MotoGP

 

The MotoGP™ race at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix was won by MotoGP™ World Champion Marc Marquez in the scorching afternoon heat at Sepang, with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo also on the podium.

A huge crowd of more than 80,000 fans witnessed a great MotoGP race with Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) winning for the first time since Silverstone – riding superbly at round 17 and coming from behind after dropping back from pole on the first lap.

Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) took the early initiative in the race after a first crash by Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) who lost the front around Turn 15 while in second place.

Pedrosa recovered to 11th before suffering a second crash.
Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) took the lead at midrace stage as he got in front of Lorenzo and was followed through by Marquez. Two laps later Marquez pushed in front of the Italian and he built up a sufficient gap to defend his lead.

Marquez’s victory is the 12th of his second season in MotoGP, equaling Mick Doohan’s record of most premier class victories in a single season. The result seals the premier class Constructor’s title for Honda and ends a run of four Yamaha victories.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) beat Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) to the line for fourth as the Englishman closed in on the last lap, only to run long on the final corner.

Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3) rode bravely to sixth place, having broken a bone in his foot in a big crash on Saturday.

Yonny Hernandez (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing) crossed the line seventh, staying upright having almost collided with Pol Espargaro’s rear wheel midrace.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was on course fourth again before he dropped several positions to eighth in the final laps, apparently suffering from a technical issue.

The top ten was completed by Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) and Scott Redding (GO&FUN Honda Gresini).
Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) and Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) both fell at Turn 1 on the second lap.

A mechanical problem forced an early retirement for Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team), his third DNF in three races.
Turn 9 saw Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar) lose the front as he chased his teammate Hiroshi Aoyama at the back of the top ten. Fellow Open Honda rider Karel Abraham (Cardio AB Motoracing) crashed some laps later.

Danilo Petrucci (Octo IodaRacing Team) retired with five laps to go, having been in a point scoring position. Hiroshi Aoyama (Drive M7 Aspar) also fell, but was able to remount and finish 11th.

 

Moto2

 

Tito Rabat won the Moto2™ title at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix taking third place in a race won by Maverick Viñales, with Mika Kallio in second place.

Rabat made a good start from pole and looked like he would run away at the front but he rode calmly, doing enough to become a World Champion with a race to spare. With ten laps to go Rabat dropped from the race lead to third place as Kallio and Viñales punched through, with the latter eventually winning by 2.694s.

Rabat finished just over 2.5s clear of Johann Zarco for the final rostrum spot, winning the title and celebrating his 13th podium of a fantastic year with the Marc VDS Racing Team.

It was a third win in four Moto2 races for reigning Moto3™ World Champion Viñales, as he prepares to move up to MotoGP™ with Suzuki next year. For Kallio the title fight is over, but he produced another solid performance for his 10th podium result of 2014.

Also in the top five were Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing) and Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert). The top ten was completed by Julian Simon (Italtrans Racing Team), Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP), Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Sitag), Jonas Folger (AGR Team) and Marcel Schrotter (Tech 3).

Gino Rea (AGT Rea Racing) fell at Turn 2 on the first lap, causing Nico Terol (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2) to drop his Suter to avoid the fallen rider. Rea was later diagnosed with three broken bones in his right foot.

Franco Morbidelli (Italtrans Racing Team) crashed but rejoined in order to continue learning the Malaysian circuit. Randy Krummenacher (Octo IodaRacing Team) and Sam Lowes (SpeedUp) both fell at the last corner of the track midrace, remounting after. Lowes would pit with five laps remaining however.

Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Louis Rossi (SAG Team) both fell and were unable to rejoin. Home rider Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Racline Malaysia) crashed out of tenth after a lightning start to the race. Axel Pons (AGR Team) retired to the pits with a technical issue.

 

Moto3

 

An enthralling Moto3™ race at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix saw Efren Vazquez take the win, with Jack Miller and Alex Rins also on the podium. Alex Marquez was fifth and the title battle will rage on in Valencia.

Vazquez (SaxoPrint-RTG) rode brilliantly in the hot conditions at Sepang with an aggressive battle fought at the front, as championship rivals Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) touched several times.

Vazquez was able to cross the line first, for his second win this year and the second of his long career. Miller was second by a 0.213s margin with Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0) close by in third.

Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo) and Marquez fought hard on the final lap, with Kent taking fourth. Marquez’s lead at the head of the standings was reduced to 11 points with one round remaining.

The top ten was completed by Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold), Niccolo Antonelli (Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3), Jakub Kornfeil (Calvo Team), Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Enea Bastianini (Junior Team Go&FUN Moto3).

Miguel Oliveira (Mahindra Racing) was the first faller in the race as he battled in the top ten. Andrea Migno (Mahindra Racing) and local hero Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Ongetta-AirAsia) both collided, ending their races. There was another incident involving Scott Deroue (RW Racing GP), Matteo Ferrari (San Carlo Tam Italia) and Hafiza Rofa (SIC-Ajo), with the latter rejoining the race.

Isaac Viñales (Calvo Team) fell as he attempted to chase down the leading group. John McPhee (SaxoPrint-RTG) crashed as he pushed for his first podium.

There were retirements for Jasper Iwema (CIP), Ramdam Rosli (Petrons AHM Malaysia). They were joined in the pits by Niklas Ajo (Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo) and Brad Binder (Ambrogio Racing).

Teammates Romano Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) also entered the pits with technical problems.

 

Source: motogp.com