Sunday, 25 October 2015

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.