Motor Racing: Heat is on Rossi

Reigning MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi will be in an unfamiliar position when he races in the Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix this weekend.

The pressure is on Rossi to secure a win at the circuit in Sepang to keep his championship hopes alive.

Over the last few years, Rossi used to arrive here with the world title virtually in his grasp but the tables have turned this time.

He finds himself among the chasing pack for the first time in Sepang since winning his first world title in the premier class in 2001.

Yamaha rider Rossi, who has only won four races this year, is in third place in the standings on 163 points. He definitely needs to be at his best to reel in the younger challengers in championship leader Nicky Hayden and Daniel Pedrosa.

With just five rounds remaining in the 17-leg World Championships, Hayden holds a healthy 25 points lead over Pedrosa.

With a total haul of 201 points, the 24-year-old American will be searching for his third victory of the season in a bid to regain the world title for Honda.

The 20-year-old Pedrosa has also showed stunning form in his debut in the MotoGP class. The Spaniard has won two races thus far and has 176 points.

It will be a different scenario but the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) general manager, Datuk Ahmad Mustafa, said that the stage is nevertheless set for another thrilling battle.

“The battle for the MotoGP title is obviously still alive and is still wide open. We should see a fantastic Malaysian GP this weekend,” he said.

“Hayden have the advantage and there is real pressure on Rossi this time. Rossi cannot afford to slip up because his defence of the world title may run to an end in Sepang. The race here could be a turning point in the world championship battle.”

Ahmad added that a win for Hayden would boost his chances of becoming the new world champion.

However, it would not be easy to predict the winner in Sepang this year if one takes into consideration that five riders have claimed race victories this season.

Beside Hayden, Pedrosa and Rossi, the others who had taken the chequered flag were Italians Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi.

Melandri was the winner in Turkey and France. Capirossi won the opening race in Spain and took his second victory in the last round held in Brno, Czech Republic, last month. Capirossi was also the winner in Sepang last year.