Sepang MotoGP 2022: Up Close With Malaysia’s Motorcycling Culture

The sound of 240 bhp four-cylinder engines at full trot! That’s the first thing that hits you at a MotoGP race! Reaching Sepang International Circuit on Saturday, October 22, 2022, we were greeted with the roar of MotoGP bikes during the free practice session. Heading out to the grandstand, the sights and sounds of MotoGP, the premier class of motorcycle road racing, immediately induced goose bumps for many of us! Here we are, finally, in the thick of MotoGP racing, thanks to India Yamaha Motor, who invited us for this unique experience!

Also Read: Bagnaia Wins At Sepang, But Title Fight Goes Down To Valencia

Sepang International Circuit (SIC) is located near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), about a 45-minute drive from the city centre. And we were part of a group from India who had travelled to SIC to witness the almost title-decider at the Malaysian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the 2022 MotoGP calendar. 

The author visited Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur to experience the Malaysian GP from October 22-23, 2022.
 

Motorcycling in Malaysia
 

During the race weekend at Sepang, one thing played on my mind. Next year will see MotoGP coming to India for the first time, with the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) hosting the Grand Prix of Bharat, as it will be called. Like BIC, the Sepang International Circuit also hosted Formula One races, from 1999 till 2017. But the Malaysian GP has been part of the MotoGP calendar for several years now, since 1999, except for the last two years, due to the pandemic. 

Also Read: MotoGP Announces Bharat Grand Prix Debut In 2023

Sepang International Circuit during race weekend saw 1,63,567 visitors this year. 
 

While India may be the world’s biggest two-wheeler market, Malaysia is miles ahead when it comes to motorcycle enthusiasts and their love and passion for MotoGP. In fact, 3 out of every 5 average Malaysians seem to know quite a bit about motorcycles in general, and even about MotoGP, conversant with who’s leading, who are the stars, and which racers are with which factory teams. Naturally, passions run high, and fans, for brands and stars alike, are seen at Sepang in big numbers during the race weekend. 

Also Read: Successful MotoGP Riders Of All Time

The racers in the Moto2 event are usually all bunched up together, unlike the main MotoGP event. All bikes in the Moto2 league are required to run the same engine. The current Moto2 single engine supplier is Triumph, with the brand's three-cylinder 765 cc engines. 

The passion for motorcycling and MotoGP is palpable even before you arrive at the Sepang circuit. Riders, decked out in full riding gear, irrespective of engine displacement or size of their motorcycles, are seen heading towards the venue of the MotoGP races on all three days of the race weekend. There are brand-specific dedicated motorcycle parking lots for fans, and free shuttle services are offered, from outside the main entry of the SIC to these parking lots. 

The atmosphere at the Sepang International Circuit on race day is infectious! Cheering fans, loud engines and speed, an adrenaline-filled experience!

Even the Malaysian cops get to ride fancy bikes issued by the government. One motorcycle cop we got to chat with just outside the Sepang circuit, proudly explained the controls and features of the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce Lusso SCS he was riding, with its smart clutch system! 

A young, somewhat inexperienced member of our entourage, taken in by the MV’s looks, quipped, “You should be inside the track, racing!” 

The response from the cop was matter of fact, to the point, and not in the least disrespectful or belittling.

“This here is a touring bike, not for track riding. For racing, at the track inside, you will need a superbike.”
 

Also Read: The Best MotoGP Races Of All Time
 

Monster Energy Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli in action at Sepang International Circuit. (Photo courtesy: Bunny Punia)

The race!
 

MotoGP is to be seen live to be experienced! The sound, the atmosphere, and the general vibe! Nothing comes close to watching an actual race. And the penultimate round of the 2022 calendar at Sepang was a dramatic race, of some of the favourites crashing at qualifying and defending champion Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha starting the grid on race day at P12. 
 

The 2022 season’s closing race at Valencia will be where the MotoGP champion will be crowned. Although Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia is in the lead with a 23-point advantage, the championship is still wide open, and Quartararo could still become champion, provided he wins, and Bagnaia finishes way lower down the order, or retires. It’s a long shot, but still a chance.

Defending champion, Monster Energy Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo, clawed up from 12th place to finish at the third spot on podium at Sepang. He now faces a tough fight at Valencia for the title. (Photo courtesy: Bunny Punia)

At Sepang, the superiority of the Ducati bikes was apparent. Three of the top four bikes were Ducatis, although Quartararo did finish on podium at Sepang, fighting back from 12^th place in the grid, showing why he’s the defending champion after all. It’s no mean task for Quartararo to fight against seven Ducatis. 
 

And the Ducatis are fast! Between Ducati riders Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini, the two have together won 11 of the 19 races contested so far in the 2022 season. Aprilia’s Aleix Esparago faces a fight in Valencia to defend third place in the championship, with Bastianini in fourth just two points behind. But even Esparago knows it will be a tough battle to take on a Ducati for a shot at the podium. 

Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo gets ready to pass Marc Marquez at the Malaysian GP in Sepang on October 23, 2022. (Photo courtesy: Bunny Punia)
 

Defending Champion Fabio Quartararo claws up to 3^rd from 12^th
 

For Yamaha, Quartararo is the only rider to secure a top five, podium, pole or win this season. At Sepang, if Quartararo had not moved up from 12^th place to finish third, Bagnaia would have already been crowned world champion. Given the pace of the Ducatis, it’s one last chance for the Yamaha rider to compete for the title in Valencia, but it’s a chance which will need Quartararo to win and provided Bagnaia is P15 or lower. It’s still a chance, but a small one at that.

The GP Fan Zone at Sepang packed to near capacity on race day at the Malaysian GP. 

Sepang saw a crowd of 1,63,567 visitors during the weekend for the 2022 Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia. Friday’s Free Practice saw 21,015 visitors at SIC, with 53,937 attending the qualifying sessions on Saturday, and a crowd of 88,615 visitors on race day, on Sunday. The Malaysian GP returned to the Sepang International Circuit after two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The sight and sounds of the MotoGP race bikes zooming past at 330 kmph on the main straight of SIC is some experience!
 

Fans Galore!
 

The Malaysian GP at Sepang was as much about the action on track, as it was about the action at the stands. It must be experienced to be believed. The GP Fan Zone at the main grandstand was packed to capacity, and the cheers from the crowd was as much a part of the experience as the racing action itself. Different groups of fans were bundled up in their own enclosures, Ducati, Yamaha, HRC, Suzuki, Aprilia, and KTM, there were fans of every brand competing at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. 

Monster Energy Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo in action at the Sepang International Circuit at the Malaysian Grand Prix. (Photo Courtesy: Bunny Punia)

Earlier, at Saturday’s qualifying, Prima Pramac’s Jorge Martin secured pole position with a new all-time record at Sepang of 1:57:790. Honda’s Marc Marquez, recovering from injury, did manage to grab a front row position with the three title challengers losing out. Pecco Bagnaia and Aleix Esparago crashed out and Quartararo saved himself on his final qualifying lap. The fans were all up for Marquez, and the Honda rider certainly proved to be smooth, and fast, despite his relatively slower Honda, compared to the Ducatis and the Yamahas. Next season will be worth watching out for the Honda rider, if he gets a better, faster machine!

Also Read: MotoGP Confirmed For India; To Be Called Grand Prix Of Bharat
 

Bharat GP in 2023 Calendar
 

The 2023 season could see India making its MotoGP debut on the calendar at the Buddh International Circuit. Being the world’s largest motorcycle market, India makes sense to host the premier motorcycle race, and is naturally a key focus for manufacturers in the MotoGP paddock. Indeed, India does have a lot of MotoGP fans, and also a key market for the motorcycle industry. The BIC track will first need to be homologated by governing body FIM before the event, which has been provisionally listed as the 14^th round, to be held in September 2023. 

MotoGP fans in the paddock area of the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo courtesy: Bunny Punia)

Will the Bharat GP at BIC be as action-packed, and be attended by as passionate MotoGP fans like at Sepang? It’s almost a year away, and more than the track being ready, a lot will depend on the infrastructure around the race itself, and of a responsible audience and fans. 

It was a dramatic race at the Malaysian GP at Sepang. One which could have gone either way, for defending champion Yamaha, and title contender Ducati. 

On a bus ride out of Kuala Lumpur after the race, I was greeted by two young men with wide smiles, displaying a camaraderie which bordered on the familiar. And then it struck me. Both were Yamaha fans, wearing VR46 hats, and Yamaha shirts. The Yamaha Racing shirt I was wearing automatically made me a fan in their eyes, a part of the family! It was just like the reaction from the security usher at the MotoGP paddock who checked our entry passes on race day. A thumbs up, and a wide grin followed by a “Go Yamaha!” Now, that’s the level of passion for motorcycling Malaysia enjoys, something which makes watching a race at Sepang a special experience.