Round 3 of the Asia Talent Cup saw Sho Nishimura claim the Race 1 win from Afridza Munandar and Takuma Matsuyama, with young Aussies Harrison Voight 13th, Luke Power 16th and Jacob Roulstone 18th.
Afridza Munandar – Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Round 3 Sepang
In Race 2 it was Afridza Munandar who claimed the race win from Adenanta Putra and Warit Thongnoppakun. Harrison Voight took fourth, with Jacob Roulstone inside the top 10 in ninth, and Luke Power 11th.
Asia Talent Cup Race 1
Sho Nishimura has extended his lead in the standings after a dramatic Race 1 at Sepang International Circuit, with the first showdown of the weekend cut short by a Red Flag after a mutliple-rider incident with five laps to go. Indonesian Afridza Munandar and Japanese rider Takuma Matsuyama, who remains second in the Championship, completed the podium.
Race 1 Start – Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Round 3 Sepang
It was Shoki Igarashi who took the holeshot from third on the grid, slotting into the lead ahead of Matsuyama as polesitter Nishimura lost out slightly off the line. But it wouldn’t stay that way for long as the number 11 machine of Matsuyama soon attacked and took the lead, initially then pushing to try and break away but Nishimura able to pull him back in. And so it became a group of four fighting at the front, with Munandar up in the mix.
Warit Thongnoppakun was on the chase, however, with the Thai rider managing to chip away at the gap and join the foursome in the lead. Could he get into a podium position and take his second rostrum finish? As it transpired, he wouldn’t get the chance as some serious drama was about to hit the second group.
Sho Nishimura – Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Round 3 Sepang
A multiple-rider crash saw Hildhan Kusuma, Adenanta Putra, Tatchakorn Buasri and Abdul Mutaqim all go down, and soon after the Red Flag was shown, bringing the race to an early end. That meant that last time over the line decided the winner – and it had been close. By an infinitesimal 0.060 the win goes to Nishimura, with the Japanese rider just ahead of Munandar, and Matsuyama completes the podium. Thongnoppakun and Igarashi complete the top five.
Because the results are taken from the last time over the line, it’s Putra classified sixth, ahead of home hero Syarifuddin Azman as the Malaysian put in a top performance on home turf. Herjun Firdaus takes P8, with Hildhan Kusuma and Piyawat Patoomyos completing the top ten.
Takuma Matsuyama – Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Round 3 Sepang
Buasri and Mutaqim were 11th and 12th and the last two in a tight freight train of seven riders within a few tenths before the key incident. Riders were all ‘ok’ after the crash, although Buasri and Mutaqim were sent for further checks.
Australian Harrison Voight took P13 and some points after a top qualifying, with Ryosuke Bando and second Malaysian Idil Mahadi completing the scorers.
Race 1 Podium – Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Round 3 Sepang
Asia Talent Cup Race 1 Results
Sho Nishimura 18’42.072
Afridza Munandar +0.060
Takuma Matsuyama +0.289
Warit Thongnoppakun +0.544
Shoki Igarashi +0.962
Adenanta Putra +5.506
Syarifuddin Azman +5.552
Herjun Firdaus +5.789
Hildhan Kusuma +5.928
Piyawat Patoomyos +6.159
Tatchakorn Buasri +6.247
Abdul Mutaqim +6.376
Harrison Voight +8.161
Ryosuke Bando +15.990
Muhammad Idil Fitri Bin Mahadi +19.981
Luke Power +23.609
Rei Wakamatsu +23.858
Jacob Roulstone +23.828
Kadir Erbay +51.360
Asia Talent Cup Race 2
Afridza Munandar took a commending second win of the season at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, staying clear of a chaotic fight at the front in the final laps to take home 25 points and take over second in the standings. Compatriot Adenanta Putra followed him home, with Thai rider Warit Thongnoppakun taking his second rostrum of the finish in third after escaping some final corner drama.
Race 2 Start – Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Round 3 Sepang
Sho Nishimura took the holeshot from pole, but Takuma Matsuyama was quick to attack back and the two headed up a five-rider fight at the front, with Thongnoppakun, Shoki Igarashi and Adenanta Putra in the mix. There was a small gap back to Tatchakorn Buasri on the chase, and eventual winner Afridza Munandar was soon challenging too.
Afridza Munandar – Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Round 3 Sepang
With Matsuyama streaking away at the front, it was Munandar who sliced through to start reeling the number 11 in with a show of intent and he did just that; the freight train at the front then appearing again and 12 riders within 1.8 seconds.
With eight laps to go, big drama hit for Matsuyama. Running off and then making contact with another rider on track, the number 11 fell from the front fight and the initial pacesetter was out. That left Munandar in the lead at the front of the group, with Nishimura in second and home hero Syarifuddin Azman having sliced through into third.
Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Round 3 Sepang
As the group kept chopping and changing and the laps ticked down, however, it was Thongnoppakun who managed to escape the melee to stay with Munandar and the duo began to pull away. Heading onto the final lap, the Indonesian had half a second in his pocket and that would prove a crucial gap.
Although those behind managed to close in, no one could attack Munandar into the final corner – and the final corner was where the attack happened. Azman, gunning for a home podium, tried a move on Nishimura but the Malaysian tagged the back of the Japanese rider, taking them both down and out of podium contention.
Munandar crossed the line in clear air, Thongnoppakun was able to avoid the drama and, despite losing time, made his way back on track to gun it to the line – but he was beaten to it as Adenanta Putra pipped him to the post, the podium decided in dramatic fashion.
Harrison Voight – Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Round 3 Sepang
Harrison Voight took his best finish yet in fourth after a good weekend for the Australian, ahead of Hildhan Kusuma who completed the top five. Tatchakorn Buasri took P6 ahead of Piyawat Patoomyos, with Abdul Mutaqim crossing the line in eighth.
Jacob Roulstone headed the next group and beat home hero Idil Mahadi to ninth, with Luke Power, Rei Wakamatsu, Kadir Erbay and wildcard Shinji Ogo completing the finishers. Igarashi and Herjun Firdaus suffered DNFs.
Jacob Roulstone – Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Round 3 Sepang
It’s a long wait for the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup until the next round alongside MotoGP at Buriram now, but it’s still Sho Nishimura who leads the way despite Day 2 at Sepang not going his way. Who will be strongest when the field return to the fray? Find out in October.
Race 2 Podium – Asia Talent Cup 2019 – Round 3 Sepang
The final day of the three-day 2019 MotoGP pre-season test at Sepang is hotting up with with times now tumbling and a new outright (unofficial) fastest ever motorcycle lap of the Malaysian circuit by Danilo Petrucci.
He is not the only one under previous benchmarks though as it is a Ducati 1-2-3-4 at the top of the timesheets with five hours still remaining.
Danilo Petrucci
Incredibly, rookie rider and Moto2 World Champion Francesco Bagnaia, onboard the satellite Alma Pramac Racing Ducati is currently second on the timesheets.
Pecco Bagnaia
Jack Miller is currently third ahead of Andrea Dovizioso while day two dominator Maverick Vinales is fifth ahead of Cal Crutchlow.
MotoGP Sepang Test Day 3 Time.
1
9
D. PETRUCCI
1:58.239
2
63
F. BAGNAIA
+0.063
3
43
J. MILLER
+0.127
4
4
A. DOVIZIOSO
+0.299
5
12
M. VIÑALES
+0.405
6
35
C. CRUTCHLOW
+0.541
7
41
A. ESPARGARO
+0.783
8
21
F. MORBIDELLI
+0.902
9
30
T. NAKAGAMI
+0.909
10
46
V. ROSSI
+0.916
There is still 5 hours remaining for today’s testing so we may see times drop further. We’ll have the complete times for the day published later on so stay tuned.
“It was a hard race, first of all because I was starting from seventh place. I didn’t get a perfect start, and then my first lap was good but not one of the best of my career. Step by step, I overtook some riders and got to second place. I saw that Valentino was pushing and I started to chase him, lapping at qualifying pace! But in the process, I overheated the rear tyre; the front was also warming up quickly and the feeling wasn’t good. So for a few laps, I just tried to cool down and in so doing I began to feel better and better. I saw I was getting closer to Valentino and honestly that gave me extra motivation. At that moment, it was just a matter of instinct and pushing, something that you can do when you’ve already got the Championship. Unfortunately, he made a little mistake in turn one, which is a shame as it would have been nice to see how the duel would have ended. Anyway, when I saw him crash, I just cooled down and focused on finishing the race. We won, and that was the best way to seal the Constructors Championship. I would also like to congratulate Jorge Martin and “Pecco” Bagnaia for taking Championships. We’ll celebrate together in Valencia.”
Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda celebrate the win and the constructor’s championship
Alex Rins – P2
“I feel very happy because our race pace was strong and I was able to close the gaps to the other riders and pass them during the race. I still had very good pace even in the last few laps because I was able to manage the tyres well, but I lost time earlier in the race so that made it more difficult. We’re working really hard and we have found important things and learned more for next year. I’m very excited to go to Valencia, especially as we are feeling very strong with the bike now, and Suzuki deserve to end the season on a high.”
Alex Rins
Johann Zarco – P3
“I’m pretty happy, it was a fantastic race! But also difficult like usually in Malaysia. I was tired at the end, but the energy is coming back already. I think the key for that podium was the beginning of the race. I was thinking about overtaking Valentino (Rossi), but he was fast and it was good to be behind him. I could go away, but did a little mistake, when Marc overtook me. I tried to stay behind Marc, had a little gap, but was able to keep a good pace and then Valentino crashed, so I was second. I thought I can control, but four laps to the end Alex (Rins) was faster than me. Even if I was controlling the race well, when I tried to push a little bit more on the last laps, but I just got three tenths faster, which was not fast enough to keep the gap. He overtook me on the last lap. I tried to fight again, but I didn’t have any rear grip anymore. Anyway, the third place is a good finish.”
Johann Zarco
Maverick Vinales – P4
“I already said yesterday that we lost the race in qualifying. This morning I went out in the wet again and I finished first. Everything in MotoGP is so close now, so you have to start at the front. The tyre wear also gets worse when you’re fighting your way up from the back, you destroy the tyres. I was close to the podium, but with four laps to go the tyre dropped a lot and I couldn’t do anything about it. The team worked very well this weekend, they provided me with a really good bike. I think that, if I had started from the front, I would have been fighting for the race. I’m actually really happy that at three different tracks I was in contention to win. I think there are still many things that we can improve on, but things are better compared to before, and now I can be more consistent. I think Valencia will be a good track for us, I really like the track, it’s good for my riding style, so let’s see.”
Maverick Vinales
Dani Pedrosa- P5
“Today I focused a lot on the start because I was very far back on the grid. The start itself wasn’t perfect, but then I was able to recover a few places in the first corner. Unfortunately, I lost some ground with Dovi and Marc just a couple of turns later. Anyway, the feeling at the beginning of the race was good enough and I was able to stay there close to the front. On the other hand, toward the end I began struggling with grip again and I was passed by Rins and Viñales. All in all it was a little bit better race than usual. I would like to congratulate Martin for his title. He was able to overcome some difficulties this year, an injury and other issues, and he had a strong race today. He totally deserves this result.”
2018 Malaysian MotoGP
Andrea Dovizioso – P6
“I have to admit that today I’m disappointed because I wasn’t able to do the race I expected and suffered a lot with a lack of grip. As I said on Thursday, I had hoped for a dry race because we have always gone well in testing and practice in these conditions, but today I really struggled a lot and now we have to understand exactly what happened. In the end, thanks to Rossi’s error, we succeeded in taking home second place overall both in the Riders’ and Constructors’ standings, and I’m happy with this result even though this year we weren’t really able to oppose Marquez. I wish to thank the team because we have managed to do a great job, especially from mid-season onwards, but it’s not enough and we will still have to continue to work with commitment.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Álvaro Bautista – P7
“I struggled quite a lot with rear grip, I was losing a lot of traction on the exits of the corners and the bike was sliding around and running wide. I was quite limited with what I could do but I gave the maximum I could. We have finished as the second Ducati, four seconds behind Dovizioso on the factory bike, which I think is a good result and it keeps up my recent run of top ten finishes. It has been a good spell for us here in Asia.”
Álvaro Bautista
Jack Miller – P8
“We chose to use the medium tyre at the rear to try to do something different than the others. But we didn’t get the results we hoped for. From the beginning, I felt a lot of vibrations that didn’t allow me to have a competitive race pace. Honestly I expected more from this race”.
Jack Miller
Danilo Petrucci – P9
“I’m not happy with the way things went today. We had a good pace throughout the weekend but today I couldn’t manage the tyres and I struggled since the start. I tried to do my best but the temperature didn’t help. Conditions will be different at Valencia and I hope to get a good result to finish the season”.
Danilo Petrucci
Hafizh Syahrin – P10
“It’s just unbelievable! First of all, I want to say thank you very much to my team, because they always believe in me and give me great motivation. Yesterday has been a disaster for us, but we made up for it. In the starting grid, I saw my father and was just emotional and had to hug him. I want to thank everybody that came here. To arrive in the top 10 for my home GP was my target, but to be honest, I didn’t believe it was possible. But in the end, we did it, which is incredible. I want to thank everybody; I love my family and my fans. I’m so happy!”
Hafizh Syahrin
Aleix Espargaro’ – P11
“This was certainly one of the three most physically demanding races of my entire career. I started very badly and lost a lot of positions on the first turn, so I had to make up ground. After a few passes, a gap formed behind my brother, Pol. I managed to overtake him after a good battle. At that point, I was making up ground on the tenth place rider, but there were only a few laps left. Today’s result is positive, but we want to do more and we know we can, so we need to keep working and preparing our 2019 season as best we can.”
Aleix Espargaro’
Franco Morbidelli – P12
“I am happy with this result, it was a nice recovery to gain so many positions after starting from 19th on the grid. I am very satisfied with the work the team did this weekend and now I am really looking forward to the final race in Valencia.”
Malaysian MotoGP
Stefan Bradl – P13
“I’m happy, we finished in the points and that was my target. Of course, it was a tough race as I’d not ridden the bike in almost two months and then I arrived here in Malaysia and the conditions were unbelievably hot. Also the weather was inconsistent, so overall I think we did a good job and I’m happy with the team because they helped me a lot. As soon as I started with them this weekend it felt like I was back home, so I have to thank Lucio (Cecchinello) and the guys in the garage who did an incredible job. A big thanks to HRC as well as they built up a test schedule this year which allowed me this opportunity. Also I want to wish Cal (Crutchlow) a speedy recovery, I hope he’s recovering well and can come back as strong as he was before.”
Malaysian MotoGP
Takaaki Nakagami – P14
“The race was a bit of a struggle. The track temperature was quite good, although the condition wasn’t perfect. We chose a medium tyre for the front and a soft for the rear and I think that was the correct choice for us. But we couldn’t find the same kind of performance as in FP3 when we had a strong pace, around 2’01 laps. I wasn’t able to do that in the race and for me it was difficult to find the rear grip. The team did a great job all weekend and hopefully we can get our best result of the season in the last race in Valencia.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Bradley Smith – P15
“We were lacking performance all race with some technical issues which meant I couldn’t set my normal lap-times. I could still finish the race and took a point, which was a positive and there are just five points between Pol and me going into the last race. Five points is difficult to gain but it is still fun to be going into that situation. We worked well all weekend and the guys clearly know what they need to do and what they need to fix. I’m quite excited about Valencia. It will be my last Grand Prix and it is a track I enjoy. We’ll go there optimistic and keen to finish this chapter with KTM in a positive way.”
Bradley Smith
Tom Luthi – P16
“It was a hot race and I was struggling a little for the first two laps with rear edge grip and I nearly went down at the final corner. But then I found a good pace and felt good on the bike but later I struggled again with rear grip and I lost time which cost me a chance of some points. I was very close and so a pity that again I am in sixteenth place.”
2018 Malaysian MotoGP
Xavier Simeon – P17
“I knew that it would be a difficult race in dry conditions. Even though my start was better than in Australia, it still wasn’t good and I lost all the advantage I had with my starting position. But all in all, I am still satisfied with the outcome of the race, because I hadn’t felt comfortable in dry conditions before and in the race, my pace has been quite consistent and similar to the riders that finished close to the Top 10. Considering this, I am a little frustrated, because I did most of the things right to achieve another place within the point rankings, but I still struggle to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. In MotoGP, everything needs to be perfect and little details can make all the difference. Apart from that, the team has done a great job once again and I reduced the gap to the front runners a lot. In fact, I didn’t expect to be that close. Now we have to wait and see what will happen at Valencia. I hope Tito can ride again and for myself, I hope to enjoy my last race in MotoGP with the team.”
Xavier Simeon
Valentino Rossi – P18
“It was a great shame because this was my best race of the season. I felt comfortable, I had a good pace, I pushed, and I had the chance to win, but unfortunately with four or five laps to go I fell – I don’t understand what happened. I made a mistake, because I crashed. It’s such a pity, but it still remains a good weekend, because we improved the setting of the bike. I think we have to do some more work, but it looks like we were able to use the bike in a better way in the last few races. This is good, but we have to see if we’re also strong in Valencia. It’s a difficult track for us in general, but we have to try.”
Valentino Rossi
Scott Redding – P19
“Unfortunately, my race today ended after six laps. We had problems with grip throughout the weekend and as soon as the tyres began to wear a bit, it was impossible for me to push. Riding very aggressively, the improvement in times was minimum, so I was forced to set my sights on just finishing the race.”
2018 Malaysian MotoGP
Michele Pirro – DNF
“The fact that I only did one session on a dry track, with the race today being dry, for sure put me at a bit of a disadvantage. I started quite well and bit by bit was making up places when I lost the front at the last corner, probably because I pushed a bit too hard, and I crashed. I didn’t expect that to happen because I was trying to do a consistent race. I’m sorry for the team, and it’s a pity to finish the race in this way, because I could have got into the top 10 and instead I wasn’t able to bring home any points for the team.”
Michele Pirro
Andrea Iannone – DNF
“I’m a bit disappointed because we had the chance to take another podium, but I don’t want to focus on what happened today. I always try to think positively, and the good things are that I had strong pace and I had a really good feeling with the bike after the team and I worked hard together. So I’ll just remain focused on the last race of the season and I will give my all to have a good result there.”
Andrea Iannone
Pol Espargaro – DNF
“I was losing power while I was eleventh and we don’t know at the moment what the problem was, the guys are checking. It has been a tough couple of weeks: we didn’t have a good feeling in Japan and in Australia we were fast but the tyre blew and now we’ve had this issue. It has a been a tough end to the season but we’ll go to Valencia looking to finish things in a good way before we already think about 2019.”
Pol Espargaro
Karel Abraham – DNF
“It is incredible how much bad luck we have had this weekend. We had a technical problem on the first day, I had a crash as soon as it started raining yesterday and that left me in pain for today, when we had an electronic problem that shut the bike down and wouldn’t restart. I was feeling better this morning and I was close to the top ten in warm-up. I didn’t get a great start in the race but I had passed a couple of riders and was closing on Nakagami, who ended up fourteenth, when the bike stopped. We will work out the problem but I am disappointed because I think we could have repeated the performance from Japan and picked up some points, but unfortunately we go home with nothing.”
Karel Abraham
Team Managers
Herve Poncharal – Tech3 Yamaha Team Manager
“What an unbelievable day today here in Sepang Malaysia. I think the race direction took the right decision to move everything forward two hours. We had great sunshine, a beautiful race and regarding Monster Yamaha Tech3, I’m very proud. For Johann, after getting that great pole position last night, he got a great start, put his head down, followed Valentino (Rossi) for quite a few laps, then Marc (Marquez) came into that group and this trio has been almost leading the race for two thirds, then Johann dropped a little bit, but he was always in contention for that so dearly awaited podium, where we haven’t been since Jerez. I feel very sorry for Valentino, but he crashed, although I think he was doing a great race. At that moment we thought, the podium is almost in the bag and second position was quite easy and then we saw Rins coming from nowhere, doing incredible lap times. Congratulations to him. He passed us, but we are anyway very happy with the podium, a really strong weekend. It was a tough day today with the heat, with managing the body for the riders and also the tyres, so this is great. We are now leading the independent riders’ championship, which is the main target for us now – in fifth, joint with Alex Rins, so Valencia is going to be something to challenge for us. But of course, this is only one part of the garage. On the other side, I was feeling very sorry last night after Qualifying for Hafizh, because I know how important this Malaysian Grand Prix was for him. I know the effort he put in to reach MotoGP and finally for his first home GP he was so disappointed, so sad. I tried to cheer him up this morning, I tried to cheer him up on the grid and – I don’t know if there is a link in between what I told him and what he did, but the start was unreal. Maybe one of the best starts I’ve ever seen, at least this season and from that moment he was fighting with Miller, Petrucci and even Viñales at some stage. He finished the race in 10thposition, which is a dream for us and for him and I’m so happy, because Hafizh is not only an incredible team player, but he is a charming young man and he is the best ambassador Malaysia could have in MotoGP. I could feel how disappointed he was to see all the people coming to support him and him not delivering. Finally he did deliver and this is the cherry on the cake. We are going to fly back home after five weeks on the road, but we go home happy, positive in mind and ready to challenge what we have to do in Valencia.”
Johann Zarco
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director
“For sure this is not the ending we had hoped for this weekend. The final results don‘t do justice to the pace of our riders, because they both had really strong form this weekend. Maverick had to start from the fourth row and make up a lot of ground. If he had started a bit more towards the front, he would have been a top contender today, because his pace matched Vale‘s. Valentino did exactly what he needed to do at the start. He was leading the race perfectly, so it‘s a great shame it ended the way it did. Nevertheless, we can take some positives from these last three races, as we made a step with the bike and were consistent in our performance. Today we were competitive at a circuit that doesn‘t necessarily play to our bike‘s strengths. So, with that in mind, we head to Valencia eager to fight at the front again during the season finale.”
Valentino Rossi
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“Finally everything was OK and we did a good job. Today is a bitter sweet feeling because both riders had great pace but sadly Andrea couldn’t finish the race – I’m sure he would’ve also fought for the podium. But Alex managed to achieve 2nd and we’re so happy because it’s our third consecutive podium and we’ve had two second places in a row. I really want to thank everyone involved in this project, this season has been so positive. In the final race we hope to achieve that one thing we’ve been missing…”
Alex Rins and Team Suzuki celebrate
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“Of course we’re very happy! We took another podium, our eighth of the season! It’s great that our riders have had four podiums each, it’s good news for us and for all of Suzuki. I want to congratulate Alex for keeping his head down and fighting until the end to take 2nd position, it was excellent. I’m very sorry for Andrea because he could’ve been fighting for the podium too but he incurred in a very unlucky crash. I would like to say a big thank you to all the Team staff that are working very hard on improving our level and of course to all the Japanese guys back in the factory. We are living a positive moment and now we look forward to the last race of the year!”
Alex Rins and Team Suzuki celebrate
Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager
“Disappointing today. Pol had good pace in the middle of the race and was going for tenth place but then we had a technical problem and we are still looking into the cause. Bradley got one point and while we cannot be happy with that we know that he gave his best. We’ll keep our motivation up for Valencia and look towards our next chapter in 2019. I think moments like these and the difficult first seasons are part of the learning process; it is a challenge, and we chose to be here. In Moto2 and Moto3 we were fighting until the end for the titles but it didn’t happen and we’ll look at things this winter and see what we can do better for next year.”
Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith
Piero Taramasso – Michelin
“This has been another Grand Prix where we have seen the tyres tested to extremes. The weekend began with lower temperatures than expected for Sepang on Friday – although still quite high – and the tyres performed really well and some very fast lap-times were set. This continued on Saturday morning and it looked like we were in a position to break the outright record in qualifying, but then it rained very heavily. This meant the MICHELIN Power Rain tyres were used in anger for one of the few times this year and again they gave excellent results in the difficult conditions. The times were quick and the grip was really good and it produced an exciting qualifying. Today then saw temperatures rise to more than we had seen all weekend and with the information the teams had and with the assistance from their respective technicians, the best tyres were chosen. This produced a fast race which saw us break the duration record, this is one of the most important time benchmarks for us, as it shows the durability and consistency over race distance. There were also three different manufacturers on the podium, which is again a very important marker for Michelin, as it shows performance for all types of bikes. This has been a long trip, but we have had some very good results, learned a lot about the overall performance of the slick and wet tyres and the different compounds in many changeable conditions. We now head back to Europe for the final round and then get ready to start testing for 2019.”
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) claimed his 70th career win after taking victory at the Shell Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. The 2018 Champion looked set to lock horns with nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) in the final stages, but the race would end in disaster for ‘The Doctor’ as he crashed out with four to go.
Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda celebrate the win and the constructor’s championship
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) completed the podium at Sepang International Circuit, the latter from pole, and home hero Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) stormed from the back of the grid to the top ten in a race to remember in Malaysia.
2018 Malaysian MotoGP
When the lights went out it was Rossi who got a stellar launch from P2, with pole man Zarco slightly sluggish off the line and ‘The Doctor’ getting a comfortable holeshot ahead of the the Frenchman, who managed to brake late to slot into P2. Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) was able to leapfrog Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) into P3 at the start, with Marquez making up one position into P6.
2018 Malaysian MotoGP
The premier class riders then settled, but this came after Marquez and teammate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) exchanged paint on the opening lap. The 2018 Champion would soon start to make his way forward though, despite a hairy last corner moment at the end of the opening lap that led to Iannone crashing out directly behind the seven-time Champion.
2018 Malaysian MotoGP
Back at the front, Rossi and Zarco were off as Yamaha had a 1-2 in the opening exchanges, but Marquez hunted them down after making his way past Miller. The Honda rider was on the exhaust of Zarco’s M1 machine and soon enough he managed to slice his way through. Turn 14 was the chosen destination after a slight error from the number 5 machine, with arch-rival Rossi now in his sights. But the number 46 was in an excellent rhythm at the front as the gap between the duo hovered at 3/4s of a second, with Zarco beginning to lose touch at the halfway stage of the race as Rossi continued to press on. 1.1 seconds was the gap to Marquez as 10 laps ticked over at Sepang.
2018 Malaysian MotoGP
With eight to go, Rossi was still pumping in the lap times to keep the gap above a second to Marquez, with Zarco now over three seconds behind his fellow Yamaha rider. However, the gap then dipped below the one-second barrier with seven to go and the seven-time Champion was hunting down the nine-time Champion. As ever, Marquez was pushing the limit and there was a slight scare for the number 93 at Turn 5; a ‘mini Marquez moment’, let’s say.
Valentino Rossi
With five to go at Sepang, the gap was just 0.7, as we set ourselves for a grandstand finish between two of the sport’s all-time greats. But then, disaster struck ‘The Doctor’. A return to victory after 26 races went begging as he lost the front of his YZR-M1 at Turn 1 with four laps to go and he picked up his stricken Yamaha in front of the Rossi grandstand, leaving Marquez with a lonely ride home to the win. The result also sealed the Constructors’ crown for Honda, adding yet more to celebrate for the number 93 and his factory.
Marc Marquez
The battle for P2 and P3 between Zarco and Rins was far from finished, however. As the last lap began, Zarco led but Rins was soon past, with the Frenchman having no answer for the Suzuki and the Spaniard crossing the line to take his fourth podium of the season. Zarco took his first since Jerez in third, not able to quite strike back but completing a top weekend for both.
Sepang MotoGP Race Results 1 – Marc Marquez (SPA) HONDA 40’32.372 2 – Alex Rins (SPA) SUZUKI +1.898 3 – Johann Zarco (FRA) YAMAHA +2.474
After a less than impressive start, Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) recovered to string together a strong latter half of the Grand Prix to finish P4, with Pedrosa crossing the line P5 on his final racing visit to the Sepang International Circuit. It was a subdued race for one of the pre-race favourites Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), however, as the winner here for the last two seasons couldn’t replicate those results and took P6. After Rossi’s crash though, the Italian has sealed P2 in the Championship.
Andrea Dovizioso
Angel Nieto Team’s Alvaro Bautista was P7 in his penultimate MotoGP race and he led fellow Desmosedici rider Miller as the Australian slipped down to P8 after a good start. P9 was his teammate Danilo Petrucci, but arguably ride of the day went to a certain Malaysian: Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3).
Hafizh Syahrin
Starting P23, the home hero was able to get a stunning start as he got himself up to P12 on the opening lap, eventually claiming P10 to close Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) down in the battle for ‘Rookie of the Year’. Emotional before and after the race, it was the first time a Malaysian had ever competed in the premier class and Syahrin marked the occasion in style – even heading out onto the main straight to throw his gloves into a deservedly adoring crowd.
Morbidelli took P12 to limit some of that damage in the standings and remains ahead, just behind Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). LCR Honda Castrol replacement rider Stefan Bradl claimed P13 and points, the German finishing just ahead of teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), with Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the points.
A scorching encounter in Sepang ends with Marquez on top once more, with Rossi left to ponder on what could have been. Valencia in a couple of weeks’ time brings to 2018 Championship to a close.
2018 MotoGP Sepang Results
Pos
Rider
Team
Laps
1.
Marquez M.
Repsol Honda
40:32.372
2.
Rins A.
Team Suzuki Ecstar
+1.898
3.
Zarco J.
Monster Tech 3
+2.474
4.
Vinales M.
Movistar Yamaha
+4.667
5.
Pedrosa D.
Repsol Honda
+6.190
6.
Dovizioso A.
Ducati Team
+11.248
7.
Bautista A.
Angel Nieto Team
+15.611
8.
Miller J.
Alma Pramac Racing
+19.009
9.
Petrucci D.
Alma Pramac Racing
+22.921
10.
Syahrin H.
Monster Tech 3
+26.919
11.
Espargaro A.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
+29.503
12.
Morbidelli F.
Marc VDS Racing Team
+30.933
13.
Bradl S.
LCR Honda
+35.322
14.
Nakagami T.
LCR Honda
+37.912
15.
Smith B.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
+39.675
16.
Luthi T.
Marc VDS Racing Team
+41.820
17.
Simeon X.
Reale Avintia Racing
+43.978
18.
Rossi V.
Movistar Yamaha
+58.288
19.
Redding S.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
+1:00.191
DNF
Espargaro P.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Retired
DNF
Pirro M.
Ducati Team
Accident
DNF
Abraham K.
Angel Nieto Team
Retired
DNF
Iannone A.
Team Suzuki Ecstar
Accident
Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda celebrate the win and the constructor’s championship
2018 MotoGP Sepang Standings
Pos
Rider
Team
Points
1.
Marquez Marc
Repsol Honda Team
321
2.
Dovizioso Andrea
Ducati Team
220
3.
Rossi Valentino
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP
195
4.
Vinales Maverick
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP
193
5.
Rins Alex
Team Suzuki Ecstar
149
6.
Zarco Johann
Monster Yamaha Tech 3
149
7.
Crutchlow Cal
LCR Honda
148
8.
Petrucci Danilo
Alma Pramac Racing
144
9.
Iannone Andrea
Team Suzuki Ecstar
133
10.
Lorenzo Jorge
Ducati Team
130
11.
Pedrosa Dani
Repsol Honda Team
106
12.
Bautista Alvaro
Angel Nieto Team
105
13.
Miller Jack
Alma Pramac Racing
91
14.
Morbidelli Franco
Marc VDS Racing Team
50
15.
Espargaro Aleix
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
44
16.
Syahrin Hafizh
Monster Yamaha Tech 3
40
17.
Rabat Tito
Reale Avintia Racing
35
18.
Espargaro Pol
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
35
19.
Smith Bradley
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
30
20.
Nakagami Takaaki
LCR Honda
23
21.
Redding Scott
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
15
22.
Abraham Karel
Angel Nieto Team
10
23.
Kallio Mika
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
6
24.
Bradl Stefan
Honda Racing Corporation
3
25.
Nakasuga Katsuyuki
Yamaha Factory Team
2
26.
Simeon Xavier
Reale Avintia Racing
1
27.
Pirro Michele
Ducati Team
1
28.
Luthi Thomas
Marc VDS Racing Team
0
29.
Torres Jordi
MV Agusta Reparto Corse
0
30.
Jones Mike
Reale Avintia Racing
0
31.
Guintoli Sylvain
Pata Yamaha Official WSBK Team
0
32.
Ponsson Christophe
Ponsson C.
0
Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda celebrate the win and the constructor’s championship
MotoGP Team Standings
Pos
Team
Points
1.
Repsol Honda Team
427
2.
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP
388
3.
Ducati Team
363
4.
Suzuki MotoGP
282
5.
Alma Pramac Racing
235
6.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3
189
7.
LCR Honda
174
8.
Angel Nieto Team
102
9.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
65
10.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
59
11.
Estrella Galicia 0,0
50
12.
Reale Avintia Racing
36
Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) clinched the 2018 Moto2 World Championship at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix after finishing P3 at Sepang, with title rival Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) just up the road in second. Bagnaia’s teammate Luca Marini made it an even more memorable day for Sky Racing Team VR46 as he secured his maiden Grand Prix victory in style after coming so close on a number of occasions.
As the lights went out, both of the Championship rivals got off to a flyer but it was Marini who led coming out of Turn 1 after a messy opening corner for his fellow front row starters; Fabio Quartararo (MB Conveyors – Speed Up) and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) both running in hot. This allowed Bagnaia and Oliveira to slip through up the inside to get into P2 and P3; pretty much the perfect getaway for ‘Pecco’, who slotted in behind teammate Marini.
Marini then got himself into a rhythm at the front, with Bagnaia and Oliveira battling away for P2 – the title firmly in Bagnaia’s hands at this early stage of the race, even with Oliveira making a pass stick at Turn 4 with 12 laps to go. The Portuguese rider then locked his radar on race leader Marini, who now had a one second lead, with Bagnaia starting to slip into the clutches of compatriot Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team). Polesitter Marquez and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) were also in hot pursuit of the Championship leader.
Oliveira had reeled in Marini 11 laps remaining, with a win for the KTM rider enough to take the title chase down to Valencia if Bagnaia dropped below the podium positions. With six to go, it seemed the battle for the win was between Marini and Oliveira, with both Baldassarri and Marquez losing touch in the fight for the final podium spot – and Pasini still 0.4 behind countryman Bagnaia.
In sweltering Sepang conditions, Marini was being made to sweat by Oliveira as the continued to look strong for a first Grand Prix win. But the Italian was on rails as he soaked up the pressure from the KTM behind and with two to go, a 0.7 gap had appeared. Going into the final lap, Marini had the biggest lead he’d had for a while, with Bagnaia sitting comfortably in a Championship clinching P3 – and with over a second cushion back to Pasini.
As the chequered flag was waved it was double delight for Sky Racing Team VR46 as Marini took a magnificent maiden Grand Prix victory, with Bagnaia coming home third to seal the 2018 Moto2 World Championship. Oliveira didn’t go down without a fight as he took P2 at the Sepang International Circuit – and his 11th podium of the season, but it wasn’t quite enough.
Pasini crossed the line in P4, with Quartararo rounding out the top five after getting the better of sixth place Baldassarri and seventh place Marquez in the latter stages. Australian GP winner Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took P8 in Malaysia after struggling with grip, with Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) rounding out the top ten in P9 and P10 respectively.
Remy Gardner looked set for a top six finished until a crash with thirteen laps to go.
Remy Gardner
“I was really pushing but just didn’t have the grip and was sliding all over from the very first corners. Marquez made a clean pass but it put me onto the dirty part of the track and I tucked the front. Another unlucky incident but I’m proving that I have the speed to race with the top guys which is encouraging for the final race and for next year. I can take the positives from the weekend after qualifying fourth. Big thanks to all the tweets and support from everyone around the globe. See you in Spain!”
Remy Gardner #87
Just like the lightweight class, the 2018 intermediate class crown was decided in Malaysia and it went the way of ‘Pecco’. A stunning season for the Italian, with teammate Marini continuing his fantastic 2018.
2018 Moto2 Sepang Results
Pos
Rider
Team
Time
1.
Marini L.
Sky Racing Team VR46
38:25.689
2.
Oliveira M.
Red Bull KTM Ajo
+1.194
3.
Bagnaia F.
Sky Racing Team VR46
+3.020
4.
Pasini M.
Italtrans Racing Team
+4.497
5.
Quartararo F.
Beta Tools-Speed Up Racing
+5.250
6.
Baldassarri L.
Pons HP40
+5.305
7.
Marquez A.
Estrella Galicia Marc VDS
+7.690
8.
Binder B.
Red Bull KTM Ajo
+8.943
9.
Schrotter M.
Dynavolt Intact GP
+9.687
10.
Mir J.
Estrella Galicia Marc VDS
+18.547
11.
Vierge X.
Dynavolt Intact GP
+18.816
12.
Locatelli A.
Italtrans Racing Team
+19.739
13.
Navarro J.
Federal Oil Gresini
+21.177
14.
Aegerter D.
Kiefer Racing
+21.960
15.
Lowes S.
SWI
+26.875
16.
Corsi S.
Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2
+28.515
17.
Pawi K. I.
Idemitsu Honda Team Asia
+28.802
18.
Roberts J.
NTS RW Racing GP
+29.791
19.
Raffin J.
Garage Plus Interwetten
+30.557
20.
Pons E.
Pons HP40
+31.069
21.
Odendaal S.
NTS RW Racing GP
+38.430
22.
Danilo J.
SAG Team
+42.930
23.
Pratama D. E.
Federal Oil Gresini
+57.507
24.
Vinales I.
Forward Racing Team
+57.910
25.
Fuligni F.
Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2
+1:03.737
26.
Sucipto R. T.
QMMF Racing Team
+2:04.066
DNF
Fernandez A.
Pons HP40
Accident
DNF
Tuuli N.
SIC Racing Team
Accident
DNF
Nagashima T.
Idemitsu Honda Team Asia
Retired
DNF
Gardner R.
Tech 3 Racing
Retired
DNF
Cardelus X.
Team Stylobike
Retired
DNF
Lecuona I.
SWI
Retired
Francesco Bagnaia
Moto2 Championship Standings
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
1.
Bagnaia Francesco
Sky Racing Team VR46
304
2.
Oliveira Miguel
Red Bull KTM Ajo
272
3.
Binder Brad
Red Bull KTM Ajo
201
4.
Baldassarri Lorenzo
Pons HP40
162
5.
Marquez Alex
Estrella Galicia Marc VDS Team Moto2
157
6.
Mir Joan
Estrella Galicia Marc VDS Team Moto2
155
7.
Marini Luca
Sky Racing Team VR46
147
8.
Schrotter Marcel
Dynavolt Intact GP
138
9.
Vierge Xavi
Dynavolt Intact GP
131
10.
Quartararo Fabio
Beta Tools-Speed Up Racing
128
11.
Pasini Mattia
Italtrans Racing Team
128
12.
Lecuona Iker
Swiss Innovative Investors
60
13.
Navarro Jorge
Federal Oil Gresini Moto2
58
14.
Lowes Sam
Swiss Innovative Investors
49
15.
Corsi Simone
Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2
47
16.
Locatelli Andrea
Italtrans Racing Team
45
17.
Aegerter Dominique
Kiefer Racing
42
18.
Fernandez Augusto
Pons HP40
37
19.
Gardner Remy
Tech 3 Racing
29
20.
Nagashima Tetsuta
Idemitsu Honda Team Asia
23
21.
Fenati Romano
Marinelli Snipers Team
14
22.
Barbera Hector
Pons HP40
10
23.
Raffin Jesko
Garage Plus Interwetten
9
24.
Manzi Stefano
Forward Racing Team
8
25.
Kent Danny
Beta Tools-Speed Up Racing
8
26.
Vinales Isaac
Forward Racing Team
7
27.
Roberts Joe
NTS RW Racing GP
5
28.
Bendsneyder Bo
Tech 3 Racing
2
29.
Pawi Khairul Idham
Idemitsu Honda Team Asia
1
30.
Pons Edgar
Pons HP40
1
31.
Odendaal Steven
NTS RW Racing GP
1
32.
Tuuli Niki
SIC Racing Team
1
33.
Warokorn Thitipong
APH PTT The Pizza SAG
0
34.
Granado Eric
Forward Racing Team
0
35.
Danilo Jules
SAG Team
0
36.
Garzo Hector
Garzo H.
0
37.
Tulovic Lukas
Kiefer Racing
0
38.
Fuligni Federico
Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2
0
39.
Staring Bryan
Go & Fun Honda Gresini
0
40.
Cardelus Xavi
Team Stylobike
0
41.
Pratama Dimas Ekky
Federal Oil Gresini Moto2
0
42.
Medina Alejandro
SAG Team
0
43.
Morais Sheridan
Willirace Racing Team
0
44.
Perolari Corentin
Promoto Sport
0
45.
Khairuddin Zulfahmi
SIC Racing Team
0
46.
Sucipto Rafid Topan
QMMF Racing Team
0
47.
Tangre Cedric
Yohan Moto Sport
0
Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) was crowned the Moto3 World Champion at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix after claiming a stunning Sepang International Circuit victory, with main Championship rival Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) slipping down to P5 on the final lap to hand the title to the Spaniard. Leopard Racing teammates Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Enea Bastianini completed the podium after another hard-fought contest in Malaysia.
It was Martin who got the best launch off the line from pole position but with a long run down into Turn 1, Bezzecchi was able to get in his slipstream and brake later to get the holeshot. A tentative lap followed for the Spaniard, who dropped down to P5 by the end of the first lap and at the end of Lap 2, the Championship leader was P8. Bezzecchi, meanwhile, was heading the pack…
The latter then lost the lead of the race at the start of Lap 4, with fellow KTM rider Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) getting aggressive heading into Turn 1, forcing Bezzecchi out wide and dropping him to sixth, just ahead of Martin. Meanwhile, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) had got past his teammate as the duo battled for P8 – and Martin dropped to P10 at the end of Lap 5.
You could cut the tension with a knife and on Lap 6 there was a nerve-wracking moment between Bezzecchi and fellow Italian Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) as they came together on the exit of Turn 6, both – thankfully – staying upright. Then, with 10 laps to go, Martin started to make progress and at the final corner, a phenomenal late lunge underneath race leader Bezzecchi from P6 almost paid off. The slipstream down the straight, though, did pay off as Martin took the lead of the race. Was this his time to pull the pin?
The answer was yes, but he couldn’t break away. Bezzecchi was back through with nine to go at the final corner and then, with eight laps to go, contact between the two main title leaders at Turn 1. Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) then took the baton and started to create a gap but suddenly, at Turn 1, the Spaniard tucked the front and crashed out of contention – rider ok. The gloves were now off at the front with a huge seven laps remaining and a title on the line.
The hustle and bustle at the front kept on going in true Moto3™ style. But then in true Martin style, with three laps of the race to go and the Championship firmly in the balance, the pin was definitely pulled this time. The Spaniard hit the front and suddenly there was a 0.8 second lead appearing, with Bezzecchi unable to get past Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) and Arbolino. This gap continued to grow as it looked increasingly difficult for Bezzecchi to get the better of Martin, and the Italian’s attention firmly switched to keeping his title aspirations alive.
On the prowl behind Bezzecchi were a gaggle of hungry Moto3 riders. Di Giannantonio, Dalla Porta, Arbolino, Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team), Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) and Binder were all there in the hunt for P2. The last lap started and at Turn 4, Bezzecchi was out on the curb and down to P5 – a Championship losing position. Could the Italian recover? The answer was no, Bezzecchi pushed all he could but would cross the line P5. Despair for the Italian, and jubilation for Martin who took the victory by an impressive 3.5 seconds.
Dalla Porta crossed the line in P2 for his fifth podium of the season, with teammate Bastianini recovering in the latter stages to grab a podium that means he becomes the most successful Moto3 rider in history on rostrum count.
Sepang Moto3 Race Results 1 – Jorge Martin (SPA) HONDA 38’34.799 2 – Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA) HONDA +3.556 3 – Enea Bastianini (ITA) HONDA +3.757
Australian GP winner Arenas missed out on a podium by 0.038, with Bezzecchi pipping ‘Diggia’ on the line – and the duo now have P2 in the Championship to fight for in Valencia. Binder ended the race in P7, Arbolino was eighth, Suzuki P9 and teammate Niccolo Antonelli securing a top ten on his return from injury.
Starting from the pitlane, home hero Adam Norrodin (Petronas Sprinta Racing) produced a stunning comeback rider to get himself into the lead group. But with little over two laps to go, the Malaysian rider crashed out at the final corner. John McPhee (CIP – Green Power), Dennis Foggia (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) all crashed at Turn 9, with Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) also crashing in a separate incident at the same place.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) secured an 80th career pole position after he was the early master of the wet Q2 conditions at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, but there was a small bump back to Earth not long after for the reigning World Champion as he later crashed – and then another hit when he was given a six-place grid penalty for irresponsible riding.
Marquez impeded Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and will now start seventh. It did not look like a purposeful act but a momentary brain fade, while the Spaniard himself was baulked in the session by Valentino Rossi at one point, but both men were amicable about the mistake. The penalty for Marquez is quite a blow as the Spaniard was simply on another level during qualiying, dominating the session throughout and looking untouchable in the tricky conditions.
Marquez’ heavy penalty means we have Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) now on top after going second quickest in the session. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) starts second, and fittingly, it’s Iannone now completing that front row.
The MotoGP race starts at the earlier time of 13:00 local time – which makes it 1600 Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time.
How QP progressed
Marquez had led the field over the line and set the first benchmark; a 2:13.641 to edge out Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing), who was just behind the Spaniard on track. Iannone was also within a tenth after the first lap, with a mere 0.051 splitting the top three, but with a banker lap under his belt, Marquez then slammed in a rapid second lap to considerably shift the goal posts. A 2:12.161 put him a full 1.264 quicker than the man who’d taken over at the top, Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing), as the World Champion put some serious daylight between himself and his rivals. The Repsol Honda rider then lost the front at Turn 4, however, and there was no saving this one.
The field then set about trying to beat Marquez’ marker. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) shot up to P2 but was still over a second off and then on his final flying lap and then Italian crashed at Turn 9, before Iannone went up to P2 but the gap was remained 0.936. A flying Frenchman then propelled himself into second with Zarco cutting the gap to eight tenths and fellow YZR-M1 rider Rossi then leapfrogging him. Could either go one better on their final attempt?
Zarco put in a personal best lap to re-take P2 from ‘The Doctor’, but the gap between the number 93 and his rivals remained 0.548 after a masterclass from Marquez for his 80th career pole position across all classes. Then, though, news came through of the penalty and although it remains a Marquez pole in the statistics, he’ll be starting seventh.
Marc Marquez – P1 then demoted to P7
“I think that being able to quickly adapt to sudden changes in track conditions is one of my strong points. Today I took advantage of that, even if, honestly, it wasn’t easy. It was the first time this weekend we rode in the wet, and we even crashed. But the feeling was there and we achieved the pole position, which is a good feeling even if we’ll ultimately start from the third row. The most important thing is that we made a huge step forward with the setup in dry conditions, and now I think we’re competitive. I also adapted my riding style a bit, and now we’re closer to the faster guys, who here are Dovizioso and Viñales. Now we’ll see which conditions we’ll have tomorrow, then we’ll try and make a good start and if possible we’ll fight for the podium.”
Johann Zarco – P2
“We started with soft-soft and could see that Aleix (Esparagaro) went well with these tyres. I tried to do it, but it didn’t work and I said to myself, it’s not normal that I’m that slow. So I stopped to change to the other bike and asked to put in the medium rear. We already planned to use the harder front tyre. From the first lap, I knew something is possible. On the last lap, my feeling was great, but I was sliding on the rear in turn three and in turn four. I got quite some signals and lost a few tenths, so I wasn’t sure if I could have done the lap time of Marc (Marquez). Anyway, it was great. I enjoy the second place and wish for a podium tomorrow.”
Johann Zarco
Valentino Rossi – P3
“This kind of situation is always difficult, because you have to go into the qualifying with no data and no feeling. I’m very happy about the front row and I’m also happy because I have a good feeling with the bike, I could ride it in a good way. I tried qualifying with a soft rear, Márquez and Zarco used the medium. I ran into some traffic, I had to fight with Bautista a bit. But in the end this result is good, because at a certain point we thought we weren’t going to do the qualifying, so starting from the front row is very important. The race tomorrow will be held earlier, which I think is very clever, because at three o’clock the conditions are always bad here, every day. Maybe we can have a dry race, or at least race with a normal amount of water.”
Andrea Iannone – P4
“Today has not been easy, but it was much better than yesterday because we improved a lot with the bike and the feeling. I end today with a positive feeling and this is important for me. Unfortunately in my last flying lap I got held up at corner 9 and I lost 4-tenths of a second, without that my final time could have been even faster. That was a shame but finally I will start on the first row which is a good position. Tomorrow will be hard but we feel ready.”
That means Dovizioso starts fourth despite his crash, with fellow Desmosedici rider Miller ending the session P6 after setting his best lap on his final lap. Milerl now starts in the middle of a second row completed by teammate Danilo Petrucci.
Andrea Dovizioso – P5
“Today we had to adapt to the different situations that we encountered on the track, both in the morning and the afternoon, and as a result we were unable to try everything we had planned. Both Marquez and Viñales improved their pace and I think that tomorrow there will be a group of riders fighting for the leading positions. In Q2 I made a mistake and crashed on my best lap. We also had to use a front tyre that was too hard, like many other riders, and I entered Turn 9 too quickly and slid onto the grass. Pity because we could have started from the front row, but in any case it was important to be able to lap on the wet asphalt in case it rains tomorrow in the race. In any case I believe we can be competitive both in the dry and the wet.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Jack Miller – P6
“If I have to be honest I was convinced that I could win the front row but in the second time attack the front tyre started to deteriorate a lot. Starting from the second row is still a good result also in light of the race pace that throughout the weekend was very positive”.
Jack Miller
Danilo Petrucci – P7
“After the first run I had a lot of confidence. We decided to try the soft rain tyre at the rear but only afterwards we realized that it was less performing than the medium one. I don’t know what the weather will be like tomorrow but I am confident I can stay in the Top 5”.
Danilo Petrucci
Marquez heads Row 3, ahead of Friday’s quickest rider Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Q1 graduate Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team).
Alex Rins – P8
“I think today was a really good and solid day, especially as we tested our rhythm with used tyres and it wasn’t bad. Qualifying was a bit of a shame because our strategy could have been different, if I had stopped to change the tyre I could have been closer to the front. But we’re happy with the grid position anyway and we’ll try and get a good start tomorrow and be fast.”
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), Australian GP winner Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) line up on a super-powered Row 4.
Maverick Viñales – P11
“We didn’t have a good attempt during today’s qualifying. The bike wasn’t working well, so it was difficult. What’s certain is that it wasn’t the tyre that caused the problem, it was the bike set-up for the wet, so that’s what the team needs to work on. In the dry we already set up the bike quite well. I don’t know what I should expect for tomorrow’s race, but it will be very interesting. In any case, we have a much better prospect now the schedule for tomorrow has changed, because the chance of rain is higher at three o’clock than it is at one. So, I hope the track will stay dry, because that’s when I feel the best. We have to see, but in FP4 I was really fast, and I felt so good on the bike. I think I can overtake quite fast at this track because the bike is good on acceleration. I need to concentrate on the start, and let’s see if I can make my best start of the year!”
MotoGP Qualifying Results
2018 Sepang MotoGP Q2 Qualification
Pos
Rider
Team
Time
1.
Marquez M.
Repsol Honda
2:12.161
2.
Zarco J.
Monster Tech 3
+0.548
3.
Rossi V.
Movistar Yamaha
+0.848
4.
Iannone A.
Team Suzuki Ecstar
+0.936
5.
Dovizioso A.
Ducati Team
+1.022
6.
Miller J.
Alma Pramac Racing
+1.113
7.
Petrucci D.
Alma Pramac Racing
+1.252
8.
Rins A.
Team Suzuki Ecstar
+1.302
9.
Bautista A.
Angel Nieto Team
+2.024
10.
Pedrosa D.
Repsol Honda
+2.282
11.
Vinales M.
Movistar Yamaha
+2.695
12.
Espargaro A.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
+3.179
2018 Sepang MotoGP Q1 Qualification
Pos
Rider
Team
Time
1.
Bautista A.
Angel Nieto Team
2:13.311
2.
Espargaro A.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
+0.024
3.
Redding S.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
+0.475
4.
Pirro M.
Ducati Team
+0.512
5.
Simeon X.
Reale Avintia Racing
+0.660
6.
Espargaro P.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
+0.821
7.
Smith B.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
+1.021
8.
Luthi T.
Marc VDS Racing Team
+1.532
9.
Morbidelli F.
Marc VDS Racing Team
+1.683
10.
Bradl S.
LCR Honda
+2.053
11.
Abraham K.
Angel Nieto Team
+2.368
12.
Nakagami T.
LCR Honda
+3.247
13.
Syahrin H.
Monster Tech 3
+3.514
Moto2
Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) stormed to Moto2 pole position at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, setting the only laptime in the 2:05s to better closest challenger Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) by a stunning 0.488 seconds. Marquez Fabio Quartararo (MB Conveyors – Speed Up) completing the front row of the grid at the Sepang International Circuit – with ‘El Diablo’ 0.666 off the top…
Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS)
From the outset, it was Marquez who looked menacing and sure enough on his third flying lap, the Spaniard set a sensational 2:05.629 to go 0.692 faster than anyone else. The gauntlet was well and truly thrown down, with Quartararo and Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing) sitting as his two closest challengers in P2 and P3 – 0.026 separating the duo, with Marini just 0.009 off a provisional front row with 15 minutes to go.
The timing screens then went stagnant in Sepang and that seemed to be that, with no one able to vastly improve on their early laps. However, this then changed when Marini went from P4 to P2 with under five minutes remaining, although the gap to Marquez was still 0.488. Quartararo, after being pushed down to P3 by Marini, then set a personal best but it wasn’t quite enough to improve his position as the standings were set.
So it was Marquez who took pole – despite a late crash at Turn 1 – to continue his dominant weekend, with Marini and Quartararo joining him on the front row. Fourth place went to Gardner, the Australian producing career-best qualifying in P4 to finish just 0.052 off the front row, with Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) lining up alongside him in P5. Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) completes the second row ahead of his second match point on Sunday.
Remy Gardner – P4
“Today has been a very positive day. I did a really first lap on the first exit of Qualifying, luckily, because then the track went hotter and it was a lot more greasy towards the end. Also the tyres only lasted for one lap. I managed to put a pretty decent lap together in the first lap and we were sitting in P3 for a while all the way until the last two minutes. We put in a new set of tyres again and I tried, but it was just really difficult out there. Quartararo did a good job to pass me in these conditions. We were close to parc fermé, but not in, anyway, I don’t think it’s going to change a lot for tomorrow. We still need to work on our race pace in the Warm up, but I’m happy.”
His title rival Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) remains close, however. The Portuguese rider was heads up Row 3 and was just 0.068 in arrears – with the duo also having played a little bit of cat and mouse in qualifying. Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) ended qualifying in P8, 0.070 away from Oliveira, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) completing the top ten.
Marquez looks like he’s going to take some beating in Malaysia. Will he take his first victory of the season? And can Bagnaia seal the World Championship? The two title rivals line up in tandem on the grid, with Oliveira out to put the celebrations on hold.
Moto2 Qualification
Pos
Rider
Team
Time
1.
Marquez A.
Estrella Galicia Marc VDS
2:05.629
2.
Marini L.
Sky Racing Team VR46
+0.488
3.
Quartararo F.
Beta Tools-Speed Up Racing
+0.666
4.
Gardner R.
Tech 3 Racing
+0.718
5.
Pasini M.
Italtrans Racing Team
+0.810
6.
Bagnaia F.
Sky Racing Team VR46
+0.920
7.
Oliveira M.
Red Bull KTM Ajo
+0.988
8.
Vierge X.
Dynavolt Intact GP
+1.058
9.
Binder B.
Red Bull KTM Ajo
+1.112
10.
Schrotter M.
Dynavolt Intact GP
+1.113
11.
Fernandez A.
Pons HP40
+1.249
12.
Navarro J.
Federal Oil Gresini
+1.272
13.
Baldassarri L.
Pons HP40
+1.335
14.
Lecuona I.
SWI
+1.412
15.
Locatelli A.
Italtrans Racing Team
+1.457
16.
Nagashima T.
Idemitsu Honda Team Asia
+1.591
17.
Aegerter D.
Kiefer Racing
+1.614
18.
Mir J.
Estrella Galicia Marc VDS
+1.622
19.
Pons E.
Pons HP40
+1.622
20.
Raffin J.
Garage Plus Interwetten
+1.736
21.
Lowes S.
SWI
+1.750
22.
Corsi S.
Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2
+1.865
23.
Roberts J.
NTS RW Racing GP
+1.887
24.
Odendaal S.
NTS RW Racing GP
+1.937
25.
Pawi K. I.
Idemitsu Honda Team Asia
+2.054
26.
Tuuli N.
SIC Racing Team
+2.796
27.
Danilo J.
SAG Team
+2.871
28.
Pratama D. E.
Federal Oil Gresini
+3.140
29.
Cardelus X.
Team Stylobike
+3.360
30.
Vinales I.
Forward Racing Team
+3.895
31.
Fuligni F.
Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2
+4.313
32.
Sucipto R. T.
QMMF Racing Team
+4.924
Moto3
Moto3 Championship leader Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) took pole for the 11th time in 2018 at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, setting a new lightweight class qualifying lap record at Sepang. But the Spaniard heads main title rival Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) by just 0.032 to set us up for a Sunday stunner, with Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) continuing his strong weekend to take P3 on the grid.
Jorge Martin
It was John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) who led for the majority of the session and with 15 minutes remaining, despite Bezzecchi briefly taking over at the top, McPhee had moved the goal posts again – his advantage sitting at an impressive 0.584. That was immediately trimmed to 0.052 with Martin going second fastest, however, and Free Practice’s fastest man Arbolino then jumped up to second – with McPhee then clear at the top by only 0.020.
When it was time for the final lap dash, Martin and Bezzecchi both left it late to head out – the latter crossing the line with just four seconds of the session remaining to begin his final lap. Arbolino, Martin and Bezzecchi were then all up in the opening two sectors, but provisional pole man McPhee was also looking to increase his advantage – and that’s exactly what he did. It was only by 0.060 though, with the three riders behind all on fast laps…
Martin then came across the line to top McPhee’s new benchmark by 0.350, as Arbolino slotted into P2 after he also beat the Scotsman’s time. Bezzecchi then made his final lap count and although he missed out on pole to rival Martin, he was just 0.032 down. The two title rivals therefore start side by side, although the third man in the hunt – Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) – starts down in P13 with a little more work to do.
Joining McPhee on Row 2 are Australian GP winner Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) and Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing), who was lingering down in P20 with 15 minutes remaining before a final push, with Row 3 an all-Japanese affair. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) sits P7 to lead Kazuki Masaki (RBA BOE Skull Rider) and Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) in P8 and P9 respectively. Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) rounds out the top ten; an impressive session from the Italian as he continues to recover from his Japanese GP injuries.
It’s match point to Martin in Malaysia, but with Bezzecchi breathing down his neck on the starting line, another awesome Moto3 race looks set to take place.
Despite the threat of rain throughout the day, the MotoGP riders were able to get two full dry sessions done and dusted in Malaysia, and it was the Suzuki leading the way as the chequered flag came out at the end of FP2.
Rins was the man at the summit thanks to his late FP2 time, with Dovi failing to improve on his FP1 time in the afternoon session – P7 for the Italian in FP2.
Alex Rins – P1
“I’m really happy because the bike was really good today. Our rhythm was strong, even with a used tyre, so we’re feeling hopeful. The bike has actually changed quite a lot since we tested here; it has better top speed and we have a different configuration of aero fairing, so we can clearly see the positive development which has taken place during the season. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Alex Rins
Marquez, meanwhile, finished the second session in P2, but the World Champion had an eventful day. In typical Marquez fashion, the number 93 had to save the front of his RC213V numerous times across the two sessions.
Marc Marquez – P3
“All in all it was a good day for us. This morning I felt good, but this afternoon we struggled a lot at the beginning of the FP2 session: I had some moments and had save it a few times. Finally, we changed the front tyre from hard to medium and in the last run we could improve our speed and our lap time. Anyway we need to work very hard on our race pace. We’ll try a different setup in order to see if we may manage better the front tyre. We need to make a step forward is we want to get closer to Dovizioso, who at the moment is the fastest out there.”
Marc Marquez
There were no such close shaves for fourth place overall and sixth fastest in FP2 Valentino Rossi though, as ‘The Doctor’ had a strong Friday to end the day so close to the top.
Valentino Rossi – P4
“The first day is positive for us, because I was quite fast this morning and also this afternoon. After checking the data on Phillip Island, we worked a lot on the setting of the bike. We tried to improve the grip level, especially from the rear tyre. The first impression is positive, because I was good on a hot lap and also the pace is not so bad. It’s only Friday, so we still have to see, but the start was good. Now we have to concentrate especially on the tyre choice, because it’s still very open, front and rear. We also have to wait and see what the weather will be like. We hope it will remain dry, especially for Sunday.”
Just behind him and fifth on the combined times was Jack Miller on board his Alma Pramac Racing Ducati, the Australian setting a quickest time of 1:59.771 to end FP2 in P3, and Miller was also the first rider to dip into the 1:59s in FP2.
Jack Miller – P5
“I had a lot of fun today and I’m satisfied with what we did in both FP1 FP2. I am very confident because we are fast on both race pace and lap time. Tomorrow we will also have to work on the tyres to find out which is the best choice for the race”.
Jack Miller
Meanwhile, Australian GP winner Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) completes the day P6 on the overall times, the Spaniard going fourth fastest in FP2 to end the day less than two tenths off P1.
Maverick Viñales – P6
“It’s been a positive day, because I honestly didn’t expect to be so competitive here. Last year I struggled a lot, this is one of the tracks I struggled at the most, but suddenly, when I went out today, I felt really good. In FP1 I had a good rhythm and we have to keep working in that way. I need to concentrate a little bit more on the lines, but there’s not much to work on. We have to put in a good lap for qualifying and then make sure we’re ready for the race. I hope it will stay dry, because I had such a good feeling, but in Japan when I jumped on the bike with wet tyres, I felt strong too. We have to keep focusing on the set-up we have right now, and let’s see what happens. If the race is wet, I hope we will have had the chance to work on the wet set-up before then. The level this year is much higher and we’re already pushing and putting in time-attacks in FP1, so that’s why the lap times are so fast.”
Just 0.009 behind him at the end of Friday’s proceedings sits Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing), P7 overall for the Italian thanks to his FP2 time, with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) improving by over half a second in the second session to end Friday in P8.
Danilo Petrucci – P7
“We are in good shape in terms of speed but I don’t know if we can be as fast lap by lap on race pace. When the tyres start to heat up I feel a vibration that makes me lose grip. I haven’t tried the soft tyre yet and we’ll do it tomorrow. There’s a lot of confidence for qualifying”.
Danilo Petrucci
Johann Zarco – P8
“The first day in Malaysia has been very difficult for me. The base we had, even if we did the winter test, was not working here and I was pretty slow. Fortunately at the end of the session this morning, I could improve my lap time and be inside the top 10. Also in the afternoon I was in the top 10 at the end of the practice, but we are struggling a lot with the traction, with the rear grip. We try to work on it, but we couldn’t find a good solution yet. Therefore, I’m a bit worried for the rest of the weekend. I keep pushing, though it’s just another experience to take with this bike at this circuit. I hope we can find something that helps for the next days and be ready for the race. It’s a track I like, so I would love to have a decent feeling.”
Johann Zarco
Completing the provisional automatic Q2 places were Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in P9 and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro in P10 – the latter struggling with grip in the afternoon.
Andrea Iannone – P9
“The weather here always makes things more difficult, and it’s very hot today like every year. We struggled a bit in the morning but in FP2 I could improve, we need to continue to work because I still have room for improvement in braking and acceleration. We’ll try our best and find the solutions so I can be quicker tomorrow. But I’m in the Top 10 and Q2 at the moment and that is a good sign.”
Andrea Iannone
Aleix Espargaro’ – P10
“I am happy with the way things went today. I continued using the upgraded bike and I had a good feeling straight away, especially in the morning. In FP2 I managed to be rather fast with used tyres. We need to work a bit more on grip at the rear, but overall, things are not bad. When I put on the soft tyre toward the end, on the other hand, something didn’t work. The grip was not what I expected, so I was unable to lower my time. In any case, a combined top 10 spot is a good start to the weekend for us.”
Aleix Espargaro’
Dani Pedrosa – P11
“Today we had not really a good feeling. No much grip on the rear and we also struggled a lot in turning. I could not make the pace I would like to have here. In the afternoon we improved the lap time but the grip was even worse. We need to improve the bike’s setup because so far we have not the feeling we had in the test. We must to figure out what to do for tomorrow and keep working hard. It will be important to go out tomorrow and try to improve.”
Dani Pedrosa
Local favourite Hafizh Syahrin, who is the only rider of the permanent MotoGP field, who had not tested this year before the Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit, had the difficult task to make up for this in just two sessions today.
Hafizh Syahrin – P18
“Today has not been easy. This morning I felt comfortable and we weren’t too far. In the afternoon, we changed the suspension on the bike to improve, but it doesn’t seem to be the right way. I feel a bit confused, because we have a rhythm, we have ok grip, but the bike doesn’t want to turn, so it’s really difficult. This afternoon we will analyse everything in order to make an improvement for tomorrow. We believe we can do it, but we need to find a good way.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Returning from injury, Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) endured a tough opening day. The five-time World Champion finished bottom of the timesheets and over three seconds adrift of the fastest time, and will further assess his fitness on Saturday.
2018 MotoGP – Sepang Friday Combined Practice Times
RINS Alex SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1’59.608
DOVIZIOSO Andrea ITA Ducati Team 1’59.697 / 0.089 (FP1)
MARQUEZ Marc SPA Repsol Honda Team 1’59.701 / 0.093
ROSSI Valentino ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’59.767 / 0.159 (FP1)
MILLER Jack AUS Alma Pramac Racing 1’59.771 / 0.163
ABRAHAM Karel CZE Angel Nieto Team 2’01.684 / 2.076
REDDING Scott GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 2’01.690 / 2.082 (FP1)
LUTHI Tom SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS 2’01.743 / 2.135
SIMEON Xavier BEL Reale Avintia Racing 2’01.900 / 2.292
TORRES Jordi SPA Reale Avintia Racing 2’01.940 / 2.332
LORENZO Jorge SPA Ducati Team 2’03.204 / 3.596 (FP1)
Moto2
Friday at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix belonged to Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) in the Moto2 class, as the 2014 Moto3 Champion topped both FP1 and FP2. The Spaniard managed to best Fabio Quartararo (MB Conveyors – Speed Up) at the end of FP2 by 0.030 after setting a 2:06.928 on his final lap so it was close but he kept the top spot, with Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) third – 0.161 back. He was just ahead of teammate and Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia and the two did a good few laps together on track, perfecting their teamwork…
The track conditions were tricky for the opening minutes of the second session but with the rain clouds clearing, the Moto2 field were able to get a good dry stint on Friday afternoon. At the end of play, Marquez and Quartararo were the only two riders to venture into the 2:06s, the latter improving from a P13 finish in the morning, but it was Bagnaia who had the advantage in terms of the title fight – with sole rival Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) a little further back in eighth.
Between the two, it was Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) who completed the top five on Friday and the Italian led FP2 by over a second at the one point after ending FP1 in P2. Then the first of the KTMs on the timesheets was Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) in P6, as he just got the better of Oliveira.
Behind the Portuguese rider, Pons HP40’s Lorenzo Baldassarri completes Friday in P8, with Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing) kicking off his weekend with a solid P9 on the combined times – the Australian consolidating a top ten place after ending FP1 in P7.
Remy Gardner – P9
“It has been a pretty good day here. This morning it was still patchy when we went out, but we put the slick in when there was still some water on track and we ended up seventh, which was quite decent. Before FP2 it was raining, so everyone went out with wet tyres and of course we did the same, but the track was completely dry after it dried up in just some seconds. We came back in, put some old slicks back in, did a run and improved on our time from this morning. At the end, we put in the soft tyre and made a big step forward. We still need a bigger jump for tomorrow, but I think we’re on the right track after a good start. We just have to see how the weather plays out.”
Remy Gardner
Australian GP winner Brad Binder rounded out the top ten on board his Red Bull KTM Ajo machine, moving up the timesheets after a tougher FP1.
Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) had a late crash at Turn 15 in the afternoon – rider ok.
2018 Moto2 – Sepang Friday Combined Practice Times
Marquez 2m06.928
Quartararo 2m06.958
Marini 2m078.089
Bagnaia 2m07.106
Pasini 2m07.107
Lowes 2m07.315
Oliveira 2m07.551
Baldassarri 2m07.605
Gardner 2m07.644
Binder 1m07.685
Moto3
Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) ended Day 1 at the Shell Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the top of the timesheets in the Moto3 class, with the Italian setting a 2:14.227 on a dry Sepang International Circuit before the rain started to fall with just under 20 minutes remaining, curtailing the day’s action. John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) and Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) completed the top three, with Championship leader Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) rounding out a top four covered by a mere 0.024 seconds.
After his huge Japanese GP crash, Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) returns to action in Malaysia still nursing his injuries picked up in Motegi but nonetheless, the Italian impressed on Day 1 to end fifth fastest, just 0.122 off the top. Countryman Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) completed Friday another tiny margin in arrears, 0.003 back in P6, with the same gap separating him from another Italian in P7: Enea Bastinaini (Leopard Racing). Title contender Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) is eighth overall, but the gap is just 0.155 between him and the fastest time.
Ninth quickest was fastest rookie Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0), with Australian GP winner Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) rounding out a top ten that was covered by only 0.321 in Malaysia. P3 in the Championship, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) finished Friday in P13.
2018 Moto3 – Sepang Friday Combined Practice Times
The man that has won here in Malaysia for the past two years has started where he left off by lapping the 5.54 km Sepang Circuit in an FP1 topping 1m59.697 this aftneroon.
Valentino Rossi put in a late lap to come from outside the top ten into second place on the timesheets with a 1m59.767. The #46 particularly fast in the second half of the circuit to push Phillip Island winning teammate Maverick Vinales back to third place.
Valentino Rossi – AJRN Image
The only other rider to get in the 1m59s in FP1 was Jack Miller. Like fellow Ducati rider Dovizioso it was the first half of the lap where Miller really shone, the Australian second only to the #4 Ducati through those first two splits.
Miller’s teammate Danilo Petrucci was fifth quickest and recorded the highest top speed through the traps at 326.1 km/h.
Suzuki’s Alex Rins and Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro were next in sixth and seventh respectively just aheaed of Alvaro Bautista and Johann Zarco.
Marc Marquez rounded out the top ten as the leading Honda but obviously did not bother putting in a time attack lap in the session, his best a 2m00.801.
Jorge Lorenzo did put in 12 laps during the session and slowly built his pace but was still last on the timesheets at session end. It will be interesting to see if Lorenzo participates in FP2 and to whether he will stay on the bike for the rest of the weekend or be replaced by Ducati test rider Michele Pirro.
