Sepang plays host to flyaway finale
POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar riders aim to turn preseason testing data into top results this weekend
A whirlwind three-week journey to some of the furthest corners of the planet continues for the MotoGP World Championship as the Sepang International Circuit prepares to host the third race in as many weekends and the seventeenth round of the 2015 season. The riders will require all of their strength to tackle Sepang, one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar not only for its length and layout but for the gruelling heat and humidity. One of Hermann Tilke’s most famous designs, Sepang is a second home to the MotoGP riders during the winter, with the majority of preseason testing taking place there. The Malaysian Grand Prix celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and the fans will be hoping for a similar spectacle to the one served up at Phillip Island last Sunday, when a victory for Marc Márquez and – more significantly – second place for Jorge Lorenzo closed the gap to series leader Valentino Rossi to just eleven points with two races remaining.
The POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team are determined to finish off the season in style and with a couple of strong results after a disappointing race day in Australia. The goal for Nicky Hayden and Eugene Laverty in Malaysia is clear: points-scoring finishes and, if possible, a victory in the Open class. Both riders are aware that the two long straights at Sepang will represent a handicap for them but the data gathered during preseason testing will no doubt prove useful as they seek to make up the difference around the rest of the track.
Nicky Hayden: “It’s nice to be heading straight to Malaysia and not having to wait long after the disappointment of Phillip Island. I’m sure Honda will sort out the issues so that we don’t have any more mechanical failures like that one. Sepang is a circuit we know well, we do a lot of testing there in the winter although we often find that the track conditions are quite different by the time we come here for the GP. It’s not necessarily a case of putting the same settings in and it works because the track can change a lot depending on the time of year, the weather conditions and many things. It is a very demanding track with a bit of everything, a lot of acceleration, fast corners, slow corners and hairpins. You need a very balanced bike that does everything good. We don’t expect an easy weekend, we know what we are up against but I’m winding down my MotoGP races so we will try to go there and have some fun.”
Eugene Laverty: “We tested at Sepang twice at the start of the year so this weekend is a good chance to see the progress we have made over the season. It’s going to be hot there for sure, hot and slippery. Obviously the long straights there require horsepower but I think for us the interesting thing will be to see how much progress we have made with the bike and how my riding has evolved over the course of the season. I scored a podium at this circuit last season in World Superbikes and I enjoyed racing there because usually when the grip levels are low for everybody that’s good for me. So it could be a good weekend, we’ll see!”