#sepanggp

RATING THE RIDERS: ROUND 18 - MALAYSIA

MM93 - 9: Marc Marquez aka the man who wins even when he fails. #machine

AD04 - 6: Sometimes even with the best bike on the grid you cannot win.

JZ5 - 8: … And suddenly, Johann is back !

DP9 - 4: “Can we swap them, get Danilo in WSBK and keep Alvaro ?” - Every Ducati fans out there…

VR46 - 9: Fate must have something against you when you crash out of the most perfect ride you’ve been able to do all season. We don’t know about you, but we were sad.

AR42 - 8: Rise and Shine, we’re pretty certain Alex was the revelation of this Asian trip !

DP26 - 8: Hold on your tears everyone, Valencia is coming…

AB19 - 8: Can you stay Alvaro ? Please. We’re begging you.

MV25 - 7: YOUR RACE STARTS MAVERICK FFS ! #angryface

ROUND 18: MALAYSIA

Last round of the Asian tour for the MotoGP paddock took place at Sepang. The Malaysian track always provides it's lot of drama due to the weather conditions and the fair wars betweens riders going into the last part of the championship. This year Malaysian GP was no exception.

 1) Fate favors the Brave ...

 Having the start from 7th on the grid due to a "dangerous behavior being too slow on the racing line" penalty, Marc Marquez knew from the very start that the race would be a hard one and that he would have to push for the win: "It was a very, very hard race. First because we started from seventh place, so that was an extra motivation because I'd never won from the third row. The first lap was not the best of my career and I had to overtake some riders, but then I saw that Valentino was pushing really hard from the beginning. So I pushed too, but I was riding like qualifying and I overheated my tires."

Pushing is one thing, but in Marquez' case, pushing also means saving a handfull of crashes, which once again he did all weekend long: "I was just riding by instinct, not by using my head, and pushing on the limit. I was fighting against myself and the bike to be as close to Valentino to attack in the end. I nearly crashed 3-4 times during the race."

Lady luck though already had her plan moving and while Marc Marquez almost made a mistake at each lap it's Rossi who went down while he was leading at the front from Marquez and Zarco: "The plan was just to try to be there at the end! I mean, I didn't have anything more. We were both riding on the limit. A really fast pace. But he was on the limit too and I saw he was starting to struggle, but there were only 4-5 laps left so it would be very close, because our level was very equal. (...) When I was only six tenths behind he did a mistake because he was a little bit wide and when you are fighting like this you don't want to lose any time, so he tried to come back on the line too quickly and crashed. When I saw that Valentino fell, my body just relaxed and I was riding in another way, because both of us were pushing a lot."

 2) ... Or maybe it doesn't.

After a very disappointing race at Phillip Island where teammate Maverick Vinales won, Valentino Rossi was desperate to finally find the miraculous recipe to get back on the top step of the podium, and for a while, he did, thanks to the many changes his team made on the bike: “We modify a lot the bike, the setting to try and make everything help the rear tyre. At the end it worked. Already from Friday morning I felt good. We worked well with the team. We just made a small adjustment. We can be competitive for all the race. Also Maverick was not so bad, and also Zarco. Because Maverick started from very behind, no? This time the three Yamahas were quite competitive. It was more mechanical [than electronics changes]. In the last races we improved the electronics, like three or four races ago that helped a bit. But now it’s more mechanical. For me the problems are not fixed and we have to improve. Like I said, we worked well on the software but we have to make something more in the hardware from Japan. I think we need some details, especially in the electronics and also in the engine. We speak a lot with the Japanese and it looks like it will work.”

But fate, karma or whatever you would like to call it had other plans for Rossi and so, even though he made a pitch perfect race start and went on to do a fantastic job at leading the race, the only mistake made by the italian proved to be lethal for his hopes of a win: “It’s a mixed feeling. From one side I’m very happy for the race because it’s the best race of the season for me and also it was coming in difficult conditions at a difficult track for us. This is very important. On the other side it’s a great, great shame. I’m very disappointed for the mistake. To make a race like this and go home with zero points is frustrating, yes. We have to say it’s my first mistake of the season because I arrived always at the end except in Argentina. But maybe it’s the worst moment. But like you said, I’m devastated for the crash. But I’m also happy because anyway we lived the dream for 15 laps. After the victory of my brother also, it can be a great, great day. But it’s like this.”

The crash cost Valentino Rossi a lot as this zero point taken makes him lose the runner up position in the championship standings to Dovizioso and he will now have to fight against Vinales for 3rd at Valencia, a track he doesn't keep close to his heart: “Also today the result can be very important also for the championship because if I don’t win and I arrive second I close the third place with Maverick and I can be five points from Dovi [Andrea Dovizioso] for second in Valencia. Now Dovi has gone and we have to fight with Maverick for the third place. But I think Valencia is an important weekend because it’s one of the most difficult tracks. If we are able to be strong also there it’s positive."

Valentino might have lost the 2nd place in the standings but he did won back the admiration of many fans who were desperate to see him do well again. He also impressed his former teammate Jorge Lorenzo who congratulated and praised him on twitter:

JL99: "Apart from the crash, I've never seen Valentino Rossi so consistent. More than 10 laps in just 1 tenth at the hottest and longest track impressed me. And some said he started to feel his age after last race"

Such praise coming from the number 99 could only soften Rossi who answered: "Grazie  Jorge!"

We couln't be happier to see them finally having a respectfull releationship !

 3) Behind Marquez

Behind the race winner, Alex Rins took another podium leading him to a fantastic 2nd half of the season: "Our Suzuki is going very good. The factory deserves it. They have done a really good job during all the season, because since Qatar I felt we had a very competitive bike. But it looks like since the middle of the season we did a very big step. At Assen, Suzuki brought me a new engine, with a little bit more top-end power, and since this point we improved a lot. We were able to hold the slipstream and fight with Yamaha and Honda on the straight. And then also I think the experience of trying to control more the tyres and electronics. Suzuki are now working for next year, taking a lot of information, and already Guintoli is trying a new engine that looks very good. We will see what happens next year. For sure I will give my best to try to beat these guys and be more constant at the front."

 It's been a while since Johann Zarco was able to fight for pole positions and race podiums but in Malaysia, like his yamaha teammates, the frenchman was back to his old self and fought for the 2nd place most of the race, only giving it away to Rins at the very end: "The strong beginning of the race was key for the podium. I had a great start from pole and it helped me to go well in the first two corners. Valentino was pushing a lot and going so fast. I was not able to overtake him,  but following him was good enough to go away and save the podium. Later I did a mistake in corner 14 and Marc overtook me very cleanly and then I tried to stay behind him. I expected Marc could catch Vale quickly but instead he was closing step-by-step. I lost a little bit to him, but I was able to keep a good pace and have a bigger gap to the guys behind me. After Valentino crashed I was second, again with a good gap, I thought I could control it but five laps from the end I saw on the pit board that Alex was coming maybe five-tenths per lap faster than me! I tried to push but I was not fast enough and in the last lap when he overtook me in turn four I wanted to overtake him again and fight a little bit. But there wasn't the possibility and I almost crashed in turn 11. I got the podium last year here in tricky conditions, but this year was like a real constant race and the strong beginning helped me finish on the podium. Third is just a fantastic present because I'm now the first Independent rider. I'll try to keep it in Valencia and being on the same points as Rins means whoever finishes in front can be in the top five of the championship."

Now the paddock is heading back to Europe and back to Spain for Valencia and it’s legendary end of the season race. Jorge Lorenzo should make a full comeback after a failed attempt at Sepang. Rossi and Vinales will fight against each other for the 3rd place in the standings while the Team, Best independent and Rookie of the year titles are still to be given away.