The Monster Yamaha Tech3 team riders Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith head to the world famous Sepang International Circuit for the last flyaway race this weekend as they are poised for further strong results at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

The 5543 metre track is located approximately 50 kilometres south of the country’s capital, Kuala Lumpur and was constructed in 1998, with the inaugural MotoGP race occurring a year later. The circuit is considered one of the finest on the planet and sets the standard for all Grand Prix tracks in terms of facilities and layout. There are five left corners and ten right turns with varying degrees of angles and speed. The circuit ensures a thoroughly entertaining and memorable battle at every visit with plenty of fierce overtaking at the 25 metre wide, ultra modern track.

Pol Espargaro intends to determinedly bounce back from coming agonizingly close to seizing his first MotoGP podium in Australia, by storming to a top result this weekend at Sepang. The reigning Moto2 World Champion will be looking to use his experience of the pre season testing with the Yamaha YZR-M1 to battle for the leading satellite bike position. Meanwhile Bradley Smith who rode to his first ever podium in the MotoGP class at the last race in Phillip Island, is aiming to continue his excellent form. He intends to seize a high flying finish to further his ambition of clinching 6th place in the championship standings as the season nears completion.

Pol Espargaro - Championship : 7th Points : 116

After the unfortunate end to the tricky Phillip Island race, I am looking forward to going to Malaysia, which is a track I have had experience on with a MotoGP bike due to the successful pre season tests. I feel confident as I am a fan of the Sepang International Circuit and I have learnt a lot since the beginning of the year, so I am certain that we can have a competitive finish. The heat and humidity will be tough to deal with as always, but it is part of the event and we will have to fight through it. The Yamaha is quick on the Sepang track and it’s awesome to ride with a big mixture of fast and slow corners. The battle on Sunday will be a long and challenging one, with the circuit having one of the longest lap distances on the calendar. Realistically, I aim to be in the top six this weekend in Sunday’s race and I am ready for the fight in front of the fantastic Asian fans before we head back to Europe for the final race in my home county at Valencia."

Bradley Smith - Championship : 8th Points : 108

"After the fantastic podium experience at Phillip Island, I am feeling really optimistic for the next round in Sepang, where I will be pushing once again to be the quickest satellite bike. I have had some good results here in previous years and we undertook a positive pre season test earlier this year. Therefore we have some valuable knowledge of the track which should enable us to hit the ground running. The circuit is one of the best on the calendar and it really is fantastic to ride around with its massive variety of corner styles and speeds, as well as the two long straights. There’s always a lot of overtaking but I am ready for the challenge and I fully intend to get into the top six again. The weather situation can be a bit tricky in Malaysia, so we will have to keep that in mind for the weekend with some possible showers occurring. Still, I am excited to be back on the Yamaha for the final race in the east and I will be riding at full throttle to get another top finish."

Hervé Poncharal - Team manager :

"It has been a long trip to the other side of the world for the three flyaway races but we have had some great results, particularly Bradley’s maiden podium in Phillip Island. This weekend we will compete at Sepang, which is one of the best tracks we visit as the Malaysia people always do a brilliant job to ensure that the circuit is well prepared. We had a good pre season test here with both of our guys putting a huge amount of effort in, so we are feeling confident for this weekend and will aim to be the top satellite bikes. Pol, who was really unlucky to fall and miss out on his debut podium at the end of the last race, has picked himself up and is feeling positive for Malaysia. He has ridden at Sepang on the Yamaha before, which will be a big help as he will have less disadvantage with the lack of track experience in the MotoGP class this time. Therefore, we expect him to be challenging for the title of the fastest satellite bike. Bradley definitely had a superb race in Australia with the excellent rostrum finish which was his first in only his second season in the premier class. He will take the positive confidence to Sepang where he will continue to try his best and build on the result from last week. The team and I expect him to be attacking in the top six. We all look forward to the Sepang race in front of the passionate crowd who adore our sport as we try to entertain them with our best efforts before heading home to Europe."

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