MOTO GP SEPANG MALAYSIA

Sepang – Racing Numbers

Thursday, 18 October 2012

Shortly before the MotoGP™ grid heads to Sepang for the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, motogp.com brings you all the vital facts and figures about the event.

280 – Casey Stoner scored 280 points in the 2008 season when finishing second in the world championship to Valentino Rossi; the highest ever score in the premier-class by a rider not winning the world title.  This record will be taken this year by either Jorge Lorenzo or Dani Pedrosa, who have both already scored more than 280 points in 2012.
28 – After finishing second behind Dani Pedrosa in Japan, Jorge Lorenzo now has a 28-point lead in the championship standings and could therefore take the title in Malaysia if he wins the race and Pedrosa finishes no higher than thirteenth.  If Lorenzo wins the title this year he will become the first Spanish rider to have won two premier-class world titles.
22 – This is the 22^nd time that Malaysia has hosted a Grand Prix event.  The first Malaysian Grand Prix was held at the Shah Alam circuit in 1991 where it continued until 1997.  The 1998 event took place at Johor and then Sepang has held the event every year since 1999.
21 – On the day of qualifying at Sepang, Malaysian rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin will celebrate his 21^st birthday.
20 – Dani Pedrosa’s victory at the Japanese GP was the 20^th time he has stood on the top step of the podium in the MotoGP class.  This is the same number of premier-class GP wins as double 500cc world champion Freddie Spencer.
16 years – On the day of qualifying in Malaysia it will be exactly 16 years ago to the day since the 1996 Australian Grand Prix at Eastern Creek when Loris Capirossi, riding a Yamaha, won for the first time in the 500cc class, after Alex Criville had collided with race leader and team-mate Mick Doohan at the final corner causing both riders to crash.
10 years – On the day of qualifying at Sepang it will be exactly ten years ago to the day at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island that Jeremy McWilliams (Team KR Proton) became the last rider to start from pole in the premier-class on a two-stroke machine.  This was also the first pole in the premier-class for a rider using Bridgestone tyres.
8 years – Honda have not won in the MotoGP class at Sepang since Valentino Rossi won there on the 990cc RC211V in 2003.
5 – Yamaha have been the most successful manufacturer in the MotoGP class at Sepang with five victories; Ducati riders have won on three occasions and Honda have had a single victory.
5 – Dani Pedrosa’s win at the Japanese GP was his fifth victory of this season.  This is the highest number of wins he has achieved in a single season since moving up to the MotoGP class in 2006.
3 – At the Japanese Grand Prix all three riders on the MotoGP podium were from Spain.  This is the first time in the 64-year history of Grand Prix racing that three Spanish riders have stood together on a premier-class Grand Prix podium.