--- title: "MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix: Preview" canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2016/10/27/motogp-malaysian-grand-prix-preview/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Lewis Duncan" section: "Moto2" published: "2016-10-27T11:41:49Z" modified: "2016-10-27T11:42:09Z" --- # MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix: Preview The MotoGP World Championship heads to Malaysia and to the Sepang International Circuit for the 17th round of the 2016 season, capping off the most gruelling part of the championship at the most physically demanding races. Malaysia has been a fixture on the Grand Prix calendar since 1991, though originally the race was staged at Shah Alam. There it remained until 1997, where it moved to one-time host venue Johor, before taking up permanent residence at the newly-constructed Sepang International Circuit from 1999 onwards. The 5.5km Malaysian track was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, the first of his ‘new generation’ circuits. SIC has a bit of everything: it’s got two long straights, numerous long, fast corners and a few low-speed twists thrown in for good measure. This year’s race presents a new challenge for the riders. Since they concluded their first pre-season test at the circuit back in February, the track has been resurfaced and several of the turns re-profiled. Only Cal Cructhlow and Hiroshi Aoyama have ridden on the new surface, so Friday practice will be a voyage of discovery for the field. **The battle for second nears its conclusion** The championship battle may be over, but the battle for runner-up spot is yet to be decided. Though this may not exactly sound pulsating, it is in fact a pretty tasty one. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, those old foes, enter their final two races as teammates before the Spaniard moves over to Ducati for 2017. Both want to impart one final blow on the other to end their rather more poisonous second stint together. ![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2016/10/618559102.jpg) It’s funny then that this particular battle could potentially reach its conclusion at a circuit that sparked one of the biggest controversies in MotoGP last year, and one that saw Rossi’s and Lorenzo’s relationship truly burn to the ground. The after effects of the ‘Sepang Clash’ are still felt to this day: numpty fans still sickeningly cheer crashes for Lorenzo and Marc Marquez, whilst booing their success. For Rossi, to beat Lorenzo to runner-up spot in the championship at Sepang would come as some revenge for the alleged plot to deny him his 2015 title. And he stands a very good chance of doing so. After finishing second in Phillip Island, the Italian is now 24 points clear and needs just two more points than Lorenzo this weekend to cement second place. It is imperative that Lorenzo finishes ahead of Rossi to stand any chance of beating him the standings, whilst Rossi only needs a top four finish and for the Spaniard to finish behind to seal the deal. Lorenzo does need to be wary. A failure to finish this race won’t just lose him a shot at second in the standings, it could also relegate him to fourth. After back-to-back podiums in Japan and Australia, Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales is just 11 points behind Lorenzo now and could head to the final round of the season sitting third in the standings. That would be rubbing salt in the wounds, to be beaten by your teammate and the man replacing you next season. So, you can expect a pretty fierce battle if those three get close to each other on track this Sunday. **Luthi now an unstoppable force?** This weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix marks the first opportunity the Moto2 World Championship for 2016 can be wrapped up. After Alex Rins retired from the Australian Grand Prix, Zarco’s lowly 12th place allowed him to go 22 points clear in the standings and he needs just three more points to become the first rider in Moto2 history to win back-to-back titles. ![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2016/10/618506638.jpg) But the way the Frenchman has been riding of late suggests that winning the title at Sepang will be a near-impossible task. In fact, the man of the moment is Tom Luthi, who took his fourth win of the season last time out at Phillip Island. The Swiss rider now sits second in the standings, and for the first time since his 125cc title-winning season of 2005 Luthi genuinely looks like a championship contender. Of course, Moto2 has been rather up-and-down all season and things could change in a heartbeat. But Luthi is exuding a confidence we’ve seldom seen since his step up to the intermediate class, and you just get the impression that he’s decided that he’s going to go and win this world title. **Racing to remember** Every year we return to Malaysia, it is always with a heavy heart. This is especially true for this weekend’s event, as this year marks the five-year anniversary of Marco Simoncelli’s tragic death at the Sepang International Circuit back in 2011. The Italian was one of the sport’s biggest and brightest talents, as well as its most wonderful character. His on-track moves may have upset a few of the established names, but he most certainly stole the hearts of fans worldwide. There isn’t a race that goes by that we don’t miss Marco. Undoubtedly, this weekend we’ll see a number of riders carrying touching tributes to the late Italian and hopefully we can have an ultra-exciting race, one he’d have loved to have been apart of. ![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2016/10/618558854.jpg) **Michelin tyre selection** **Front:** Soft, Medium, Hard **Rear:** Medium (asymmetric), Hard (asymmetric) **Wets:** Soft, Medium (front & rear), Intermediate (front & rear)