Lorenzo and Rossi poised for Sepang challenge

Jorge Lorenzo heads to Sepang with the knowledge that he collected his first premier class world title at the Malaysian circuit in 2010. On this occasion, the task is to out-score championship leader Marc Marquez by as many points as possible.

With four Grands Prix remaining and a maximum of 100 points left on offer, newcomer Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) heads reigning World Champion Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) by 39 points. With a difference of five between first and second positions (25 and 20 points, respectively), Lorenzo is aware that he must aim for victories while hoping that his chief rival runs into trouble.

"Now we start the big trip, with three races in a row, and face the last part of the championship - the crucial part," Lorenzo acknowledges ahead of back-to-back races in Malaysia, Australia and Japan.

"After Aragón, where we fought so hard, we now visit a special circuit. Sepang is a track everybody knows really well. I guess all the riders will be strong there because we did a couple of pre-season tests. Sepang is a long and technical circuit with two great straights but also some nice corners. The worst thing is it’s always stormy and you never know when it is going to rain.

"I have some good memories there but we need to keep focus now on the race and try to recover a little bit to Marquez. The championship is difficult, but we want to fight until the end. Let’s see what happens!"

Lorenzo could be assisted by former arch rival and Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi, who has won at Sepang on no less than six occasions since 2001.

"The Sepang circuit is a track that I like a lot - I have had many great victories there," begins the Italian, who last time out at MotorLand Aragón picked up his fifth rostrum finish of the 2013 campaign.

"I think it suits the Yamaha quite well. It's very demanding physically, because it’s very hot, but it's also a great track and challenge because of that. I want to try to have a good weekend and work hard on the setup in order to be competitive in the race."

For Constructors’ honours ahead of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, Yamaha trails Honda by 26 points, whereas Yamaha Factory Racing is second in the Teams’ standings and 73 points in arrears of Repsol Honda Team.

The memory of Valentino Rossi for Marco Simoncelli - 6 Hours ago in Sepang.

Sepang: Red, 4th arrival at the finish line reminds Simoncelli 

On the track in October of 2011 saw the death of Sic, Smith recalls the pilot friend doing a lap of honor after the race with the flag with the number 58. 

Sepang: Red, 4th arrival at the finish line reminds Simoncelli.

It was certainly a good day for Valentino Rossi, 4th arrival, which in the Grand Prix at Sepang was always watching from the first to the twentieth lap his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and the two Honda riders compete for the podium. And to say that in practice, and especially in qualifying, the Doctor had done well for a few minutes savoring even the pole position, then faded due dell'indiavolato Marquez. Then, in the race, the almost absolute anonymity for a distant fourth place in the first three, the son of a difficult morning began with a fall during the warm-up to a few hours from the start.

The tribute to Sic - Yet, as often happens to the sample of Tavullia, anonymous one day turns into a moment at a time, however, to remember. Why the finish line, while Pedrosa celebrated an encore in Malaysia after last year's win, Marquez put his head in front of Lorenzo, stretching a little 'over defending champion Yamaha's Valentino cut out their own space on the circuit by waving the Malaysian flag he remembered his friend Simoncelli, who died October 23, 2011 on this track. On 18 October last year, during the race weekend of the Malaysian Grand Prix, riders and the MotoGP paddock had affixed a commemorative plaque at Turn 11 of the Sepang circuit where Simoncelli lost his life.This year we thought Rossi, the usual great champion off the track.

Sky form Moto3™ team

From the start of next year, Valentino Rossi will be working alongside Sky Italia - the Italian MotoGP™ broadcaster from 2014 - in order to nurture new talents in the Moto3™ category of the World Championship.

Starting with 2014, Rossi will contribute towards a project which will focus on propelling the careers of young riders on international circuits. This comes after a deal was struck between Sky and VR46, the company owned by the nine-time World Champion.

The team, of which Sky will be the principal sponsor, will race with KTM machinery and has already forwarded an official entry application to MotoGP™ governing body the FIM and commercial rights holder Dorna Sports in order to participate in the Moto3™ class.

Romano Fenati will be a rider as he continues his quest of attempting to climb to the top of the World Championship. "We have joined forces with Sky in order to give the Italian riders the opportunity to be competitive and reach the highest levels," says Rossi.

Earlier this year, it was announced that Sky Italia had acquired television rights to the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship starting with the 2014 season, offering coverage across all Sky platforms including FTA TV, pay TV, internet, mobile and Sky Go.