cc title, and in 2010 his first MotoGP crown.
– Although Lorenzo has always been fast in Sepang, he has only had one victory there, in 2006 as a 250cc rider. In MotoGP he hasn’t yet won, though he has been on the podium in the last 7 races, collecting a total of 10 podiums.
– Ducati have twice scored a double podium in Sepang: Last year’s pairing plus in 2005 when Capirossi won and Checa finished third.
Curiosities
– This will be the 20th Malaysian GP held in Sepang, which in 1999 hosted a World Championship event for the first time.
– Sepang was the first track designed by Hermann Tilke, an architect who has created most of the circuits of the last 20 years. Of all his creations, Sepang is still considered the favorite of nearly all the riders.
– With a length of 5543 meters, it is the second longest circuit in the entire Championship, behind Silverstone. It is technical and very fast at the same time, with two united long straights and a front straight that measures 920 meters.
– Sepang follows Montmeló and Motegi as the most demanding layout for braking. The brakes are used for 37 seconds per lap, about 30% of the race.
– The braking for turn 1 is the strongest of the whole layout, where speeds go from 331 km/h to 67 km/h. This requires a braking distance of 289 meters over 6 seconds.
– Turn 6 is the slowest of the entire circuit, where the speed of the bikes goes down to 60 km/h.
– In six corners the speed drops lower than 85 km/h, which contrasts with the two straights where speeds reach over 300 km/h, plus two other straights where speeds go up to 250 km/h, creating quite a varied layout.
– 3 of the last 6 GPs held in Sepang have been in rainy conditions that have affected the race: in 2012, 2016 and 2017.
– In 2012, the race was stopped due to the large amount of water on the track, and despite the fact that two-thirds of the race was not yet completed, it was considered finished.
