Malaysian Grand Prix Preview

Oct 22, 2015
5 min read

The final part of our Pacific trek takes us to Malaysia and to the Sepang International Circuit for round seventeen of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship.

Located 45km south of Kuala Lumpur, Sepang has been a fixture on the calendar since 1999. The circuit was designed by Herman Tilke, considered by many to be his finest creation, and is famed for its long straights punctuated by lots of slow and medium speed corners.

Grand Prix racing has been staged in Malaysia since 1991, back then at the Shah Alam circuit. The race moved to Johor for 1998 before finding its permanent home at Sepang. The 2011 MotoGP race was cancelled after the tragic accident that befell Marco Simoncelli on the second lap of the race, which claimed his life. In 2012 a plaque was placed at turn ten in honour of the Italian.

As this is a tropical region of the world, rain is always a threat. And when it rains in Malaysia it really rains! Rain led to the 2012 race being red flagged due to the sheer amount of standing water that developed as a result. High heat and humidity is also a factor, not helped this year by a thick haze enveloping the region. This will monitored carefully over the weekend as so none of the spectators, riders, team staff and journalists face any health issues.

This weekend sees, for the first time, Valentino Rossi able to clinch the 2015 championship. He enters this race with an eleven-point lead and needs to leave with twenty-six points over Jorge Lorenzo. To do this he must win the race and Lorenzo must finish sixth. Given the Spaniard's speed this year, that will be difficult. But Lorenzo has never won at Sepang in the premier class, his only win coming in the 250cc race of 2006. Rossi however has six wins in the premier class at Sepang, as well as a victory at Shah Alam in the 125s. Last year, the pair clashed on track and it was the Italian who came out on top.

The last three years have seen Honda take top spot, and after his Phillip Island win Marc Marquez will be keen to keep that momentum rolling. The Spaniard won last year's Grand Prix and this circuit will suit the Honda, with its numerous power sections. Dani Pedrosa won the 2012 and 2013 events, one in the wet and the other in the dry, so he too will be a threat. The forecast is for rain this weekend and his ride in Japan will see him shoot to the top of the bookies' odds come Sunday if the heavens do open. Rear grip was a big issue for the RC213V riders in Australia, and that will be an issue in Sepang with the heat. But they do seem able to dial some of the wheel-spin out with electronics to a manageable point, so they may be able to ride around it.

Ducati have had three wins here in the past, and their pace in Japan and Australia could see them factor into this one. Andrea Iannone made the Yamaha's and Honda look like Moto2 bikes on the Gardner Straight during last weekend's race, and this is very much a circuit where the GP15 will be able to stretch its legs. It remains to be seen how their race pace will stack up against the top guys, but Iannone showed that they just need to be in slipstream range to keep up.

This will be a decidedly more difficult track for Suzuki, but they showed very well at similar tracks in Aragon and Motegi so the top ten is very much possible. The slow corners will see them punch out a little better as there isn't as much electronic interference affecting drive. The long corners will really highlight their lack of seamless gearbox as they will struggle for grip and stability.

It'll be another tough weekend for Aprilia. The heaviness of the RS-GP and its lack of power will hamper them around this rather technical circuit. But there will still be a sense of optimism in the air for the team; the season is nearly over and to look at where they were back in February during the tests to where they are now, they can really be proud of what they have achieved.

The Satellite battle will be a fun one. Last year, Stefan Bradl and Bradley Smith were embroiled in a real ding-dong scrap for top Satellite honours. The German just edged ahead of the Briton, but this stage of the season marked a real change in form for the Tech 3 rider. Expect himself and Cal Crutchlow to lock horns again for another fantastic customer battle. Pramac should be up there too after Yonny Hernandez finished just four seconds down on Pol Espargaro in 2014. With rain on the radar Danilo Petrucci will be the man to watch.

In the Open class, Avintia Ducati have to be favourites given the nature of the circuit. Hector Barbera won that battle last year, but Loris Baz will be keen to deny a repeat. The pair are just two points apart in the Open standings, and this is a circuit the Frenchman is familiar with from his WSBK days. This will be a good scrap to keep an eye on.

Event Stats:

Circuit Length – 5.5kn (3.44 miles)
Number of Turns – 15 (5 left, 10 right)
Longest Straight – 920m
Number of Laps – 20
Top Speed – 329.6km/h
Average Speed – 163.1km/h
Fastest Lap – 1:59.791 (Marc Marquez, 2014)
Circuit Record – 2:01.150 (Marc Marquez, 2014)
Most Poles – 4 (Valentino Rossi)
Most Wins – 7 (Valentino Rossi)

Previous Five Winners:

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team RC213V, 2014

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team RC213V, 2013

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team RC213V, 2012

Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1, 2010

Casey Stoner, Ducati Team GP9, 2009

Bridgestone Tyre Selection:

Front – Hard, Medium

Rear (Factory) – Hard, Medium (asymmetric)

Rear (Open) – Medium (asymmetric), Soft

Wet – Hard (Main), Soft (Alternative)

The Sepang International Circuit's technical nature gives tyres a hard time. The two long straights between the penultimate turn and final turn, as well as the final corner and the first, are ended with heavy barking zones which require a very stable front. As a result, Bridgestone has brought only the Hard and Medium front compounds. The long corners, low abrasiveness and high track temperatures put a lot of strain through the rear tyres, making it very easy to overheat them. Most ran the Medium rear last year, and this will likely be the same. Set-up will be crucial to make the tyres work and last.

The Weekend Schedule

Friday:

Moto3 FP1 – 02:00-02:40

MotoGP FP1 – 02:55-03:40

Moto2 FP1 – 03:55-04:40

Moto3 FP2 – 06:10-06:50

MotoGP FP2 – 07:05-07:50

Moto2 FP2 – 08:05-08:50

Saturday:

Moto3 FP3 – 02:00-02:40

MotoGP FP3 – 02:55-03:40

Moto2 FP3 – 03:55-04:40