Marquez aims for 12th victory of the season in Sepang
Published on: Friday, October 24, 2014
SEPANG: Marc Marquez of Repsol Honda Team is eyeing another chance to register a 12th victory of the season at the 2014 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sepang Circuit this weekend.Currently, Marquez has topped the MotoGP world championship standings with 312 points ahead Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, both of whom are from the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team, with 255 poinst and 247 points respectively. "It is time to try and be on the top again as I have not won since Silverstone. We will try to be ready to fight for victory on Sunday if it is dry, if it is wet, we will see. It will be difficult because everyone has a lot of testing experience from this track," he said.ADVERTISEMENT The visit to Sepang also provides Marquez with an opportunity to put Sunday's Phillip Island race out of his mind after he crashed out when leading in Australia."I was trying to ride a different kind of race in Australia, to be strong from the beginning and make a gap. I thought riding without pressure it was time to ride a special way but it just didn't work on Sunday. Anyway, I expect Rossi, Jorge and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) to be strong here in Malaysia," he added.If Marquez manages to seal the another victory in Sepang, it would equal Mick Doohan's record in 1997 for most premier class wins in a single season.Meanwhile, Rossi said he was determined to clinch a victory in Sepang this weekend for his adoring Malaysian fans.ADVERTISEMENT "It has been a good season for me from the beginning, I like Sepang...it is one of my favourite tracks. It is the most difficult race for the riders because of the heat. You are on the limit physically and you have to be fit and to keep your concentration," said Rossi. Meanwhile, Sepang International Circuit (SIC) for the first time will be competing in the MotoGP world championship next year with a team named as SIC Racing Team, said SIC's Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Razlan Razali.
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Razlan said SIC decided to sign up Zulfahmi Khairuddin to become the first rider for the team in the Moto3 category.Zulfahmi, 23, most recently from the Ongetta-Air Asia team, will be competing on a 2015 KTM Moto3 250 GPR motorcycle. The bike is fitted with the KTM 250cc engine."This registration by SIC brings our commitment to growing the two-wheel racing ecosystem in Malaysia to the next level, a step up from our initiatives in the last five years, since 2010. "This move marks the next phase for our investment into developing motorsports in the nation. We can now test extensively at the circuit in November this year and February, March next year ahead of the 2015 season's opening race in Qatar," he told to reporters here Thursday.Razlan said the testing phase was the ideal time to build a strong supporting team of skilled talents including race engineers, mechanics and crew which would SIC added advantages of an experienced team that worked seamlessly as a single entity for better performances during the season. "The entries also pave the way for our own brand rider development, team management, long term talent development, sponsorship and brand assets management. "Currently, we are starting by creating value opportunities for other Malaysian companies to associate with our team," he said.Razlan said Zulfahmi is still relevant to Malaysian motorsports and MotoGP, particularly having held on to his record as the fastest Southeast Asian Rider in the Moto3 category.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"We believe in the importance of starting a new competitive season in our first year with a target of breaking into the top 10 (next year), if not the top five," he said.However, Razlan urged Zulfahmi to strive for greater success with the new team, next season. – Bernama