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MotoGP takes in two continents in as
many weeks as the 2007 season draws to a close, moving from Australasia to Asia
for the Polini Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix on October 21st. The
penultimate round of the year, which takes place at the Sepang Circuit close to
Kuala Lumpur, sees the riders and teams preparing for a final push for pride,
points and positions in the MotoGP World Championship.
With the individual, team and
constructors title already in the bag for Casey Stoner and Ducati, the main
interest in the MotoGP class lies in whether the Australian can add to his win
tally, and to whom will take second place in the premier class. Valentino Rossi
currently holds a 29 point advantage over Dani Pedrosa with 50 still up for
grabs, heading to a track where both riders were on the podium last
season.
Rossi was the victor of the 2006 race,
and he has only finished lower than second at Sepang on one occasion in his
MotoGP career. He won the race at Malaysia in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006, and
another triumph would ensure that he at least earned some consolation for his
efforts this year.
Behind Rossi and Pedrosa, a battle
between team-mates rages for fourth in the championship. Suzuki’s John Hopkins
and Chris Vermeulen have been virtually inseparable over the course of the
season, and are split by only five points in their battle to be the top finisher
in their internal duel. A dip in form from both riders has seen Marco Melandri
and Loris Capirossi get back amongst the contenders for fourth, and the quartet
are now within just fifteen points of each other.
The remainder of the top ten consists
of Colin Edwards, 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden, and Brazilian veteran
Alex Barros.
On 12pm on Saturday afternoon, an
announcement will also be made regarding the recent control tyre proposal made
by Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. The deadline for the decision taken by the Grand
Prix Commission consisting of Dorna, IRTA, the MSMA and the FIM will have
arrived, and the much rumoured tyre situation for 2008 will become clearer for
all involved.
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