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SEPANG, Malaysia - Spain's Dani Pedrosa won a hard-fought Malaysian Motorcycle GP on Sunday, followed by 2013 championship leader Marc Marquez for a Honda 1-2.
The win as Pedrosa's third of 2013 – and a race he also won in 2012 (a race cut short because of torrential rain) and the Spanish team mates came in ahead of defending champion and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha).
"It's a great feeling to be back... I came back strong," said Pedrosa, who crashed in the previous race, in Spain, after Marquez made contact with him. For the championship, with Marc finishing always on the podium, it's hard to take back any points.”
It was a hard-fought race for all three.
ROSSI FOURTH FROM SECOND
Marquez was on pole but Lorenzo took the lead after starting fourth. He in turn was overtaken by Pedrosa, who started fifth, on lap five, which sparked a thrilling battle between Lorenzo and Marquez for second.
The 20-year-old, who Lorenzo bumped once, eventually gained the upper hand with 11 laps left of the 20-lap race. Lorenzo's team mate, seven-times World champion Valentino Rossi, was fourth after starting second.
He was followed by Honda’s Alvaro Bautista and British Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow, who started third, fell back to sixth. "It was a nice battle with Jorge. I enjoyed it a lot," Marquez said. "I tried to reduce that gap (to race leader Pedrosa) but I saw that it was too much risk and the target of this weekend was to finish in front of Jorge.”
He added that “extending his championship lead was most important". "I prefer to take those 20 points (for second). I think about the World championship too."
Three races remain. Marquez tops the standings with 298 points, followed by Lorenzo (255) and Pedrosa (244). Lorenzo conceded he would aim to retain the season's second place with the Hondas out-performing the Yamahas, especially in warm weather.
MOST DEMANDING
"It was a great battle (with Marquez)... he was strong. He didn't lose concentration. He deserved second," the title defender said. "We hope at Phillip Island (Australia), with cooler temperatures and a more flowing track without so much braking, we can fight for the win and keep second place in the championship - first seems more difficult now.”
Though rain clouds threatened and a strong wind blew Sunday's race remained dry with temperatures around 30C. The 5.5km) Sepang circuit in the tropical humid south-east Asian country is one of the season's longest and most demanding.
Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli was killed in a crash there during the race two years ago earlier. A Malaysian rider and a marshal died in a collision in September 2013 but race officials say the track is safe, describing the deaths as "tragic" once-offs.
With three rounds to go and a maximum of 75 points up for grabs, rookie Marquez still leads the riders' standings on 298 points, 43 clear of Lorenzo (255) with Pedrosa third on 244.
Malaysia was the 15th race of the season. Next will be Australia, followed by Japan and the final race in Valencia, Spain.
Result from the 2013 Motorcycle GP of Malaysia
1 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda
2 Marc Marquez (Spain) Honda
3 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha
4 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha
5 Alvaro Bautista (Spain) Honda
6 Cal Crutchlow (Britain) Yamaha
7 Bradley Smith (Britain) Yamaha
8 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Ducati
9 Aleix Espargaro (Spain) Aprilia
10 Yonny Hernandez (Colombia) Aprilia
11 Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) FTR
12 Randy de Puniet (France) Aprilia
13 Claudio Corti (Italy) FTR
14 Hector Barbera (Spain) FTR
15 Colin Edwards (US) FTR
Standings after the 2013 Malaysia MotoGP
1 Marc Marquez (Spain) Honda - 298
2 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha - 255
3 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda - 244
4 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha - 198
5 Cal Crutchlow (Britain) Yamaha - 166
6 Alvaro Bautista (Spain) Honda - 136
7 Stefan Bradl (Germany) Honda - 135
8 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Ducati - 120
9 Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Ducati - 102
10 Bradley Smith (Britain) Yamaha - 89
11 Aleix Espargaro (Spain) Aprilia - 83
12 Michele Pirro (Italy) Ducati - 50
13 Andrea Iannone (Italy) Ducati - 47
14 Colin Edwards (US) FTR - 32
15 Hector Barbera (Spain) FTR - 29
Result from the Motorcycling GP Malaysia Moto2
1 Esteve Rabat (Spain) Kalex 25min45.411
2 Pol Espargaro (Spain) Kalex 25min46.974
3 Thomas Luethi (Switzerland) Suter 25min48.321
4 Mika Kallio (Finland) Kalex 25min50.225
5 Dominique Aegerter (Switzerland) Suter 25min52.763
6 Johann Zarco (France) Suter 25min55.201
7 Scott Redding (Britain) Kalex 25min55.251
8 Takaaki Nakagami (Japan) Kalex 25min57.305
9 Jordi Torres (Spain) Suter 25min57.713
10 Julian Simon (Spain) Kalex 26min00.935
11 Simone Corsi (Italy) Speed up 26min01.601
12 Danny Kent (Britain) Tech 3 26min10.602
13 Anthony West (Australia) Speed up 26min11.393
14 Ricard Cardus (Spain) Speed up 26min11.451
15 Marcel Schroetter (Germany) Kalex 26min11.791
Points after the Motorcycling GP Moto2
1 Scott Redding (Britain) Kalex - 224
2 Pol Espargaro (Spain) Pons Kalex - 215
3 Esteve Rabat (Spain) Pons Kalex - 196
4 Mika Kallio (Finland) Kalex - 156
5 Takaaki Nakagami (Japan) Kalex - 138
6 Dominique Aegerter (Switzerland) Suter- 133
7 Johann Zarco (France) Suter - 123
8 Thomas Luethi (Switzerland) Suter - 110
9 Nicolas Terol (Spain) Suter - 108
10 Jordi Torres (Spain) Suter - 90
11 Simone Corsi (Italy) Speed up - 79
12 Xavier Simeon (Belgium) Kalex - 71
13 Julian Simon (Spain) Kalex - 63
14 Alex de Angelis (San Marino) Speed up - 46
15 Mattia Pasini (Italy) Speed up - 42
Result from the Motorcycling GP Malaysia Moto3
1 Luis Salom (Spain) KTM 40min42.441
2 Alex Rins (Spain) KTM 40min42.510
3 Miguel Oliveira (Portugal) Mahindra 40min42.849
4 Alex Marquez (Spain) KTM 40min43.223
5 Maverick Vinales (Spain) KTM 40min43.496
6 Jack Miller (Australia) FTR 40min43.518
7 Alexis Masbou (France) FTR 40min47.457
8 Jonas Folger (Germany) Kalex 40min48.718
9 Romano Fenati (Italy) FTR 40min49.393
10 Philipp OEttl (Germany) Kalex 40min53.403
11 Brad Binder (South Africa) Suter 40min53.537
12 Niklas Ajo (Finland) KTM 41min03.453
13 Jakub Kornfeil (Czech Republic) Kalex 41min11.884
14 Isaac Vinales (Spain) FTR 41min13.982
15 Ana Carrasco (Spain) KTM 41min14.020
Points after the Motorcycling GP Moto3
1 Luis Salom (Spain) KTM - 284
2 Alex Rins (Spain) KTM - 270
3 Maverick Vinales (Spain) KTM - 258
4 Alex Marquez (Spain) KTM - 162
5 Jonas Folger (Germany) Kalex - 137
6 Miguel Oliveira (Portugal) Mahindra 131
7 Jack Miller (Australia) FTR - 89
8 Alexis Masbou (France) FTR - 78
9 Efren Vazquez (Spain) Mahindra - 62
10 Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Malaysia) KTM - 60
11 Jakub Kornfeil (Czech Republic) Kalex - 59
12 Arthur Sissis (Australia) KTM - 59
13 Brad Binder (South Africa) Suter - 55
14 Romano Fenati (Italy) FTR - 55
15 Niklas Ajo (Finland) KTM - 47
The win as Pedrosa's third of 2013 – and a race he also won in 2012 (a race cut short because of torrential rain) and the Spanish team mates came in ahead of defending champion and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha).
"It's a great feeling to be back... I came back strong," said Pedrosa, who crashed in the previous race, in Spain, after Marquez made contact with him. For the championship, with Marc finishing always on the podium, it's hard to take back any points.”
It was a hard-fought race for all three.
ROSSI FOURTH FROM SECOND
Marquez was on pole but Lorenzo took the lead after starting fourth. He in turn was overtaken by Pedrosa, who started fifth, on lap five, which sparked a thrilling battle between Lorenzo and Marquez for second.
The 20-year-old, who Lorenzo bumped once, eventually gained the upper hand with 11 laps left of the 20-lap race. Lorenzo's team mate, seven-times World champion Valentino Rossi, was fourth after starting second.
He was followed by Honda’s Alvaro Bautista and British Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow, who started third, fell back to sixth. "It was a nice battle with Jorge. I enjoyed it a lot," Marquez said. "I tried to reduce that gap (to race leader Pedrosa) but I saw that it was too much risk and the target of this weekend was to finish in front of Jorge.”
He added that “extending his championship lead was most important". "I prefer to take those 20 points (for second). I think about the World championship too."
Three races remain. Marquez tops the standings with 298 points, followed by Lorenzo (255) and Pedrosa (244). Lorenzo conceded he would aim to retain the season's second place with the Hondas out-performing the Yamahas, especially in warm weather.
MOST DEMANDING
"It was a great battle (with Marquez)... he was strong. He didn't lose concentration. He deserved second," the title defender said. "We hope at Phillip Island (Australia), with cooler temperatures and a more flowing track without so much braking, we can fight for the win and keep second place in the championship - first seems more difficult now.”
Though rain clouds threatened and a strong wind blew Sunday's race remained dry with temperatures around 30C. The 5.5km) Sepang circuit in the tropical humid south-east Asian country is one of the season's longest and most demanding.
Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli was killed in a crash there during the race two years ago earlier. A Malaysian rider and a marshal died in a collision in September 2013 but race officials say the track is safe, describing the deaths as "tragic" once-offs.
With three rounds to go and a maximum of 75 points up for grabs, rookie Marquez still leads the riders' standings on 298 points, 43 clear of Lorenzo (255) with Pedrosa third on 244.
Malaysia was the 15th race of the season. Next will be Australia, followed by Japan and the final race in Valencia, Spain.
Result from the 2013 Motorcycle GP of Malaysia
1 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda
2 Marc Marquez (Spain) Honda
3 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha
4 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha
5 Alvaro Bautista (Spain) Honda
6 Cal Crutchlow (Britain) Yamaha
7 Bradley Smith (Britain) Yamaha
8 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Ducati
9 Aleix Espargaro (Spain) Aprilia
10 Yonny Hernandez (Colombia) Aprilia
11 Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) FTR
12 Randy de Puniet (France) Aprilia
13 Claudio Corti (Italy) FTR
14 Hector Barbera (Spain) FTR
15 Colin Edwards (US) FTR
Standings after the 2013 Malaysia MotoGP
1 Marc Marquez (Spain) Honda - 298
2 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha - 255
3 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda - 244
4 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha - 198
5 Cal Crutchlow (Britain) Yamaha - 166
6 Alvaro Bautista (Spain) Honda - 136
7 Stefan Bradl (Germany) Honda - 135
8 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Ducati - 120
9 Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Ducati - 102
10 Bradley Smith (Britain) Yamaha - 89
11 Aleix Espargaro (Spain) Aprilia - 83
12 Michele Pirro (Italy) Ducati - 50
13 Andrea Iannone (Italy) Ducati - 47
14 Colin Edwards (US) FTR - 32
15 Hector Barbera (Spain) FTR - 29
Result from the Motorcycling GP Malaysia Moto2
1 Esteve Rabat (Spain) Kalex 25min45.411
2 Pol Espargaro (Spain) Kalex 25min46.974
3 Thomas Luethi (Switzerland) Suter 25min48.321
4 Mika Kallio (Finland) Kalex 25min50.225
5 Dominique Aegerter (Switzerland) Suter 25min52.763
6 Johann Zarco (France) Suter 25min55.201
7 Scott Redding (Britain) Kalex 25min55.251
8 Takaaki Nakagami (Japan) Kalex 25min57.305
9 Jordi Torres (Spain) Suter 25min57.713
10 Julian Simon (Spain) Kalex 26min00.935
11 Simone Corsi (Italy) Speed up 26min01.601
12 Danny Kent (Britain) Tech 3 26min10.602
13 Anthony West (Australia) Speed up 26min11.393
14 Ricard Cardus (Spain) Speed up 26min11.451
15 Marcel Schroetter (Germany) Kalex 26min11.791
Points after the Motorcycling GP Moto2
1 Scott Redding (Britain) Kalex - 224
2 Pol Espargaro (Spain) Pons Kalex - 215
3 Esteve Rabat (Spain) Pons Kalex - 196
4 Mika Kallio (Finland) Kalex - 156
5 Takaaki Nakagami (Japan) Kalex - 138
6 Dominique Aegerter (Switzerland) Suter- 133
7 Johann Zarco (France) Suter - 123
8 Thomas Luethi (Switzerland) Suter - 110
9 Nicolas Terol (Spain) Suter - 108
10 Jordi Torres (Spain) Suter - 90
11 Simone Corsi (Italy) Speed up - 79
12 Xavier Simeon (Belgium) Kalex - 71
13 Julian Simon (Spain) Kalex - 63
14 Alex de Angelis (San Marino) Speed up - 46
15 Mattia Pasini (Italy) Speed up - 42
Result from the Motorcycling GP Malaysia Moto3
1 Luis Salom (Spain) KTM 40min42.441
2 Alex Rins (Spain) KTM 40min42.510
3 Miguel Oliveira (Portugal) Mahindra 40min42.849
4 Alex Marquez (Spain) KTM 40min43.223
5 Maverick Vinales (Spain) KTM 40min43.496
6 Jack Miller (Australia) FTR 40min43.518
7 Alexis Masbou (France) FTR 40min47.457
8 Jonas Folger (Germany) Kalex 40min48.718
9 Romano Fenati (Italy) FTR 40min49.393
10 Philipp OEttl (Germany) Kalex 40min53.403
11 Brad Binder (South Africa) Suter 40min53.537
12 Niklas Ajo (Finland) KTM 41min03.453
13 Jakub Kornfeil (Czech Republic) Kalex 41min11.884
14 Isaac Vinales (Spain) FTR 41min13.982
15 Ana Carrasco (Spain) KTM 41min14.020
Points after the Motorcycling GP Moto3
1 Luis Salom (Spain) KTM - 284
2 Alex Rins (Spain) KTM - 270
3 Maverick Vinales (Spain) KTM - 258
4 Alex Marquez (Spain) KTM - 162
5 Jonas Folger (Germany) Kalex - 137
6 Miguel Oliveira (Portugal) Mahindra 131
7 Jack Miller (Australia) FTR - 89
8 Alexis Masbou (France) FTR - 78
9 Efren Vazquez (Spain) Mahindra - 62
10 Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Malaysia) KTM - 60
11 Jakub Kornfeil (Czech Republic) Kalex - 59
12 Arthur Sissis (Australia) KTM - 59
13 Brad Binder (South Africa) Suter - 55
14 Romano Fenati (Italy) FTR - 55
15 Niklas Ajo (Finland) KTM - 47
