RIZLA SUZUKI:

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP makes its way north across the Timor and Java seas from Australia this week, as it heads to the heat and humidity of Sepang in Malaysia for the penultimate round of the 2009 MotoGP season.

Following a tough weekend at Phillip Island which saw Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi finish in 11th  and 12th  places respectively, the pair will be looking to put this firmly behind them at the 5,548m Sepang International Circuit.

Capirossi finished seventh in Malaysia last season after a race long battle with several other riders that saw the Italian racer in touch of a podium finish. Capirossi has tasted success at Sepang after winning the MotoGP race there in 2005 and also finishing runner-up the following year. Vermeulen has recorded a couple of top-10 finishes in Malaysia from his three previous visits and will certainly be aiming to improve on his ninth place last year.

The Sepang International Circuit was constructed in 1998, making it one of the most modern on the MotoGP calendar. It’s mix of 15 corners interlinked by two long straights either side of the most architecturally pleasing grandstands anywhere in motorsport make it one of the best tracks anywhere in the world and a favoured  test track for most of the MotoGP teams.

Rizla Suzuki takes to the track on Friday – for the first of two free practice sessions –  the second being held on the following morning. Qualifying for the 21-lap race will take place on Saturday afternoon, with the main event getting underway at 15.00hrs local time (07.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 25th October.

Chris Vermeulen:

“I’m looking forward to getting to Sepang and putting last weekend behind us. It’s a circuit we all know very well because we do a lot of testing there. It’s going to be very hot and humid – a lot different to Phillip Island – and the GSV-R has performed well there in the past so that’s what we’ll be looking to aim for. We have a good base setting so hopefully it will work out for us and we can be competitive from the start.”

Loris Capirossi:

“Sepang is a good track for the bike and for me because we did a very good winter test there and we are very optimistic about going there. The bike is very different now to the one we tested back then, but we want to try to go well – like we did in the winter – and I really believe we can push hard for a good result.”