A glorious season for the Fiat Yamaha MotoGP Team has reached its penultimate chapter this weekend, with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo led to the podium in the Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur. Since the fresh air of the series at Phillip Island heads and steam sticky Sepang with both riders eager to keep the history of Yamaha have at least one runner on the podium at every race so far this season. Second place in Australia for Rossi, who was crowned World Champion in the previous round in Japan, resulted in his 149th visit to a Grand Prix podium and leaves him only ten below the all-time record held by Giacomo Agostini, who also robbed of the all-time win record earlier this season. The 29-year-old, who is the most successful pilot in Sepang with four victories, is also just 35 points below the highest ever match in a season of MotoGP, which he shares with Casey Stoner, with 50 still up for grabs .
After back-to-back fourth place finishes in the last two races, Lorenzo has also indicated a major and three return as its main goal for this weekend. The Spanish rookie, who won the 250cc race at Sepang two years ago and clinch his second world title in the class with third place last year, has played a crucial part in the success of the Yamaha this season, with the lifting of Factory equipment and Constructors' titles. He is currently fourth in the championship with a 37-point advantage over Andrea Dovizioso that seems destined to remain there - an unprecedented position for a debutant in the four-stroke MotoGP was.
Sepang is one of the best tracks on the MotoGP calendar, measuring 16 meters across in some areas, and always features high track temperatures in the tropical climate. With four major hairpins, and some fast and frequent changes of direction in its design of 5542 km, Sepang provides a stern meeting for the entire bike set-up and its largely consistent, if demanding, climate is the ideal place for testing winter.
Valentino Rossi - looking to have fun "
"I'm looking forward to going to Malaysia because we made a bit of testing there with Bridgestone so we have a lot of data - something we have not had much of this season. I was very strong there in the winter and I hope that the same thing again this time, especially since we know much more about the tires now. We have two races left and I would try to win them both, and I also want to maintain the excellent record Yamaha podium this season. I love Malaysia and I've had some great races there in the past, more generally, our bike fits very well with any luck so we can expect a fun weekend. That said, we know that Casey will be strong again, as well as by other what will undoubtedly be a good fight! "Jorge Lorenzo - "I'd like to go back on the podium"
"I'm hoping to arrive in Malaysia and one goes to a very fast circuit, what I like and where the most important thing we've tested this year and things do not go wrong. We've marked outcomes decent in the last four races so I am optimistic that in the last two rounds of my rookie MotoGP season. We have a couple of fourth places recently so now I'd like to go back on the podium. I hope and believe that some come with Michelin tires that give a slightly better performance in Japan and Australia, where they were a bit short of being the best. Sepang is well known for heat and changing conditions, one minute can be boiling hot and then the following is throwing down with rain. I'm going to be tough training this week to stay in good shape and complete a journey across the Pacific. "
Davide Brivio - "An eye in the statistics"
"We have reached our most important goals for the season so that the focus for us is to have fun, but we also have one eye on the statistics. It would be nice to keep this platform to run Yamaha until the end of the season and if Valentino can make search points that means he has had a strong finish to the year, which is clearly what we want. Sepang We are well aware of the pre-season testing but, as with every season, for the moment to return to the race has a whole season of development under its belt and the bike is very different. The data are really useful, but to start from scratch with the settings. The circuit has two long pure, that proof of bicycles " top speeds, but overall it's a good track and Valentino likes a lot. Hopefully we can have another weekend of fun, as in Phillip Island. "
Daniele Romagnoli - "George has already exceeded expectations"
"Malaysia is a track that already tested three times in the winter - once in late 2007 and twice in the beginning of 2008. We have a basic start-up, much of the information and Jorge knows how to mount the bike here. If we look at the results so far this season Michelin have done well at tracks where we have seen before, so I'm sure we will be competitive again. We fight for pole position in the final round at Phillip Island and is sincerely we are a little disappointed not to be on the podium. It would be great to make up for this weekend that whatever happens, but Jorge has already exceeded our expectations for him this season there is absolutely no pressure on him - we just want to enjoy himself and do his best. "
"I'm hoping to arrive in Malaysia and one goes to a very fast circuit, what I like and where the most important thing we've tested this year and things do not go wrong. We've marked outcomes decent in the last four races so I am optimistic that in the last two rounds of my rookie MotoGP season. We have a couple of fourth places recently so now I'd like to go back on the podium. I hope and believe that some come with Michelin tires that give a slightly better performance in Japan and Australia, where they were a bit short of being the best. Sepang is well known for heat and changing conditions, one minute can be boiling hot and then the following is throwing down with rain. I'm going to be tough training this week to stay in good shape and complete a journey across the Pacific. "
Davide Brivio - "An eye in the statistics"
"We have reached our most important goals for the season so that the focus for us is to have fun, but we also have one eye on the statistics. It would be nice to keep this platform to run Yamaha until the end of the season and if Valentino can make search points that means he has had a strong finish to the year, which is clearly what we want. Sepang We are well aware of the pre-season testing but, as with every season, for the moment to return to the race has a whole season of development under its belt and the bike is very different. The data are really useful, but to start from scratch with the settings. The circuit has two long pure, that proof of bicycles " top speeds, but overall it's a good track and Valentino likes a lot. Hopefully we can have another weekend of fun, as in Phillip Island. "
Daniele Romagnoli - "George has already exceeded expectations"
"Malaysia is a track that already tested three times in the winter - once in late 2007 and twice in the beginning of 2008. We have a basic start-up, much of the information and Jorge knows how to mount the bike here. If we look at the results so far this season Michelin have done well at tracks where we have seen before, so I'm sure we will be competitive again. We fight for pole position in the final round at Phillip Island and is sincerely we are a little disappointed not to be on the podium. It would be great to make up for this weekend that whatever happens, but Jorge has already exceeded our expectations for him this season there is absolutely no pressure on him - we just want to enjoy himself and do his best. "
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