The Repsol Honda Team kicked off their defence of the MotoGP World Championship by having 2011 MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner and team-mate Dani Pedrosa take the wraps off their all-new Honda RC213Vs at a news conference on the eve of the start of the official testing season in Sepang, Malaysia. Joining the riders was HRC Executive Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto, who gave a brief and light-hearted technical presentation while making certain not to reveal too many secrets.

The 2011 Repsol Honda three-rider team dominated last year’s championship, winning 13 of 17 races and finishing first, third, and fourth overall. Stoner led the way, winning ten times and clinching his second MotoGP World Championship on a emotional day in his home grand prix at Phillip Island, Australia. Stoner had a nearly flawless season, with podium appearances in every race but one, when he was knocked to the ground early in the Spanish Grand Prix. That turned out to be a minor setback, with Stoner winning the title by 90 points. Then Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso finished third, with Pedrosa finishing a close fourth, despite missing four races after being knocked out of the French Grand Prix. Pedrosa won three times and added six other podiums.

The Honda RC213V replaces the championship-winning 800cc RC212V as the MotoGP World Championship begins a new1000cc era. The machine was developed over the course of the last season, with Stoner testing it three times and Pedrosa twice, with continuous development and testing being done in Japan. Pedrosa finished the 2011 season by topping Stoner in the end-of-season test in Valencia, Spain.

The riders begin their three-day test yesterday, at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). Following this test, the riders will return in 26 days for a second test before finishing the testing season in Spain at Jerez de la Frontera in late March.

The return to Sepang was bittersweet for the Repsol Honda Team. It was here that Honda’s rising star Marco Simoncelli lost his life in a racing accident on the second lap of the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix. The entire Repsol Honda team visited the corner where “Super Sic” lost his life, laid a wreath of flowers, and held a minute’s silence.

Casey Stoner finished on the podium in nearly every round last season on his way to winning the championship

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda RC213V:
“We haven’t started this year, and going from 800s to 1000s I think it’s going to be a little bit more interesting during the pre-season, trying to understand where everybody’s level is, as well as what everybody’s machine level is. We know we have a lot of work to do now before the first race and that’s what we’re focused on doing. But how we can envision this championship going, we have no idea.

“We’re just going to do the best job we can at these tests, try and put ourselves in the best position we can for race one and start the championship well. But we don’t really know everybody else’s level or where we’re going to have to improve. I think Honda have done a fantastic job to give us this bike that we’re going to start with and hopefully we can improve it over these next tests. Hopefully, we’re going to do a little bit better job than the other manufacturers.”

After suffering from injury in 2011, Dani Pedrosa will return to Honda fully fit and in his best physical shape in years

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda RC213V:
“Yes, it’s clear I’ve been good all this time. I could enjoy the holidays and think of other things than being in the hospital or things in recovery. So I could be with family and friends and enjoy the time.

“About the season, as Casey (Stoner) said, there are lots of things to feel in the pre-season, a lot of tests and we have to figure out how we are for the first race. How the rivals are also. And just work, because it’s going to be for sure a long season and the battles are going to be strong, as always. It can be similar to last season or it can be different. Nobody knows at the moment, but actually the thing is to work hard and keep the head until the end.”

Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC Executive Vice President:
“The engine and chassis were developed last year because of the regulation change. We kept the same concept from the last year’s 800 machine. We expect this machine to be competitive enough to win the championship again this year. Even with the 800 machine you must reduce the power from first through fourth gear. With the 800, fifth gear, sixth gear, we could use the full power, then in a straight line.

“Of course this machine is a little bit faster. But time was gained only in fifth and sixth gear in the acceleration area. At the same time, the top speed is higher, meaning sometimes you must brake a little bit earlier. Then the cornering performance, if the chassis or tyres are virtually the same, it means that the cornering performance is exactly the same. So the new engine couldn’t make such a big difference. Then if you want gain the time, therefore you need more braking stability. And also we are having our chattering problems that we have to fix. Then I expect, of course, the lap time is better than 800, but not such a big difference, I expect.”

The MotoGP fraternity will revisit the scene of one of the most tragic incidences in the history of the motorcycling world championships, when all riders return to the Sepang International Circuit for the first official MotoGP testing starting on the 31st of January.

It will be an emotional return for all the MotoGP riders as this will be first time the riders will return to Sepang International Circuit after the tragic death of San Carlo Honda Gresini rider, Marco Simoncelli last October 2011, during the Malaysian MotoGP.

On a positive note, Sepang is set to kick off another exciting season with the first MotoGP official testing on the 31st January to the 2nd February followed by the second testing session on the 28th February to 1st March.

“MotoGP will be back and the action start here in Sepang. And, the new season looks set to be the most emotional and exciting ever,” declared Datuk Ahmad Razlan Ahmad Razali, the Chief Executive Officer of Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

“There’s perennial favourite, Valentino Rossi who will adorn Ducati colours for the second consecutive season; defending champion, Casey Stoner with Honda and Dani Pedrosa. There will also be a debut for Moto2 champion, Stefan Bradl.

“More good news for the fans as 2010 champion, Jorge Lorenzo will be back in action on Yamaha’s new factory YZR-M1 MotoGP bike at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia on January 31st.

“It will be the first time he will be on a MotoGP bike since his 2011 season was ended in premature and painful fashion when he crashed during the warm-up session for the Australian Grand Prix which forced him to miss the last two races in Sepang and Valencia,” said Razlan, adding that the MotoGP riders last tested their bikes in November in Valencia after the final race of 2011.

SIC’s reputation as one of the few circuits around to be selected as the official circuit for MotoGP testing is a testament to the excellent safety features and technical specifications of the track.

“SIC is proud to be one of the few circuits to be the official circuit for MotoGP testing and our circuit is favourable and well-liked by both riders and especially manufacturers in developing their bikes,” said Razlan.

“The presence of the riders is also a main draw for the fans from Malaysia and around the world and provides numerous economic impacts to our country through income from tourism spending.

“Tourists who come for the MotoGP testing will boost our country’s economy by spending on hotels, shopping and other activities during their stay in Malaysia,” added Razlan.

The first of two official testing with the second test scheduled later in the final week of February will see 21 teams testing with the new Claiming Rule Team (CRT) bikes and riders making their debut on the circuit.

Among the new CRT teams making their first appearance on the grid are Edwards (Forward Racing), Danilo Petrucci (Ioda Racing Project), Anthony West (Speed Master), Randy De Puniet (Aspar Team), Aleix Espargaro (Aspar Team), Ivan Silva (BQR-FTR), Michele Pirro (Honda Gresini), Yonny Hernandez (BQR-FTR) and James Ellison (Paul Bird Racing).

From 2012, teams not entered by one of the major manufacturers may seek Claiming Rule Team (CRT) status. CRT is intended to allow independent teams to be competitive at a lower cost and increase the number of entries in MotoGP.

Although the initial verdict was that the CRT bikes will be slower than the Prototype MotoGP bikes that will be on the grid, Colin Edwards, has given the thumbs up after testing the BMW/Suter CRT at Jerez with the overall impression being that the bike was better than he first expected.

The debut of these new CRT bikes will provide more excitement and proves a challenge to the traditional 800cc MotoGP prototype bikes and we look forward for the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix come 19th to 21st October.

Sepang’s MotoGP official tests will also give the fans the first glimpse of the riders and their new machines for the new season, including defending champion, Casey Stoner and perennial fan favourite, Valentino Rossi.

Ducati Corse boss Filippo Preziosi recently previewed the technical details of the 2012 Ducati Desmosecici that Rossi and Nicky Hayden will ride this season.

“The GP12 is a complete redesign of bike tested by Rossi in Valencia, but it will look deceivingly similar. It will still sport an aluminum perimetric frame and carbon swingarm, but they are new editions and the only components that actually remain the same are parts of the front (forks and steering components).

He assured that the rest of the bike is completely redesigned, stating: “Ninety percent of the parts are brand new.”

He also offered that with new chassis, the engine position will be able to be adjusted more, though declined to provide details regarding changes to the V angle (the angle between the two banks of the four cylinders) of the GP12 engine, which Ducati has traditionally run at a larger angle than their competitors using a V-four configuration.

In conjunction with the MotoGP pre-season test session in SIC, the main grandstand will be opened for fans to watch it for free while enjoying special early bird ticket promotion for the 2012 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Additional to that, whoever purchases a MotoGP ticket at the circuit during the testing session, can also enjoy a 50% discount on tickets for the 2012 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix hillstand tickets from just RM30.

“For the test, we will be opening the Main Grandstand for Malaysian fans to come and see their idols in action. There will be no charge and fans could take advantage of their trip to buy the discounted tickets from only RM40 for MotoGP race in October and a special 50% discount on hillstand tickets for F1. Fans get to enjoy both international events such as F1 and MotoGP for less than RM100.” said Razlan.

Main Grandstand – (RM150.00)
* Early Bird RM100.00 – Save RM50

K1 Grandstand – (RM100.00)
* Early Bird RM60.00 – Save RM40

F Grandstand – (RM70.00)
* RM40.00 – Save RM30

B Hillstand (Daily) – (RM18.00)

K2 Hillstand (Daily) – (RM18.00)

MotoGP 2012 season will start from 8th April at Qatar. Please refer to the full listing for 2012 below.

FIM Provisional 2012 MotoGP World Championship Calendar

2012 Formula 1 PETRONAS Grand Prix (23-25 March)
F1 TICKET PRICES for HILLSTAND TICKETS
(valid only at SIC during MotoGP testing)

C2 Hillstand (covered) – RM120.00
50% DISCOUNT – RM60.00

C1 Hillstand (non-covered) – RM60.00
50% DISCOUNT – RM30.00

C3 Hillstand (non-covered) RM60.00
50% DISCOUNT – RM30.00

K2 Hillstand (non-covered)RM60.00
50% DISCOUNT – RM30.00

The Superlight R300 Championship will also be part of the revamped Malaysian Super Series calendar next year featuring 4 rounds of explosive racing action at the Sepang International Circuit.

The Circuit, which hosts the World’s best drivers for the Formula 1 Malaysia Grand Prix each year, will see a grid of 16 or more race prepared R300s do battle in what is considered to be one of the closest and most competitive championships in motorsport.

With their proven 175bhp Ford Duratec 2.0-litre engines and dedicated race chassis, the R300 Championship is currently the ultimate Caterham Seven series.

The expansion of the R300 Championship, having established itself as one of the finest motorsport series in the UK and Europe, will see the existing formula replicated in Malaysia but will be held exclusively at the Sepang International Circuit. The new championship will be backed by AirAsia with the first race weekend commencing in 25th – 27th May, 2012.

Ansar Ali, Chief Executive of Caterham Cars, said: “We’re hugely excited to be officially launching the championship and demonstrating how fantastic Caterham Seven racing is, especially at such a renowned circuit which the Formula 1 drivers enjoy so much.

“We already have plans to expand the grids to over 40 cars in the coming years; we know how much appetite there is for motorsport in the East and this is a terrific platform on which to continue expanding our motorsport and road car business in this part of the world.”

Operating the series will be Caterham Motorsport’s Malaysian partner, the prominent Thunder Asia Racing Team, run by Raja Zaini. It will manage race package sales, build the race vehicles, provide technical support, transport and race organisation. All this for   RM150,000 package for a five-race season per driver.

Please visit http://www.caterham.co.uk or call 0044-1883-333-700 for more information.

Team Proton R3 finishes 4th overall and 4th in Class 2 in the Sepang 1,000km (S1K) with the pair of Syafiq Ali and Syahrizal Jamaludin with a time of 8 hours and 50 minutes. This is the 3rd edition of the S1K with 28 competitors starting the race on a hot afternoon. The S1K is an event specially catered for cars up to 1,600cc(Class 2), and up to 1,900cc(Class 1).

Conditions were extremely hot as the drivers lined up on the grid for the start. There was no relief from the heat as the expected rain
stayed away for the duration of the race. Not just a test of machinery, drivers not only had to battle with in-car temperatures hovering around 50 degress celcius but with other competitors as well. Although an endurance race, there were many pitched battles right
from the start resembling a sprint race as drivers fought hard for track position.

It was an especially satisfying result for Syafiq and Syahrizal as brake problems early on in the race meant an extra long pitstop to fix
the problem and seeing them drop down the order to 7th and 2 laps behind the leader.

For R3′s other pair of Faidzil Alang and James Veerapen who started in pole position, luck was not on their side as they were forced into retirement with mechanical problems after 4 hours and 30 minutes of racing on lap 96. Fadizil Alang, the newly crowned Malaysian Super Series Champion was one of the favourites to win this event and was leading the race by 1 lap over its nearest rival before retiring.

The tough conditions during the race eventually saw more than a quarter of the competitors who started, retire during the course of
the event.

Commenting on the race, the Head of PROTON Motorsports Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood said,”We are happy with the 4th place result in what was a very challenging race. i would like to congratulate our R3 team for their tenacity and drive in their commitment to win and dedication for this race.”

“We are of course disappointed with the retirement of one of our cars, but racing is an unpredictable sport with many variables that can change the outcome of a race. Overall, we ran a good strong race and will take back with us plenty of new technical data to prepare for the race season in 2012.”

“A strong 4th place finish in an endurance race such is still a great result, as just finishing the event is considered a victory for
everyone.” said John Chacko, Director of PROTON Group Marketing, Branding and Motorsports.

“We were also very encouraged as more than half of the competitors were participating in Proton cars which is testament to not only the sporty nature but durability of our cars.”

“We will be back in the national race series next year and will always be committed to winning all our races” he added.

Proving that the old adage, slow and steady wins the race holds true in endurance racing, Type R Racing Team waited patiently before going for the kill to win their second title in the Class 2 after a gruelling 9 hours Sepang 1000 KM at the Sepang International Circuit last night.

Using their experience as champions in the inaugural edition in 2009 and runners up the following year, the trio of Lai Wee Sing, Soh Kee Koon, ‘Boy’ Wong Yew Choong produced a controlled performance in their Toyota Altis to finish head and shoulders above the rest, completing the 181 lap race with a time of 8 hours 48.06.567.

Starting third on the grid, behind the 2 more fancied Proton R3 Racing Team machines, Type R fell back to 9th place on the first hour, as a strategy to conserve energy with 22 laps completed.

One hour later, they were up to 6th and then began their assault on the front pack led by pole sitter, Faidzil Alang and James Veerapan in a Satria.

By the 5th hour, they were content to sit in second as Faidzil and James’ machine suffered a mechanical failure, which put paid to their hopes of wresting the title for the title for the first time in S1 K debuted in 2009.

Into the last hour, they finally made their move to overtake Keifli Othman, Halim Mu’azzam, Kesavamoorthy Ayyavvu to finish 1:59.871 above their closest challengers from JC Racing who made the leap from 6th place at the start.

And that wasn’t the end of the story as Type R Racing were made to wait anxiously as their win was vehemently protested by their fellow competitors, alleging their Toyota Altis of not fulfilling the requirements of a 1.6L car.

“We were confident our car met the requirements. If not we were just as happy if the organizers were to award us RM500 as our prize money to cover our food expenses,” said Boy Wong cheekily.

Their competitor’s protest did not hold water after the organizers declared that Type R Racing had done the necessary modifications to replace the 1.8L engine with the required 1.6L.

Class 1, which saw 3 entries was won by Lim Chun Beng/Vincent Ng in a Toyota Celica, finishing eighth overall, 10 laps behind with a time of 8 hours 49:02.989.

“Our aim was to maintain our consistency throughout the race. This is our first win as we debut in the S1K,” said a delighted Chun Beng.

A total of 28 cars featured at the grid during the flag off at 1 pm by SIC’s Board of Director, Datuk Muhammad Aini Taib with 9 cars failing to finish when the race ended at 9.30pm.

PROTON Motorsports will be hoping to cap a wonderful season in the local and international racing scene with a win in the Sepang 1000 KM, putting the icing on the cake for what has been an incredible 2011 for the renowned domestic motorsports giant.

Led by their R3 Racing Team, Faidzil Alang & co will be aiming to end their barren run since the event began in 2009, completing an unprecedented hat-trick of titles in the local and international racing scene for Proton Motorsports after dominating the Asia Pacific Rally Championship and Malaysian Touring Car Championships (MTC) in the Malaysian Super Series (MSS).

Faidzil will be hoping to continue his good form last weekend when he bagged the overall title in the MTC finishing the season with a whopping 230 points, 80 points above team mate, Syafiq Ali in a 1-2 finish for R3.

“Of course everyone wants to win, our target is to finish the race, winning it is a bonus. It’s been a good year for Proton thus far.

“It’s good if we can make our bosses happy. It’s the last event of the year and we’ll be hoping to finish the year with a bang,” said the boyish looking 40 year old at the pre-race press conference at the Sepang International today.

Faidzil was joined by his co-driver, James Veerapan in a Satria Neo and fellow team mates, Syafiq and Syahrizal Jamaludin in a Gen 2.

Also attending the press conference were fellow competitors in the Class 2 (up to 1600 cc), Red Bull Rookies Racing Team and Thunder Asia Racing Team.

Although short of experience, Red Bull Rookies will be banking on their youthful adrenaline in their quest to finish the grueling 9 hours, 181 laps race.

“Our target is to finish the race and to avoid any accidents. I have some experience racing before in the Formula BMW and hope to share my experience with my other team mates,” said Siti Syakirah, 19 who competed in the support series at the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix this year.

Completing the line-up are Fauziah Haziz, 26 and Amirah, 21. Thunder Asia Racing Team opted to take a relaxed approach to the race illustrated by the easy going nature of their driver, Melvin Choo.

“We came here for a holiday after a hard season of racing. This race is more of a team bonding exercise, rather to enjoy the race and have fun while we are at it,” said Melvin.

Melvin who has experience racing in Super GT will be joined by Asian Touring Car Champion, Eric Yeo and female Japanese driver, Hiroko Nakamura.

Qualifying begins tomorrow while the flag off for the race is at1 pm Saturday. The race is scheduled to end at10 pm.

Besides watching the action unfold at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), fans would also get the opportunity to purchase exclusive Formula One tickets for the unbelievable price of RM10. For a limited time only, 1,000 hill stand tickets will be up for grabs for the fans on a first come first serve basis.

Tickets will be sold at the pass collection centre @ PG3 (just before paddock tunnel) and Corporate Suite 6, Main Grandstand Mall Area. Counter tickets will be opened during the duration of the race and will continue to be open even after all the 1000 tickets have been sold.

Those who miss out on the exclusive RM10 tickets can still opt to purchase Early Bird F1 tickets,  with tickets going for 50% less except for Main Grandstand.

SIC Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Razlan Razali, in announcing this exclusive once in a life time  promotion, explained the rationale behind the offer, saying that it was SIC’s way to thank  the fans for their support during the 14 years of F1 in Malaysia.

“This exclusive offer should by no means consider as a sales strategy, rather as a way for SIC to thank the fans for their support during the 14 years of F1 in Malaysia.

“SIC as the home of motorsports and we play a big part in promoting motorsports  in Malaysia. We want more fans, from all walks of life to come and experience the real thrill of motorsports, and what better way for them to do that, than to come to Malaysian Grand Prix.

Besides ticket sales, there will be many other side activities held during the race including pocket bikes demonstrations, drifting, go-kart rides and motorclub gatherings.

For the fans, they will be in for a treat as it would only cost them RM30 to enjoy the drift demonstration and taxi ride at PA1, pocket bike and go-kart ride from9 amto5 pm.

The year 2011 is set to end with a bang at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) as the Sepang 1000 KM (S1K), enters its third edition this December, providing the perfect climax to what has already been an unforgettable season of racing at SIC.

A spin off from the popular Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race (MMER), the Sepang 1000 KM will be back to thrill fans on the 1st to 3rd December, pitting production cars below 1,900cc and drivers from as far as Japan in a mini version of an endurance race.

SIK, which has had its first two editions in the first week of June, decided to schedule the race in early December this time around to reflect S1 K’s status as the new racing season finale and to provide additional time for the participants to prepare their cars.

“The main reason for the change in S1K is to provide more time for participants to prepare their cars. Scheduling it to the end of the year will also be a highlight for the year; and also to finish off the year with a big event.

“We would also like new racers to have more practice by participating in the Malaysian Super Series rounds before venturing into more challenging S1K immediately.

“We also want the S1K to be a platform for teams and individual racers to progress a step further in the MMER the following year, SIK will also be positioned as the finale for SEA Asia Championship for the year and will be expecting participants from around the region and emulating the historic Macau GP,” added Razlan.

Besides the rescheduling of the race which reflects S1 K as SIC’s new season finale, this year’s race would also see major changes in its race regulations in a bid to move Malaysian motorsports forward in terms of development, progress and safety. “A major change in the S1K this year is on the cars’ eligibility; in which only cars from 2006 and beyond will be allowed to participate. This is to move forward for Malaysian motorsports in terms of development, progress and safety,” said Razlan.

“The race cars will be eligible to race in SIC for a minimum for five years to justify the investment by the teams and drivers. “It was also decided as we want to see more variety of manufacturers and have received positive feedback from Honda, Toyota, Renault, Peugeot and even Proton.

“We may see a decline at first as teams and drivers are still either selling their old race cars or still in the midst of acquiring the right race cars. Some may also take a wait and see attitude … after many discussions, we decided that we need to move forward and move on onto newer cars.

This year’s race will see 23 cars on the grid with local car manufacturers, Proton leading the way with 15 cars set to do battle in the Class 2.

Proton will also have a representative in the premier Class 1 as Team ASG take to the track in a Proton Inspira led by Krish Shanmugam, Alex Ritchie and Ryan Ritchie.

Besides watching the action unfold, fans would also get the opportunity to purchase exclusive Formula One tickets for the unbelievable price of RM10. For a limited time only, 1,000 hillstand tickets will be up for grabs for the fans on a first come first serve basis.

Tickets will be sold at the pass collection centre @ PG3 (just before paddock tunnel) and Corporate Suite 6, Main Grandstand Mall Area. Counter tickets will be opened during the duration of the race and will continue to be open even after all the 1000 tickets have been sold.

Those who miss out on the exclusive RM10 tickets can still opt to purchase Early Bird F1 tickets, with tickets going for 50% less except for Main Grandstand.

SIC Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Razlan Razali in announcing this exclusive once in a life time promotion, explained the rationale behind the offer, saying that it was SIC’s way to thank the fans for their support during the 13 years of F1 in Malaysia.

“This exclusive offer should by no means considered as a sales strategy, rather as a way for SIC to thank the fans for their support during the 13 years of F1 in Malaysia.

“SIC as the home of motorsports and we play a big part in promoting motorsports in Malaysia. We want more fans, from all walks of life to come and experience the real thrill of motorsports, and what better way for them to do that, than to come to Malaysian Grand Prix.

Besides ticket sales, there will be many other side activities held during the race including pocket bikes demonstrations, drifting, go-kart rides and motorclub gatherings.

Entrance is free to watch the race. Paddock passes will be on sale at the paddock entrance.

Malaysia’s premier national motorsports championship will be undergoing a revamp next season in light of current rule changes which will be introduced for the MotoGP in 2012.

With the introduction of Moto3, replacing the 125 cc, Sepang International Circuit (SIC) – the organizers of the MSS – are in the midst of creating a 250 cc platform for local riders to facilitate their entry into the world championships.

“From next year onwards, there will be no 125 cc class as it will be replaced by the Moto3. There will be a Moto3 wildcard next year, and MSS will be the best platform for the riders to make their way into the world championships,” said SIC Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Razlan Razali at the cocktail party in conjunction of the MSS finale last weekend.

“We are in the midst of discussions with Boon Siew Honda and Kawasaki to create a new 250 cc platform to aid in the development of motorsports.

“If all goes well, I hope to convey to you all the good news by the end of next month. The 250 cc platform will also aid in the development of riders who want to make the transition into the 600 cc,” added Razlan.

FIM have announced from next season onwards, the introduction of a new Moto3 class, with 250cc four-stroke engines featuring as a replacement for the 125cc bikes – meaning all three classes of MotoGP will feature four-stroke machines.

Meanwhile, the MSS finale was a nail biting affair as Muhammad Zamri Baba emerged victorious in the Supersports category, edging in front of his closest rival, Ahmad Fuad Baharuddin by the narrowest of margins.

The Petronas Yamaha Malaysia rider finished at the top of the standings with 190 points, identical to Ahmad Fuad (Bike Art Racing) but was announced overall champion based on his greater number of wins.

His two wins in Race 1 and 2 helped him stave off a late challenge from Ahmad Fuad and in the process overcome a 14 point deficit after having to forego the previous round due to his involvement in the Malaysian MotoGP last month.

Zamri, who was selected as one of the 2 wildcards in the Moto2 had an extra reason to cheer this weekend after securing the Supersports overall title for the first time, coming a day after he celebrated his 28th birthday yesterday.

“This is the perfect birthday present for me after turning 28 yesterday. This win coupled with the prize money is one of the biggest that I have received in my career.

“This overall trophy wasn’t something that I had expected in my many years of involvement in motorsports and will spur to me to keep on going as far as I can in my career,” added Zamri.

Hafizh Syahrin, who also had to skip the previous round due to his involvement as Moto2 wildcard in the MotoGP, showed he was ready to take over the mantle of Malaysia’s top rider in the future when he finished third overall with 126 points.

Zamri’s efforts during the 5 round race this season saw him pocket RM6,000 while Ahmad Fuad went home RM5,000 richer followed by Hafizh who collected RM4,000.

In the Superbikes A, the absence of closest challenger, Glenn Allerton from Australia, paved the way for Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman to romp home with the overall title in the Superbikes A after winning both Race 1 and Race 2.

Azlan, on a Honda CBR1000 made it 2 back to back titles in the MSS after emerging triumphant in the Supersports category last year, proved that he had what it takes to make the step up the ladder when he finished atop the standings with 217.5 points.

Allerton, riding a BMW S1000RR who also had to give round 3 a miss, had to settle for the runner up spot with 130 points followed by Luca Cassoni, also on a Honda CBR1000 in 3rd (119 points).

In the GT Class, Dilantha Malagamuwa cruised to his 3rd overall victory with 2 third place finishes enough for him to secure his hat-trick of titles after 2006 and 2007.

It was his victory in the premier GT Class with both of his victories before him coming in the Supercar championship.

Singaporean, Mok Weng Sun threatened to spoil the party by winning both races but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Sri Lankan from maintaining his championship lead, finishing 10 points above closest challenger, Ian Mao.

Dilantha closed out 2011 with 175 points followed by Ian from Team Porsche Club Singapore (165) and Team Porsche Club Singapore team mate, Weng Sun (125).

As expected, Faidzil Alang, closed out on his Malaysian Touring Car season in style as he finished a massive 80 points in front of his team mate, Syafiq Ali.

It was a good day for Proton R3 as Syafiq made it a 1-2 for the development racing team who are eyeing the Sepang 1000 KM, scheduled next week from the 1st to 3rd December.

Standings – Supersports

Rider Team Make Total
1 Muhammad Zamri Baba (Petronas Yamaha Malaysia) Yamaha R6 190 points
2 Ahmad Fuad Baharuddin (Bike Art Racing) Kawasaki ZX6R 190 points
3 Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah (Petronas Syntium Moto) Yamaha R6 126 points

Results
Race 1

Rider Total time
1 Muhammad Zamri Baba 22:16.808
2 Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah 22:16.940
3 Ahmad Fuad Baharuddin 22:25.771

Race 2

Rider Total time
1 Muhammad Zamri Baba 22:41.644
2 Ahmad Fuad Baharuddi 22:42.015
3 Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah 22.42.026

Standings – GT /SP/ TP/ MTC

Driver Team Model Points
1 Dilantha Malagamuwa (Dilango Racing) Lamborghini 175 points
2 Ian Mao (Porsche Club) Porsche 996 GT3 165 points
3 W S Mok (Porsche Club) Porsche 996 GT3 125 points

Results

Race 1
GT /SP/ TP/ MTC
Driver Total time
1 Mok Weng Sun 21:36.227
2 Ian Mao 22:27.406
3 Dilantha Malagamuwa 22:38.937

Race 2
Driver Total time
1 Mok Weng Sun 21:33.535
2 Ian Mao 22:32.162
3 Dilantha Malagamuwa 23:10.243

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) has recently celebrated the 2011 World Food Week by launching a new partnership in support of the global effort to eradicate hunger and Malaysia’s own role in disaster response in Asia.

SIC is the first Malaysian private sector partner for WFP’s “Malaysia for Asia” initiative, a joint WFP/Government of Malaysia project to boost disaster response capacity in the region through the recently established UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Subang.

The facility is hosted by the Government of Malaysia, which has funded the construction and committed US$1 million per year to its running costs.

SIC aims to raise RM1.5 million over the next year for WFP’s work fighting hunger worldwide, mainly through fund-raising activities and cause-related marketing.

The first public fund-raising drive took place over the MotoGP weekend (21-23 October), and a range of WFP merchandise was available for purchase in SIC stores at the circuit.

“Nearly a billion people around the world go to bed hungry every night, most of them here in Asia,” said SIC Chief Executive Officer Dato Razlan Razali.

“The race to defeat global hunger is one we know can be won, and SIC is proud to stand with WFP and be a part of this vital effort for mankind.”

As part of SIC’s commitment to the partnership, Malaysia’s most exciting young motorsport talent Zulfahmi Khairuddin and this year’s 125cc Wildcard Rider Muhammad Farid Badrul Hisam will also be dedicating some of their time to raising awareness about the work of WFP and the fight against hunger.

Zulfahmi, features the WFP logo across his helmet’s visor while Farid, features the WFP logos on his motorcycle, suit and in his pit garage.

“This is a new and exciting partnership for the World Food Programme,” said WFP Regional Director for Asia, Kenro Oshidari.

“We are enormously grateful for Malaysia’s support – from the government, from SIC and from Zulfahmi.

“Motorsport has a truly global reach, and SIC is perfectly positioned to champion our cause. I come from Japan, so I know how passionate people can be about MotoGP – we are equally passionate about ending hunger!”

On behalf of Sepang International Circuit (SIC), I wish to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to Marco Simoncelli’s family members, team-mates, fellow riders and the whole MotoGP family. We share the pain and shock of the tragic and heartbreaking loss of Marco Simoncelli on 23 October 2011.

Marco will be remembered as a talented rider and a flamboyant character who never failed to put a smile on the faces of the racing fraternity and his fans with his cheerful demeanour. Above all, he was a great man and a competitor who was destined for even greater things both on and off the track. MotoGP and the racing world is now a lesser place without him.

SIC would like to state that the decision to cancel the race was taken after considering the severity of the accident. The decision was agreed upon by SIC and Dorna Sports SL, the commercial rights holder of MotoGP. SIC made public announcements on the cancellation of the race and Marco’s death as soon as we were authorised to do so, with priority being given to officially inform Marco’s family members first. I hope that fans can understand the situation prevalent at the time.

SIC would like to reiterate that all preparations and precautionary steps were taken to ensure we staged a safe race in accordance with FIM, AAM and Dorna safety requirements. However, the inherently dangerous nature of motorsports does not allow a race organiser or track owner to give a guarantee that nothing untoward will happen during a race.

The Sepang International Circuit is acknowledged as having been designed to be a safe circuit and managed by a team of experienced personnel, on and off track, to handle race events professionally. We work to the highest safety standards and we will continue to ensure these standards are met at every race held at our circuit.

At the race on Sunday, circuit personnel acted speedily and professionally to attend to Marco as soon as the accident happened. Despite all that was done, the medical team could not change the outcome of the situation given the severity of his injuries. In the aftermath of this sad tragedy, we will work with FIM and Dorna to see if there is anything else we can do to improve rider safety in races.

We at SIC are honoured to have had Marco gracing our tracks with his dazzling skills and panache all these years. To Marco, may you rest in peace. You will be missed. Addio Super Sic.

Dato’ Mokhzani Mahathir