MotoGP 2015 @ Sepang: The Bikes, The Babes, And #SepangClash

Credits to motogp

This year's Shell Malaysia Grand Prix 2015 held at Sepang International Circuit saw much drama indeed. Low sides, crashes, victorious wins and alas, the ugliness of unsportsmanlike behavior displayed among heated rivalries under extreme pressure, resorting to unscrupulous moves that took away the beauty and glory of the sport itself.

Special thanks to Liqui Moly who is the official 2015 oil sponsor for Moto2 and Moto3, I'm privileged to witness all the action that went on in spite of the depressing haze that blanketed the circuit during the MotoGP Qualifying rounds on Saturday.

Despite flying back to back trips (from Jakarta with Pirelli to Kuala Lumpur for MotoGP with Liqui Moly), my energy level maintains at an all high because of all the exciting programs packed in.

It was hot.

It was hazy (thanks to the burning going on in Indonesia).

But the steady flow of crowd that started streaming in since Friday had their moods up, in anticipation of the action (and unexpected drama #sepangclash) that was about to unfold over the second last round of this year's MotoGP Championship.

Lovely Liqui Moly

But first, let's whet our appetite with some starters, shall we? ;) because what's a motorsport event without some pretty girls in the house!

Givi-to-me baby

Here's unveiling the little biker boy in me, checking out and mingling with the Babes of MotoGP at Sepang!

From Kutie KTM

To Kawaii-saki

To Yamaha-mama-mia

And back to Liqui Moly!

All these gorgeous ladies sure brightens up the whole atmosphere, along with loud music and fun games different booths are playing to hype up the crowd.

Here I was, outside the Media Centre, using my phone while walking and being a clumsy potato that I literally knocked into someone. I looked up and apologized, only to realize it was #Lorenzo himself I bumped into.

With quick reflexes, this is my selfie with him.
#itried #itsstillaselfie #myfailedselfiewithlorenzo 

While this was everyone else's selfie with him......... after he went into the VIP room.

Let's get back to the main gist of the Malaysian Shell Grand Prix on Race Day, Sunday.

My "weather-super-hot" face

It was hotter today, and thankfully, the haze cleared up quite a bit for today's race. At least I could now see the main Grand Stand from K1 Grand Stand where I was seated at (with PSI reading over 250 yesterday, we could barely see shit).

Credits to motogp

People were cheering, the helicopter camera crew was hovering around, capturing every moment of action as the MotoGP race flags off. We have Dani Pedrosa leading, with Jorge Lorenzo emerging second place, but all eyes were glued onto the visibly intense battle between Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi for coming in third.

Credits to motogp

We know how much one's performance can be affected if he takes his emotions down to a race, and it seems that Rossi has shouldered on some grudge against Marquez since the round at Phillip Island.

Credits to motogp

Everything changed when the duo hit Lap 7, where they collided and Marquez went down.

How do we tell who's speaking the truth when videos and still visuals isn't even enough to help clearly distinguish who is at fault for such an act that MotoGP should not witness at all?

The heated debate begins, between Rossi, Marquez, and their fans.

Credits to foxsports

Marquez claims Rossi has intentionally make a wide turn to slow him down before eventually kicking his handlebar, leading him out of the race, as seen in the video footage here.

Though Rossi admits his intention on slowing Marquez down so he could pull off and focus on catching up with Lorenzo, he firmly rejects Marquez claim of being kicked, with slow motion frames showing that Marquez initiated the first contact, here.

The crowd was left appalled, confused, and their cheers turned into disappointing boos.

Credits to motogp

Race Direction decision here penalized Rossi for his act, and was awarded 3 penalty points plus having him start last on the grid for the final round of MotoGP in Valencia next week.

Credits to motogp

There are two ways to make history; either in a good way, or a bad one.

In this case, Sepang has seen one of its most exciting fist clenching race despite an inglorious fight between two remarkable riders the world recognizes.

My Ride Up To Volcano Tangkuban Perahu, Subang, West Java, Indonesia - With The New Pirelli Angel CT Tyres

Indonesia ranks 4th place in being the most populous country with approximately 255 million people
residing there.

Credits to indonesiajourney

Made up of thousands of volcanic islands, the capital of this Southeast Asian country is Jakarta.

Speaking of volcanoes, boy am I excited as I will be riding up to a Volcano called Mt Tangkuban Perahu with..

Pirelli's all new ANGEL™ CiTy tyres!
They are Pirelli's first tyres to be produced from their new factory here in Subang, Indonesia.

Special thanks to Pirelli and Hodaka Motoworld, I get to witness how these tyres are made from scratch, before experiencing it myself through the ride.

Took a 2 hour flight from Singapore to the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, before taking a 4 hour bus ride to Bandung where I checked into Hotel Sheraton, Bandung.

There are direct flights from Singapore to Bandung but none of the flight times matched the event's itinerary.

Room with a pool view

I heard Jakarta is known for their severe traffic jams. Thankfully I didn't have to experience it as the traffic was pretty smooth sailing all the way.

First up, we headed to check out Pirelli's newly set up factory in Subang.

It was huge, built on many acres of land, and fitted with tons of equipment required to produce up to 20,000 tyres a day.

That makes a whopping 7 million tyres a year, all to cater to the demand in the Asian market.

Credits to youtube

The motorcycling scene of Southeast Asia is dominated by small capacity bikes ranging from 125 - 300CC, most of them used for the purpose of commuting through city to city. Hence, as it's name suggests, Pirelli's newly launched Angel CiTy tyre was created to cater to daily riding needs.

The main purpose of Pirelli creating the Angel CiTy was to significantly enhance the durability, resistance and safety features of today's tyres which an everyday-biker needs.

Establishing a stronger presence in the Asia market, Pirelli aims to penetrate into the needs of the dominant class of bikes here. Together with their intensive R&Ds and constant upgraded technologies, the exclusive tyre supplier of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship intends to set its Angel CiTy tyres as the benchmark for 250CC bikes.

For a daily rider, one of the key points we look out for when choosing a tyre is its excellent mileage, versatility be it on smooth or bumpy tarmacs, rain or shine, and comfort. This is achieved in the Angel CiTy from the materials used, to the tread design of the tyres.

Now that we're filled with the knowledge of how the Angel CiTy is carefully formulated and created, let's take it for a ride!

Fitted onto all these 250 - 300CC bikes, we took the tyres out for a test!

 Actually, we just wanna ride ;)

Our safety and smooth traffic is ensured with Indonesia's police marshals riding along with us.

It was a short ride, around 40KM.

But the roads were pretty steep and windy through the countless mountainous sharp bends, some parts bumpy with uneven patches, as we gradually climbed in altitude.

The weather was cooling, at 18 degrees.

Standing at 1,830m above sea level, we arrived safely at the top of Volcano Tangkuban Perahu and the smell of sulphur was eminent.

How could any of us miss a photo at this popular scenic spot?

 

Especially with such a view like that. It was absolutely stunning.
We were right on the edge of its crater.

Tangkuban Perahu is an active volcano, but it lay quiet today with just a little bit of smoke sipping out from the centre.

Is this where I learn how to make a lava cake? :p

Credits to youtube

Ok that was too cold of a joke hahaha.

Honestly, the ride was too short to observe all the factors the Angel CiTy has promised in theory. But I can't deny the presence of an improved grip on the cold, wet, rough tarmac surfaces.

I'm definitely supporting the movement of small bikes making the switch to a safer and more well-improved tyres. Who says only cheap, lousy sotong tyres are worthy for kup kias (small road bikes)?

Say Hello to the all new Pirelli Angel CiTy.

Say Hello to a safer ride!