MotoGP 2003 - Round 14 - Sepang - Pramac Honda Preview Rio

Just the time it takes to pack up the flying cases and the World Championship "circus" wings its way to Malaysia. This weekend, Sepang will provide the setting for the third from last round of the 2003 season.

Another extremely important week will follow, on Phillip Island in the south of Australia, before the grand finale back in the Old World in Valencia.

Fifty kilometres south of Kuala Lumpur, the international circuit at Sepang is a modern facility of colossal size. The track, one of the longest, covers no less than 5.548 kilometres. Recently built, the track is a monument to entertainment and speed. It was constructed in little over a year, fully respecting all the most demanding safety standards.

Four slow corners alternate with some very fast ones and the right amount of straights where the engines can unleash all the power they contain. The track is 25 metres wide and the length of the straights make overtaking possible at extremely high speeds. An eye has to be kept on the weather, however: it can be hot, sometimes torrid, with a high level of humidity in the air that can test the physical fitness of the riders to the limit. The weather is very often hard to forecast, and is another unknown factor to be taken into account. In other words, Sepang has all it takes to ensure a very special weekend. And of course the 2003 MotoGP world title may well be won on Sunday.

Having led the way in the race at Motegi from the third lap right through to the end, four-times world champion Massimiliano Biaggi left his rivals breathless as he consistently maintained his phenomenal pace. A brilliant, peremptory victory that puts him even closer to second place in the overall ratings currently held by Sete Gibernau. And this could be exactly what Biaggi is aiming for in this 2003 season: making second place in the World Championship. The gap separating him from the Catalan rider is not that big: 25 points, the number given for victory, with 75 left to be assigned, so it's not impossible. Max might yet make it.

With the help of Tohru's seventh place at Motegi, the Camel Pramac Pons Team scored 34 points in the Land of the Rising Sun and is firmly in second place in the special team ratings. On Sunday the contest will take place at Sepang: last year it was won by Biaggi, who also set the new circuit record: 2'04.925. The conditions are just right for him to repeat his success.

Excluded from the final race standings at Motegi after his disqualification by the Race Direction, just over an hour after making the podium for the second time in a row, Makoto Tamada found he had lost all he had gained. A pity, because the Japanese had ridden a determined and very exciting race, coming in third over the finish line. The strong personality and fibre of the Pramac Honda Team rider helped him get over a difficult moment, and after a couple of days with his family in Japan, Tamada flew into Sepang. His comment clearly shows his desire to look ahead and keep concentrating on the last three races leading up to the end of the 2003 season on circuits where he has already tried out his RC211V.

A slight advantage over the other races where he rode on tracks he had never seen before. In the long and exhausting winter test sessions - in the months of January and February - Makoto came both here to Sepang and to Phillip Island, while in March, just after the official announcement of the team, he got to grips with the Valencia circuit, the last venue this year. Pramac Honda Team's Japanese rider knows the last three circuits as well as he needs to, and the competitive level of the entire technological "package" has improved remarkably, so now is the time to stick the course and go all out for the best results.

"I know I rode a great race at Motegi, worthy of the prestige of a World Championship like the MotoGP. Sure, I was sorry about the disqualification, it really ruined things. For this reason, and because I don't want there to be any misunderstandings about the matter, I met Sete Gibernau on Sunday evening to clear things up, as I realised he felt my action had harmed him during the race and, as far as I'm concerned the case is closed. Now I'm just aiming to win a race, if I can, before the end of the year, and I want to do it in the clearest, most transparent manner possible, without creating the slightest misunderstanding or discontent. The next three races are on circuits where I've already been able to try out my Honda RC211V, and we can count on a greater level of competitiveness than at the beginning of the year: this is partly due to the extraordinary job that Bridgestone have been doing for us. Everything's in place for us to aim for the top. I spent a couple of days at home before coming here, and I'd like to thank all my fans for their contributions to my Internet site. With their support the help I got from the team, I've been able to clear my mind of Motegi and concentrate on the end of the season in absolute tranquillity."