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Aprilia Malaysia Inaugural Track Day

Aprilia owners in Malaysia had a great day at the Sepang International Circuit yesterday.
Didi Resources, the new custodians of the brand organized a track day as promised.
A great mix of Aprilia models took to the track.

As promised by Didi Resources, the new custodian of Aprilia motorcycles in Malaysia, the inaugural (under new management) Aprilia Malaysia Track Day went off without a hitch yesterday at the Sepang International Circuit.

Didi Resources Organizes Inaugural Aprilia and Modclass Track Day

Besides rides and convoys, organizing a track day for Aprilia owners is the right thing to do as the activity demonstrates the manufacturer’s “Be a Racer” philosophy.

It was great to see owners showing up from all over Malaysia and even Singapore on all sorts of Aprilia models, because we are used to seeing the RSV4 superbike in the Malaysian Superbike Championship (MSBK), Malaysian Speed Foundation (MSF) and track days on weekends.

Instead, this track day organized by Didi Resources provided the opportunity to ride on track on any bike, more like a “Run what ya brung” track weekend.

Indeed, we saw the Shiver 750, Tuono V4, SL1000R, RSV Mille (the father of the RSV4), RS250 two-strokes, and an SR-Max 300 scooter ridden by Khairul Hafiz.

Of course, the riders attended a safety briefing after registration. Aprilia Malaysia had also prepared race suits and riding gear for rental to those who don’t own them.

It had rained on the track from early morning and the open track day riders came back to report on a slippery track after their first session. However, the Aprilians were lucky as their sessions started close to noon and went on through late afternoon. The sun had started to shine and dried the track by then.

It was visible that the participants had a great day although they were also exhausted after riding under the hot sun. Didi Resources also provided refreshments and lunch so that they had nothing to worry about except of having fun.

Lastly, while there weren’t many who took the track as expected despite the large number of Aprilians who showed up, we believe there will be many more in the next track days. We would also like to add that they event went without a hitch, and there was no mishap.

PICTURE GALLERY

Modclass Speedway introduces modern classics to SIC!

The very first Modclass Speedway track day session was held at the Sepang International Circuit.
Around 20 modern classic bike owners took their machines for some fun time around the track.
The Modclass Speedway was organised by Tiga Moto and supported by Moto Guzzi Malaysia.

When was the last time you witness a group of modern classic bikes tearing it up in the track? It is certainly a rare occasion and earlier today, the Modclass Speedway organised the very first outing for some enthusiastic modern classic bike owners around the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). (more…)

Moto2 2018: Romano Fenati Red Mist Moment at San Marino GP

Romano Fenati’s red mist moment in Moto2 at San Marino was captured on camera.
The fiery Italian had a run in with Stefano Manzi in the Moto2 race.
Fenati was DQ’d in the race but expect a heavy penalty soon.

If Moto3 is usually always exciting, let us be honest, Moto2 is snooze inducing (to put it kindly). The Moto2 contest at the San Marino GP was going to be no different, what with Francessco Bagnaia running away with his home grand prix. Well, that was until the red mist descended on racing bad boy Romano Fenati.

Fenati had been running down in 15^th, when Stefano Manzi snuck his bike inside the formers into a right hander. When Fenati turned toward the apex, both riders came together and ran wide into the sand trap but managed to stay upright.

It was visible at that moment that Fenati was furious and he gesticulated wildly at Manzi.

As the camera focused adoringly (read: boringly) on the race leader, it suddenly cut away to Fenati’s team preparing the pitboard signaling that the rider had been DQ’d (disqualified). Soon, the we saw the slow-motion footage of Fenati riding up beside Manzi, then reaching out with his left hand to squeeze the latter’s front brake lever.

Romano Fenati had great talent and was one of the first riders picked by Valentino Rossi himself to ride in his SKY Racing Team by VR46 in the Moto3 Championship back in 2014. He was sometimes brilliant while totally nowhere in the remainder. Yet, the team knew he had raw talent and retained his services.

In 2016, he was suddenly dropped beginning the Austrian GP and his contract for the remainder of the year and 2017 was terminated. The team would later cite “behavioral issues in conflict with team policies.”

But Marinelli Honda decided to take gamble and signed Fenati for the 2017 Moto3 season. The team was rewarded with three victories and five second places as Fenati finished second overall.

He moved up to Moto2 this and suffered tremendously as he languished near the tail end. However, MV Agusta has signed him up for their foray into Moto2 in 2019.

Romano Fenati Picked to Ride MV Agusta Moto2 Race Bike

In our opinion, such action is unquestionably dangerous and inexcusable, besides being just one of a few cases. Dorna and the FIM has not published any actions on Fenati at the moment but expect a heavy penalty.

MotoGP 2018: Andrea Dovizioso Dominates at San Marino GP

Ducati MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso controlled the San Marino MotoGP race and won.
Pole sitter Jorge Lorenzo crashed out with 2 laps to go.
Marc Marquez finished 2^nd to extend his championship lead.

Jorge Lorenzo had been fully expected to win the MotoGP class at the San Marino GP after yesterday’s magnificent qualifying, in which he broke the track record twice over.

But it was a different scene during the morning’s warm-up session when Marc Marquez was the fastest, followed closely by the Ducati factory pairing of Andrea Dovizioso and pole-sitter Lorenzo.

That was not the full news, however, as the times of the top 11 riders were covered by less than 1 second.

There was also hope of a revival for the Movistar Yamaha factory team after Maverick Vinalez put his bike third on the grid.

Lorenzo shot into the lead during at the start, trailed by his teammate Dovizioso and the rest of the field. Dovi then started to shadow Lorenzo and finally overtook him on Lap 4. Behind them, Marquez fought his way through the group of riders to break free into third. He rode as hard as he could and caught the Lorenzo midway through the race.

Dovi meanwhile, rode a steady race and started to open up a gap until he was 1.8 seconds ahead of the chasing two.

Marquez made his move on Lorenzo with some fifteen laps to go, but Lorenzo fought back tenaciously. They kept passing and repassing each other but it was Lorenzo who finally made his overtake stick and started to close down on his Ducati teammate with 8 laps to go.

But Dovi managed to react to Lorenzo’s push. Behind him, Lorenzo was in turn pushed on by Marquez. Lorenzo decided to push harder and attempt to catch Dovi but made a mistake and low-sided his bike with two laps to go, handing 2^nd place to Marquez.

Cal Crutchlow had broken free and finished on the final step of the podium.

Alex Rins battled with with his ex-Suzuki teammate Vinalez and prevailed to finish 4^th. Pedrosa rode a quiet race to finish 6^th while Rossi crossed the line in a lowly 7^th.

Marquez extends his championship lead with 201 points, from Valentino Rossi who has 142 and Jorge Lorenzo with 130 points.

Moto3: Lorenzo Della Porta Wins Dramatic San Marino Race

The San Marino GP Moto3 race was another dramatic affair.
Lorenzo Della Porta wins after a thrilling five-way battle.
Marco Bezzecchi crashed out to hand the championship lead back to Jorge Martin.

Moto3 racing never fails to provide the best racing and it did not disappoint at San Marino, ultimately seeing Lorenzo Della Porta winning his maiden category victory.

The drama started when five riders came together in a horrific crash at the end of the very first lap which claimed Nicolo Bulega, Aaron Canet, Auyumu Sasaki, Jaume Masia and Enea Bastianini. Canet and Sasaki were sent to the mobile medical centre for check-ups, but thankfully all riders were okay.

The pile up also allowed the front five consisting of championship contenders Marco Bezzecchi, Jorge Martin besides Lorenzo Della Porta, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Gabriel Rodrigo to break away.

The five battled incessantly throughout the race with multiple lead changes which became fiercer and fiercer as the laps wound down. All riders were involved in one aggressive pass after another; all the while Bezzecchi and Martin were trying to contend with each other for the championship.

But everything changed when Bezzecchi’s rear tyre broke loose and the bike almost highsided him into the gravel trap with just two corners to go to start the last lap. It was the Italian rider’s third crash while leading the last lap this season, the other two being at Le Mans, France and Assen, The Netherlands. His crash had effectively handed the championship lead over to Jorge Martin.

However, it was not the end of drama. Fabio Di Giannantonio had overshot a corner with two laps to go and was relegated to the back of the group. He ended up riding like a man possessed to catch the group. As Della Porta led the last lap into the last turn, Di Giannantionio lunged up the inside. But it appeared that the former kept his throttle pinned through the corner. While this was happening, Martin snuck through on the left side of both riders. It was a three-way charge to the line!

The results took a while to appear. When it did, it was Della Porta who crossed the line in 1^st, by just 0.058s from Martin. Di Giannantionio lost out after his audacious move as he had to hold back on his throttle lest he ran wide and finished 3^rd.

Malaysian rider Adam Norrodin finished in 12^th.

Jorge Martin now leads the championship with 166 points from Marco Bezzecchi with 158 and Fabio Di Giannantonio with 138 points each.

Jorge Lorenzo Secures Masterful Pole at San Marino MotoGP

Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo broke his own circuit record to lock out pole position for the San Marino MotoGP.
Championship leader Marc Marquez crashed in the early part of the session to qualify 5^th.
Jack Miller rode a fantastic session to grab the 2^nd while Maverick Vinalez will start from 3^rd.

The 2018 MotoGP Championship is back at San Marino after the upsetting cancellation of the British GP a couple of weeks ago.

With one round fewer, all riders want to do their best at this round to make up for lost points; much more at the top of the leaderboard among Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso, set al. Marquez leads the championship by 49 points from Rossi coming into this 13^th round.

The Ducatis of Dovizioso and Lorenzo had led the way through FP3 yesterday, but Maverick Vinales went fastest in FP4 ahead of Lorenzo, Dovizioso, Marquez and Rossi. FP4 is the untimed practice session, hence this is when teams and riders look for the optimal race settings.

Marquez was the first who posted a low 1:32 time, but it was Lorenzo who turned the tables on him and set the fastest time of 1:31.763s on his very time lap out the pits. It was the fastest lap record on the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Marquez then rode as hard as he could in a bid to regain the pole position but slid out. He then hopped on a marshal’s scooter and ran through his pits to ride his spare bike out of the pits with just 4 minutes to go in the Q2 session.

The next two spots on the front row became a contention between Dovizioso, Jack Miller, Rossi and Vinalez.

But in the meantime, Lorenzo managed to go even faster and locked out the pole with a record breaking 1:31.629s.

Jack Miller then secured the second spot on the grid with a great ride, while Vinalez charged up from 8^th to displace Dovizioso from the 3^rd spot.

Marquez was relegated to 5^th, Cal Crutchlow suffered another fall in the closing stages to qualify 6^th, while Rossi will start from 7^th in tomorrow’s race. Malaysian racer Hafizh Syahrin finished 25th after a difficult weekend.

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Latest News

Aprilia owners in Malaysia had a great day at the Sepang International Circuit yesterday.

Didi Resources, the new custodians of the brand organized a track day as promised.

A great mix of Aprilia models took to the track.

PICTURE GALLERY

The very first Modclass Speedway track day session was held at the Sepang International Circuit.

Around 20 modern classic bike owners took their machines for some fun time around the track.

The Modclass Speedway was organised by Tiga Moto and supported by Moto Guzzi Malaysia.

Romano Fenati’s red mist moment in Moto2 at San Marino was captured on camera.

The fiery Italian had a run in with Stefano Manzi in the Moto2 race.

Fenati was DQ’d in the race but expect a heavy penalty soon.

Ducati MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso controlled the San Marino MotoGP race and won.

Pole sitter Jorge Lorenzo crashed out with 2 laps to go.

Marc Marquez finished 2nd to extend his championship lead.

The San Marino GP Moto3 race was another dramatic affair.

Lorenzo Della Porta wins after a thrilling five-way battle.

Marco Bezzecchi crashed out to hand the championship lead back to Jorge Martin.

Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo broke his own circuit record to lock out pole position for the San Marino MotoGP.

Championship leader Marc Marquez crashed in the early part of the session to qualify 5th.

Jack Miller rode a fantastic session to grab the 2nd while Maverick Vinalez will start from 3rd.

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Marc Marquez finished 2^nd to extend his championship lead.

Championship leader Marc Marquez crashed in the early part of the session to qualify 5^th.

Jack Miller rode a fantastic session to grab the 2^nd while Maverick Vinalez will start from 3^rd.