The eni FIM Superbike World Championship heads to previously unexplored territories as the series will race for the first time at the Sepang International Circuit this weekend. The Malaysian venue, located 50km south of the Capital City Kuala Lumpur, will host the sixth round of the 2014 season. The state of the art circuit has a 5.548km sweeping cornered layout, with two back to back straights characterising the final part of the lap.
New Championship leader after Donington Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) has never raced at Sepang before but has always done well at new circuits on the calendar in the past two years: the Brit won the opening race at Moscow Raceway and was second in Race 2 in 2012, while last year at Istanbul he was third and second in the two encounters after starting from pole. The 28 year old from Huddersfield did a test with Kawasaki at Sepang back in 2011 in preparation for the season debut of the new partnership between the Japanese manufacturer and Provec Racing (the current Kawasaki Racing Team).
Sykes aims to continue the good form shown at Donington, after the stunning double taken two Sundays ago at his home track. The reigning Champion had one of the best races in his career in race one, as he made his way up through the field after a poor opening lap to take a remarkable victory over teammate Loris Baz.
After missing out on the podium in the last outing, Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) is looking forward to competing at Sepang. The Ulsterman knows the track already despite not having raced there before, as he did a test for HRC back in late 2010. Rea currently sits second in the standings and he is tied in points with Frenchman Baz.
The Aprilia Racing Team paring of Sylvain Guintoli and Marco Melandri have vast experience of the Sepang International Circuit, having taken part in many events in the past at the venue. The two long straights of the Malaysian track may well suit the RSV4 factory machines and the two riders are hoping for strong results for different reasons: Guintoli is still well positioned in the title race as he lies fourth just 37 points from the top, while Melandri desperately needs a good performance after another difficult round of the season at Donington. Melandri stood on the podium at Sepang in 2007, as he crossed the line in second place in the MotoGP race behind winner Casey Stoner.
Despite being a new circuit for the eni FIM Superbike World Championship, many other riders have knowledge of the Sepang track: Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team), Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike), Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Toni Elias (Red Devils Aprilia), Claudio Corti (MV Agusta RC – Yakhnich Motorsport) and Imre Toth (BMW Team Toth).
Aussie Bryan Staring, who is set to make his season debut at Sepang this weekend with Team Iron Brain Grillini Kawasaki, is the only entrant of the EVO class to have contested a race in Malaysia before. The battle for best in the new category is going to be as open as ever, with David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team), Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing Ducati), Leon Camier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike) and the rest of the EVO field ready to resume their battle for the top honours.
Standings (Round 5 of 13): 1. Sykes 185; 2. Rea 159; 3. Baz 159; 4. Guintoli 148; 5. Davies 109; 6. Melandri 97; 7. Giugliano 82; 8. Haslam 75; 9. Lowes 73; 10. Laverty 65; 11. Elias 65; 12. Salom 46; 13. Canepa 38; 14. Camier 20; 15. Scassa 16; 16. Foret 14; 17. Guarnoni 12; 18. Corti 10; 19. Morais 10; 20. Allerton 6; 21. Bos 5; 22. Andreozzi 4; 23. Fabrizio 2. Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 193; 2. Aprilia 162; 3. Honda 159; 4. Ducati 137; 5. Suzuki 115; 6. BMW 26; 7. MV Agusta 10.
World Supersport
The Supersport World Championship is gearing up for the first ever race of the series at Sepang. Of the top 10 riders in the title race, six of them have already raced at Sepang in the past, with the most successful on the Malaysian track being Roberto Rolfo (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki). The experienced Italian rider, currently ninth in the standings, was third in the 250cc Grand Prix race in both 2001 and 2002, while in 2010 he stood atop the Moto2 podium.
Unlike his teammate Lorenzo Zanetti, the current points leader Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport) will have to learn the track during the racing weekend, likewise his closest rival in the standings Florian Marino (Intermoto Ponyexpres Kawasaki) and fourth-placed man Kev Coghlan (DMC-Panavto Yamaha).
Van der Mark has to look out for the likes of Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta RC – Yakhnich Motorsport) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki), both eager to do well on a track they have knowledge of from the past. The Frenchman’s points situation is much more encouraging than the Turk’s as Cluzel lies at the moment in third place, 28 points shy of the leader, while Sofuoglu sits in seventh with a significant 52 point gap from the top.
Two more Italian riders are not new at the Sepang International Circuit, Raffaele De Rosa (CIA Insurance Honda) and Roberto Tamburini (San Carlo Puccetti Racing Kawasaki).
Standings (Round 5 of 12): 1. vd Mark 90; 2. Marino 76; 3. Cluzel 62; 4. Coghlan 60; 5. Zanetti 49; 6. De Rosa 45; 7. Sofuoglu 38; 8. Tamburini 37; 9. Rolfo 36; 10. Jacobsen 32; 11. Wahr 23; 12. Bussolotti 21; 13. Russo 21; 14. Menghi 19; 15. Kennedy 19; 16. Gamarino 16; 17. Leonov 13; 18. Wilairot 13; 19. Gowland 9; 20. Nocco 8; 21. Coveña 6; 22. Schmitter 3; 23. Calero 3; 24. Rogers 1. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 111; 2. Kawasaki 87; 3. Yamaha 70; 4. MV Agusta 70; 5. Triumph 9.
Statistics with Michele Merlino
- In the last two seasons, when he had to face a new track, Tom Sykes always climbed on the podium: winner and second in Russia two years ago, third and second in Istanbul last year, in this case starting from pole.
- In the last three seasons, Jonathan Rea lost the first races held in Aragon in 2011 and Istanbul 2013, as he had been sidelined by injuries. He was present in Russia, in 2012, but he didn’t enjoy much luck, as in race one for a false neutral he lost the front while in third, and in race two he was fourth until the last lap, when he found the road blocked by Laverty’s bike. He couldn’t avoid it, finishing seventh at the flag.
- Two MotoGP races in Sepang for Sylvain Guintoli: 19th in 2007 and 13th in 2008. He raced here also in 250cc: five races from 2001 to 2006, with a seventh as best result in 2006. In the new tracks introduced in the World Superbike Championship from 2011 onwards, Sylvain managed to climb on the podium only last year in Istanbul race two in third.
- Chaz Davies was seventeenth in grid and under the flag in MotoGP with Ducati in 2007. He raced here also in 250cc from 2003 to 2005, posting his best result ten years ago: ninth, while in 125cc he was 31st on the grid and 25th at the flag in the 2002 race. Chaz was third in race two in 2012 in the first event held in Moscow.
- Marco Melandri entered no less than eight MotoGP races on the Sepang track: his best year was 2007, when he qualified in third, finishing second behind Casey Stoner. He didn’t have much luck in the 250cc championship here: in his Championship year, 2002, he qualified in second behind Fonsi Nieto, but in the race he suffered from an electronic problem right after the start, leaving an easy win to his rival for the title, the aforementioned Nieto. Marco was present here also in the maiden Sepang Grand Prix, in 1999, in the 125cc class, when he qualified in tenth, but broke his scaphoid in practice and had to withdraw from the race. Marco raced in Malaysia also in 1998, in the Johor track. In the “new” tracks of the World Superbike Championship, Marco climbed on the podium five times out of six: he won in Aragon 2011 race one and Moscow 2012 race two, second in Aragon race two 2011 and Moscow race one 2012; while last year in Istanbul he was second and fourth.
- Davide Giugliano last year at his first outing on the Istanbul track was fifth and ninth, while two years ago in Russia he fell in race one and finished sixth in race two.
- Leon Haslam raced here for the last time in 2002 in the 250cc class, qualifying 20th and finishing 17th. He managed a points finish the year before in the 500cc class, riding an Honda NSR-V. Going back one more year, in 2000, we find his entry in the 125cc class, when he was 24th in grid and 19th in the race. Leon was third in race two in Algarve in 2008, the first weekend on the Portuguese track for the Superbikes.
- Eugene Laverty raced here in the 250cc world championship in 2007, qualifying 20th and finishing 17th. Eugene won both races in Istanbul last year, the first ones held in that track.
- Toni Elias raced six times in MotoGP in Sepang, scoring a sixth in 2007 with Honda as best result. He adds to these races two Moto2 appearances (2010 and 2012), in which he was fourth in 2010. There were also three 250cc races (2002-2004) when he always climbed on the podium, winning from pole in 2003 and two 125cc races (2000-2001), where he scored pole and finished sixth in 2001.
- Niccolò Canepa managed to finish seventh in race one when he approached for the first time the Moscow track, two years ago, retiring for a mechanical problem in race two.
- In the last three seasons, Leon Camier was present at the debut of the three new tracks introduced in the World Superbike Championship: Aragon in 2011, Russia in 2012 and Istanbul last year, finishing on the podium in race one in Aragon in 2011, third behind Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi.
- Claudio Corti was 13th in grid and in the race in MotoGP last year in Sepang. He raced here also in Moto2, finishing 15th in 2010 and retiring in 2011.
- Ayrton Badovini is the only active rider who took part at the inaugural races of all the tracks introduced in the Championship from 2008 onwards (Miller and Algarve in 2008, Aragon 2011, Moscow 2012, Istanbul 2013): in these races his best result is an eighth, scored in Aragon 2011 race one and Moscow 2012 race two.
- Imre Toth raced here in the 250cc championship three times from 2007 to 2009, scoring a point in 2008 (15th at the flag). He raced here five times in the 125cc class, but he wasn’t able to score points, with an eighteenth as best result, ten years ago.
- Bryan Staring raced here in MotoGP last year, qualifying 21st and finishing 18th in the race.
Honda Preview
Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) face a new challenge as the FIM Superbike World Championship heads to Malaysia for the sixth round this coming weekend, in what will be the first ever visit of the championship to Sepang.
The CBR1000RR SP has already taken three wins in the hands of Rea this year but last time out at Donington Park his winning streak ended, leaving Jonathan in second place in the championship after five of 13 rounds. He is now 26 points from Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) and tied with Loris Baz (Kawasaki). Rea is, however, ranked above him because of his superior win ratio.
A front row start was the high point of Leon’s home round at Donington as he now continues his quest to take his first podium of the year. Eighth in the overall rankings Haslam will bring all of his considerable experience to bear in Sepang as he aims for a season best finish.
Both Jonathan and Leon have previous experience of the Sepang layout. Jonathan took part in testing there on a MotoGP machine for Honda while Leon has raced there many years ago when he was a young GP rider. A high level of fitness and stamina is needed to deal with the heat and humidity that is an ever-present part of racing at the 5.548km long circuit, located close to Kuala Lumpur’s International airport.
The riders will have an extended first practice session of 75 minutes on Friday 6 June and following the qualifying Superpole on Saturday, will undertake two 16-lap races on Sunday 8 June.
The track at Sepang has been a regular on the MotoGP calendar, for both races and winter test sessions, thanks to its tropical climate and range of corners. It is very wide along its entire length and features two long straights, with heavy braking areas into slow corners.
A true test of man and machine in the heat and humidity that is omnipresent in Malaysia, Sepang will be a tough but welcome addition to the Superbike World Championship calendar and it forms the second long haul race weekend of the season.
This will not be the first visit of the Superbike World Championship to Malaysia as a country, as SBK races were held in the early days of the championship in Shah Alam and Johor Baru.
After taking the outright lead in the FIM Supersport World Championship after his second race win of the season last time out at Donington Park Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) approaches the next round at Sepang in Malaysia full of confidence and excitement at the prospects of more success.
Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) has also won a race in 2014 but after losing his podium possibilities with a technical DNF at Donington he is doubly determined to make his mark again at the Sepang International Circuit in the 14-lap race on Sunday 8 June.
Van der Mark has a lot of reasons to be happy to return to Asia after being part of the team that won the Suzuka 8-Hour in Japan last year but this will be his first ever visit to the 5.548km Sepang circuit, located close to Kuala Lumpur.
As the championship stands after round five van der Mark has posted one no score in the first race in Australia, but has followed that up with two wins and two second places, giving him a 14 point lead over Kawasaki rider Florian Marino. For Zanetti one win and two DNFs have contributed to keeping him in fifth place overall after five rounds. Lorenzo has been in Asia for some days now, to acclimatise to the conditions.
Raffaele De Rosa (CIA Insurance Honda) has also taken his Honda to the top three race finish, recording a third place in Australia. After a top ten finish at Donington in the previous round he finds himself sixth, and the third Honda rider in the top six places.
Team Lorini Honda team-mates Marco Bussolotti and Riccardo Russo are currently fighting it out for 12th place, with both riders tied on 21 points. Bussolotti is currently ranked 12th as his season best race finish of seventh, at Imola, is one better than Russo’s.
The fortunes of Jack Kennedy (CIA Insurance Honda) took an upswing at the previous round as he finished seventh, despite qualifying 18th, and he is now placed 15th in the pre-Sepang championship table. The Irish rider was affected by injury in the first few races but is now coming into good form in the middle of the season.
With no home race of his own in his native Thailand Ratthapark Wilairot (Core PTR Honda) sees Sepang as his local race, and is already preparing to make his best results of the year given his experience at this regularly used MotoGP race and testing venue.
Nacho Calero (CIA Insurance Honda) suffered a suspected cracked collarbone at the previous round but is out to score more points at the Sepang round, while Fraser Rogers (Com Plus SMS Racing Honda) is looking for his first point in WSS since the opening round in Australia.
After the end of the Sepang weekend the championship will pack its flight cases for a return to Europe and the Misano Circuit, an old favourite on the Superbike World Championship trail. Raceday will be Sunday 22 June.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) – “I’m really excited about going to Malaysia because it’s a new race on the SBK calendar. I really like the circuit layout and I visited a few years ago when I did some testing for HRC’s MotoGP effort in the last season of the 800s. Donington was a tough round for us and we turned our attention to this next round immediately after the races there. I hope we can achieve better results than at Donington and I’m really looking forward to the challenge of taking the CBR to a new circuit. The humidity will be quite intense in Sepang and we’re expecting high temperatures but I’m in good physical condition to tackle the two races. The most important thing is that we are able to extract the full potential of the bike which we didn’t do at the last round.”
Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) – “I’ve been to Sepang before. It was about 12 years ago but I remember which way it goes so I don’t see it being too much of a problem. A few of the other riders have ridden there, too, including Johnny, so I’m not sure anyone will have too much of an advantage. It’s quite a fast and flowing track with two long straights. The heat will be an issue, of course, and the conditions can make a big difference in lap times from the morning to the afternoon. We’ll hope for some consistent weather that will help us with setting up the bike for Sunday’s races.”
Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) – “This year has been not so bad and at Donington all weekend it was good because we had a positive feeling with everything. Our results have been better in 2014 because we worked hard in the winter and the team has improved the basic set-up of the bike to make it easier to ride. I have never been to Malaysia but some of my rivals have raced at Sepang with another championship. For me it is completely new. I think I can learn new tracks quite fast and that is what I showed last year in Turkey, when I finished third. I am really looking forward to this weekend in Malaysia and I think it will be a good track for me. I have done a lot of laps on the Playstation and we will get a longer first practice of 75 minutes to help us find a set-up.”
Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) – “I stopped in Thailand for five days on my way to Malaysia so I have had time to relax and adjust to the conditions. I raced here in 125 GP in 2009, so I know the track and I think it will be good for the bike which has been working really well at other races. It was a shame to finish the way I did at Donington but I had a very good feeling with the bike there – like Imola before – so I am confident that we can get this feeling again quickly at Sepang. We need to find a good setting so the bike is not too difficult to ride in the conditions, but I’m really looking forward to riding again.”
Jack Kennedy (CIA Insurance Honda) – “I enjoyed racing at Donington and my lap times were close to the front runners. I know if I had qualified better I could have run with them and contested the podium – we have proved we have the package to do that now. At Sepang I will target a better qualification and then run at the front and see if we can challenge for the podium for CIA Insurance Honda.”
Ratthapark Wilairot (Core PTR Honda) – “I have ridden at Sepang before but missed last year. Sepang always feels like home. Many people from Thailand have gone to support me every year I have raced there. I want to make a present to them of a good result. The team and I have worked hard on the bike and put in many laps, so I feel better on it now. We need to continue to improve and the important thing is that I need to understand the tyres more. I was very happy with my bike at the last round and it is clear we have top six potential. I am looking forward to our best result of the season this weekend.”
Kawasaki Video Preview
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Aprilia Preview
World Superbike is headed for its début on the Malaysian Sepang circuit, a new stop on the 2014 calendar. The setting for many world championships, the circuit just a few kilometres from the capital Kuala Lumpur is a rather recent one, opened in 1999. Quite long, more than 5.5 km, the Malaysian track should make for a good show thanks to the combination of long straight stretches, violent braking sections and fast turns.
The Aprilia team riders are very familiar with the tricky new track, having already ridden on it during their respective careers. Both of them see it as a favourable circuit for the characteristics of the Aprilia RSV4, the reigning Manufacturer World Champion bike. Sylvain Guintoli prepared for this round, characterised by a rather extreme climate, with a week of intense training in Borneo.
Race conditions therefore do not concern the French rider: “Finally a track where we will be able to use the raw power of the RSV4. Sepang is a great track, wide, fast and I know it very well from my GP days. I have just completed 7 days of training in Borneo with similar heat and humidity so the very hot and tropical conditions won’t be a problem. Can’t wait”.
Marco Melandri, who has also been working hard to be in top condition for this round, also expressed his appreciation of the Malaysian track. The rider from Ravenna and the Aprilia racing division are focusing on finding continuity and finally aiming for an important result.
Marco Melandri: “It’s nice to be back at Sepang, an incredible track where all the horses of a powerful SBK like the RSV4 are put to use. The races will be very hard given the temperatures and high humidity, but I’ve been working hard and I want to get back in the thick of things to battle for the positions that count. I’m confident in Aprilia’s enormous commitment to put me at ease”.
Suzuki Preview
The eni FIM Superbike World Championship travels east for its debut appearance at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia this week and Voltcom Crescent Suzuki racers Eugene Laverty and Alex Lowes are eager to experience the Grand Prix track for themselves.
Having competed at the Sepang circuit during his 250 Grand Prix days, Laverty is looking forward to renewing his knowledge on-board his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Refreshed by his recent visit to the Suzuki factory in Hamamatsu, Japan, and the opportunity to ride its development MotoGP™ machine; the Irishman heads to Malaysia determined to realign his turbulent season.
Lowes is enthusiastic about his first trip to Southeast Asia, fresh from his home podium result at Donington Park, and is looking to capitalise on his development aboard the Yoshimura-powered GSX-R so far. With two podiums, in both the wet and dry, now under his rookie belt, the British racer is pleased with the way he is gelling with his World Championship machine and is hoping the second phase of the season will continue to prove fruitful.
Built in 1999 the 5,548m Herman Tilke-designed track, positioned 60kms to the south of Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur, comprises 15 corners and two long straights, providing a technical and challenging layout for both riders and technicians alike. The weather conditions here play as much a part of the weekend’s set-up as the circuit’s design, with asphalt temperatures hitting 60°C, humidity levels between 50 and 90% and rainfall deluges widely expected.
Due to the introduction of the circuit to the World Championship’s 2014 calendar, Voltcom Crescent Suzuki will have an extended first free practice session on Friday June 6th, with 75 minutes on track commencing at 10:30hrs local time (03:30BST). The schedule returns to normal with the second free practice at 15:30hrs local time (08:30BST) and Superpole retains its 15:00hrs local time slot on Saturday. Sunday sees a further revision, with race one starting at 13:30 (06:30BST) and race two getting underway three hours later at 16:30 (09:30BST).
Eugene Laverty: “Last time out was a big disappointment as my crew deserved better. Again, like in Assen, I crashed early in the races and so I need to settle into a better rhythm from the start. I raced at Sepang on a 250cc machine back in 2007 but I’m more-or-less treating it like a new circuit. We have an extra half hour of track time on Friday which should allow us to get the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki up to speed that bit quicker. It’s been too long since our sole podium finish of the season in Phillip Island so we’ll keep-on fighting and try to get back up there as soon as we can.”
Alex Lowes: “I’m looking forward to Sepang this weekend, it’s a great track and one I can’t wait to ride. I have a lot to learn over there as I’ve never seen the track before but I’m hoping to work hard and achieve some good results. I feel a lot better on the Suzuki GSX-R after my podium at Donington so I’m very excited to get to Sepang and see what the team can do.”
