Sweltering Sepang to test man and
machine but rubber will provide the deciding ingredient that
makes up the winning recipe
By, Trevor Hedge
Ducati will head into this
weekend’s 13th round of the MotoGP World Championship with renewed
enthusiasm. Loris Capirossi proved that he is over his injuries with
his total and complete domination of MotoGP proceedings at Brno and
Sete Gibernau is back in the hot seat after sitting on the sidelines
recovering from the injuries he sustained at Catalunya earlier in
the season.
The sweaty climes of Sepang play host to the series this weekend.
The Malaysian circuit has been kind to Ducati on previous occasions.
Sepang last year was the scene of Ducati’s best ever weekend in
MotoGP when Capirossi took victory ahead of Valentino Rossi and
fellow Ducati rider Carlos Checa to mark the first time that two
Ducati men had graced the MotoGP podium.
Capirossi’s recent return to form after a costly period of
recuperation from injury has put him back in contention for the
title. The Italian veteran is now only 50 points behind series
leader Nicky Hayden and half that margin behind second placed Dani
Pedrosa. Sepang is a track that suits both Ducati and the
Bridgestone tyres it is shod with thus Capirossi is looking to
further decrease that points deficit this weekend. His immediate
focus though is on race results rather than championship points.
"Sepang is going to be another big weekend for us.” Said Capirossi.
“Everyone is talking about the championship but I don't want to talk
about it yet. All I can say is that I will do my best at the last
five races and then we will see what happens. Like Brno, Sepang is
another good track for us and for Bridgestone. We had a great
weekend there last year - pole position and the race win - so we
will try very hard to do the same again. I like Sepang very much,
it's a great layout, very wide and with some fast corners, so it's a
lovely circuit to ride and great for fighting. Of course, the
weather is very hot but I don't mind riding in the heat, that's why
we train so hard. The big thing at Sepang is working to find the
best race tyres. The heat and the track layout make it quite tough
for tyres, so we will have to work very hard with Bridgestone to
find the right combination for the race. The next few weeks will be
very exciting for me and for everyone involved with the team. And I
am already very excited about 2007 when I will be continuing with
Ducati! I have already ridden the new GP7 at Brno and my first
impression was positive. The bike was very enjoyable to ride and
makes a great noise, but of course we still have a lot of work to
do."
While Capirossi is heading to Sepang after his best weekend of the
year at Brno, championship leader Nicky Hayden arrives in Sepang
after his most disappointing performance of the year. Hayden has a
good record at Sepang however with a trio of fourth place finishes
under his belt and he set a new lap record at the 5.54 kilometre
Malaysian circuit last year. Hayden has already covered nearly 2,500
kilometres in his 443 practice laps at Sepang before the season got
underway and is confident of a good run of results in this busy
period for the MotoGP series. “Sepang is a track we know well from
testing and I like it okay - in fact there are a few tracks coming
up that I like. I’ll pretty well approach these races like I have
all year. I’ll try to be smart and consistent and fight for the best
result each weekend. I believe in myself and I’ve got good guys
around me in this team. So I’m looking forward to it and I’m going
to try to enjoy it.”
Diminutive Spaniard Dani Pedrosa completes the Repsol Honda 1-2 at
the top of the championship table and also benefits from plenty of
testing at Sepang. “We’ve already tested at Sepang and I’ve done
many laps and this will give us a better starting point for the
weekend.” Said Pedrosa. “It means I will have the feeling for the
bike and set-up much quicker than when I go to a new race track. I
think Capirossi will be very strong here – it was a good track for
him last year – and also Hayden, Rossi and Melandri will be up
there. I like the track well enough and the layout combines all
types of sections, although I wouldn’t say it was one of my
favourites. The heat and humidity at Sepang are really high and this
is something you have to take into account. It’s not really a
problem though, because you expect it and can prepare for it. I had
a good race at Brno and the championship position is not so bad so I
hope I can keep the momentum going here.”
The indomitable Valentino Rossi is on a roll of late after
experiencing some unlucky twists of fate that saw him take no points
from China, France and America. Rossi has finished on the podium at
Sepang for the last five years, including a memorable victory for
Yamaha in 2004 and a title-clinching second place behind Loris
Capirossi (Ducati) last season. A podium finish this weekend would
see the Italian Superstar equal Giacomo Agostini’s record of 88
podium finishes in the premier class, a tally bettered only by Mick
Doohan.
“As everyone knows, Sepang is one of my favourite tracks and it’s
always great fun to ride the M1 there,” says Rossi. “We made some
really good progress in Brno so hopefully everything will work well
from Friday morning and we can fight at the top all weekend. Last
year Loris was incredibly strong in Sepang, similar to how he was
two weeks ago in Brno and I am sure that this will be the case again
this time!
“This year I can’t win the title in Malaysia so our aim once again
is to finish on the podium and take as many points as possible in
order to stay in the fight. These three races in a row are going be
very important and at the end of them the championship could be much
clearer. It’s always hard work, with a lot of flying and time
changes in a short amount of time, but we will stay focused and do
the best we can!”
Rossi’s erstwhile crew chief Jeremy Burgess rates the Sepang circuit
as one of the best on the calendar. “With the exception of Brno we
have been to some tight and fiddly tracks recently but I would call
Sepang a ‘real’ Grand Prix circuit,” explains Burgess. “Sepang is a
great test track because it has a bit of everything – from two
points that are fast enough for the riders to take in sixth gear to
some tight and twisty first gear corners. And as far as the corners
are concerned there are some you accelerate through, some you stop
at, areas where you are braking from high speeds – basically every
area of the bike gets a workout.
“Last year we got caught out on tyres but we put a lot of laps in
during the winter tests and over the last couple of races this is an
area we have focused on. A good front-end set-up is also crucial at
Sepang because there are lots of points where riders are braking at
full lean, so they need full confidence to know that the front won’t
tuck. The heat is also an important factor and the rider must be
careful not to push the tyres too early.”
Marco Melandri’s form has been a little up and down this season but
the Italian has two victories to his credit so far in 2006, a tally
that only Rossi betters and only two points separate the countrymen
as they head to Sepang. “Now is the time to take each race as it
comes because we are in the final stage of the championship and we
have to give our best all the time.” Said Melandri on the eve of
this weekends Malaysian festivities. “I’m happy to be racing in
Malaysia – it’s a nice track but one that at the same time is also
technical. It is not easy because of the amount of long corners.
Sepang is always very hot, with not much grip, and it is easy to
crash. The rider’s conditioning is one of the keys to success and
from that point of view I feel very confident. My physical
preparation is designed specifically for the level of demands you
are put under at this track – from supermotard riding to motocross
and mountain bikes. We’ve got three very contrasting circuits coming
up but I like them all and I can’t wait to get on my RC211V. Last
year I arrived in Sepang with 35 stitches in my foot so I wasn’t in
the right physical shape. Now I’m feeling confident because we have
a good base set-up for the bike which I think can help me be
consistent at each of the remaining tracks. Tyre choice at Sepang
will be another of the main keys to success.”
Casey Stoner is the only other rider in the series with a triple
digit scorecard tally but is a distant 100 points from series leader
Hayden and 50 points behind fifth placed Loris Capirossi. Stoner has
been working on the technical areas of his riding lately and hopes
to take good points this weekend to further strengthen his sixth
position on the championship table. Stoner is 9 points ahead of
Roberts and 11 points ahead of Edwards despite the fact that the
Camel Yamaha man has taken points at every round this season, while
Stoner has failed to take any points from four rounds this year.
“I am trying to adapt my style to ride a little safer on the
front-end and keep the bike a bit more upright. And I’m working with
the team on fine-tuning the front-end set-up of the bike, the
settings that I like don’t really suit me when I’m coming off the
brakes on corner entry. I’ll have to adapt my style a little, and
that’s what I did in Brno, where we also tested some different front
suspension parts. But I’m happy how the season has gone so far and I
cannot really complain, even though I haven’t finished some races,
I’ve usually been racing up front for the podium. At Sepang in the
125 and 250 classes, I thought I had an advantage, but all of the
MotoGP riders have done a lot of testing there in the winter, so the
competition will be very close this weekend.”
Suzuki have qualified well this year with both John Hopkins and
Chris Vermeulen taking pole positions but neither have managed a
podium finish on race day. Both men have led MotoGP races this year
with Hopkins enjoying four laps in first place over the course of
the season while Vermeulen has led an impressive 17 laps in his
debut season. Team Manager Paul Denning is hopeful that his young
charges can deliver good results this weekend. “John and Chris are
extremely fit and should be in the best possible condition for the
strength sapping heat of Sepang. John goes particularly well there,
and we are hoping for big things from him and Chris over these
fly-away races as the tracks should suit the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R and
the Bridgestone tyres. Suzuki keeps pushing things forward race by
race, and we hope to compete to our full potential over the next
three weekends, starting in Malaysia."
Kawasaki are pinning their hopes on a revised engine and exhaust
system which Nakano will try out for the first time during first
practice on Friday. The 28 year old has a confident outlook for the
latter part of the season. "Sepang is definitely one of my favourite
tracks, and one I know pretty well after completing so many laps
there during winter testing. I've had some good results at Sepang in
the past, and the fact that we head to Malaysia with a massive
amount of data collected during testing means that I'm quietly
confident ahead of this weekend's race. The Ninja ZX-RR already
suits the characteristics of the Sepang circuit very well, but this
time around we have a revised engine and exhaust system to evaluate
during free practice, and this could well give us a distinct
advantage this weekend. Overall, I'm looking forward to racing in
Malaysia, and I hope that I can pick up some good results here and
in Australia, and then carry that momentum through to my home Grand
Prix at Motegi."
The single most important factor in any riders performance at Sepang
will probably come down to his choice in rubber come Sunday.
Director of motorcycle racing at Michelin Nicholas Goubert reflects
on how important it is for the rider to tailor his riding style to
the performance and wear characteristics of the tyres during a race.
“Riding style is crucial to the lifespan of a tyre, especially when
temperatures are as high as they are at Sepang, Laguna Seca or
Qatar. Heat reduces grip levels and then it is up to the rider not
to slide too much and wear down the tyre, especially in the early
stages of a race.”
“Sepang isn’t one of the most aggressive circuits for tyres, but it
is quite demanding, with high track temperatures, long straights,
some heavy braking and many long right-handers which put a lot of
heat into the right side of the tyres. The front tyre is very
important at Sepang because it’s a very wide track, so the corner
entries are quite long. This should be good for both our new front
tyres, the wider profile tyre and the narrower profile with new
construction, because these tyres give better grip and more feel
during the crucial corner-entry phase. Our 2006 rear should also
help because its bigger footprint delivers improved edge grip which
is particularly important through Sepang’s longer corners. So I
think we should be quicker than last year. The big question is how
strong our competitors will be.”
And that last sentence from Goubert should be underlined. If
Bridgestone come up with the goods for the unique combination that
the Sepang circuit presents combined with the likelihood of track
temperatures approaching 60 degrees Celsius, then the Michelin men
will be racing for points rather than the race win. Both tyre
companies will be sweating on that outcome. Maybe even Dunlop will
be the rubber manufacturer that proves to have the tyre for the
conditions which could give Carlos Checa and James Ellison a crack
at some good results. Now wouldn’t that be a turn up for the books…! |
