Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix
Things were settled at the Sepang International circuit as Valentino Rossi finished third behind Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa to take the 2009 MotoGP World Championship title. Casey Stoner was the race winner at the rain-soaked Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix on Sunday, but it was Valentino Rossi whose achievement of third place laid the foundation for the story of the weekend. This was Stoner’s second successive win, after an impressive performance by the Australian as he won by an astounding 14.666s margin. This was Rossi’s ninth world title – a seventh in the premier class – as he defended his 2008 crown. Dani Pedrosa finished second with his 78th career podium across all classes.
The race started on a wet track after a 35-minute delay due to rain, and there was drama from the off. A problem during
the sighting lap with his machine for Jorge Lorenzo meant that failure to join the starting grid in time resulted in relegation from second to the back. It looked like this had blown his title hopes but the Spaniard soon flew up to overtake Rossi, who dropped to tenth after a sluggish start from pole position. But, Lorenzo eventually finished only in fourth position, as Rossi passed him and moved into fourth spot after eight laps. Andrea Dovizioso was running in third place when disaster struck for the Italian, as the tricky conditions caught him napping. Rossi thus got into the podium, and ensured his championship victory.
In the 125cc, World Champion Julián Simón won his sixth race of the season. A close battle between him and Bradley Smith was won by the freshly-crowned World Champion, as he beat his Bancaja Aspar team-mate in a final-lap fight. The duo, who battled closely at Phillip Island last weekend, again crossed swords as Simón held Smith’s challenge off on the last corner of the Sepang circuit. Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team) completed the podium, coming in at just over five seconds behind Smith, with Sergio Gadea (Bancaja Aspar) and Nico Terol (Jack & Jones Team) also inside the top five.
The 250cc race in Malaysia saw Hiroshi Aoyama prevail after an absorbing battle with Marco Simoncelli, who placed third. Simoncelli lost a position at the very end, after a photo finish was required following Héctor Barberá’s surge. Simoncelli blasted through the field from his grid position of eighth to ignite his contest with Aoyama, with Jules Cluzel leading the early stages of the race while the title rivals sparred. The result leaves Aoyama needing a tenth-placed finish or better in Valencia to secure the 2009 title ahead of Simoncelli, while Barberá rose to third in the standings after Álvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar Team) crashed out on lap nine.
Thus, the 2009 MotoGP World Championship is done and dusted. Valentino Rossi was again the deserved winner of the title race. Jorge Lorenzo rode his heart-out right through the season. He fell short on this occasion, but his time at the top will come for sure. After Lorenzo took fourth spot here at Malaysia, he duly handed hearty congratulations to Rossi. Lorenzo was beaten by one of the best to have graced the sport, who is at the peak of his powers. The fact that he ran him this close is itself an achievement. The pair gave us quite a few spectacular battles, and we can hope for more as we head into Valencia for the final round of the 2009 season.
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