Malaysian MotoGP Preview: Reborn Stoner attempting repeat victory

Moto GP / Trent Burton / 17 October 2008 / Leave a Comment

Trent Burton sets up this weekend's Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang...

Two weeks ago Casey Stoner delighted his home fans as he took back-to-back wins at Phillip Island in his first visit to the top step since July. He'll be attempting to match that form this weekend in Malaysia.

The Sepang circuit is the host for the penultimate round of this year's championship and it is one all the riders know well as it's used for a bulk of the winter testing. There should be no excuses from anyone about setup.

The only gripes may be concerning the weather with thunderstorms predicted among the hot and humid Malaysian conditions which should not only test the riders, but the tyres on the notoriously uneven Sepang tarmac. With these unknowns heading into Sunday, we could be in for an interesting and chaotic race.

Stoner had his pride on the line at his home GP, having surrendered the title to Valentino Rossi the week before, and subsequently delivered. Rossi may have already had his name on the silverware but he still turned in a sensational ride from 12th on the grid (his bad position a result of a large crash in qualifying) to finish second behind Stoner and just ahead of Nicky Hayden meaning the podium sported the last three MotoGP World Champions. This weekend sees Rossi a narrow favourite at [2.36] on a track where he has won four times in the past, just ahead of three-time Sepang victor Stoner at [2.48].

For the first time in a long time, Dani Pedrosa is not the leader of the best-of-the-rest in the winner's market behind the Italian and the Aussie. With a string of poor performances showing just the one podium result since June, Pedrosa has all but given up on 2008. He's finished third here the last two years but the combination of injuries from a fall in Australia, coming terms with the Bridgestones and his manager Alberto Puig's, frankly ridiculous, outbursts in the press after Phillip Island and it's hard to see him fighting for a win. His times on Friday have been up and down so a price of [1.62] for the podium has little value even if he can find some form and at [8.6] for the win, he's still too short for me.

His team-mate however has not been shy in expressing his delight at beating the Spaniard lately, nor of what he thinks of Puig's comments directed at him. Nicky Hayden is back on form and is more upbeat than he has been in years. Every day that passes takes him another step closer to being a factory Ducati rider. He has a series of fourth places at Sepang so the place owes him a podium you might say and at [3.05] it's worth a punt that he might just break that drought.

The best-of-the-rest honour this week falls to Jorge Lorenzo. He didn't quite live up to a few expectations down the stretch at Phillip Island as he ended up fourth. His Friday times have been very good and if he can get his start sorted out, [2.04] for a podium is good investment. With two podiums and a win here in the lower classes, [5.0] for a return to the winner's circle is not out of the question.

Outside of that only Colin Edwards and Shinya Nakano have showed anything out of the ordinary during the first sessions. Edwards topped the sheets and has apparently been given the 'hurry up' message from the top brass at Yamaha if he wants to keep his ride for '09 and Nakano is still fighting for the final free job next year at Kawasaki so perhaps that has more to do with it than anything else. Either way I can't imagine their current speed to withstand a full race onslaught from the top guys but if something should happen to any of them, it might be worth a glance over the podium and top six markets for the pair of them.

This is the final early start for the season on Sunday so set your recorders or alarm clocks again. With both Rossi and Stoner together at the pointy end once more after Friday expect it to be another battle between the Yamaha and Ducati pilots. It's yet to be seen how Stoner's injured wrist can withstand a full race battle so unless he can clear off in the early laps, I would tip Rossi if it's a fight to the finish. And what if the rain comes before 2pm on Sunday like the locals are saying it will? Then standard rules apply. Find your Chris Vermeulen odds as long as you can get them.