250ccMarco Simoncelli’s win in a shortened 250cc race in Australia, combined with Hiroshi Aoyama’s seventh place at Phillip Island, means the defending World Champion is now 12 points behind the current championship leader with two races of the season remaining.Simoncelli is taking each race as it comes in his bid to retain his title before his step up to MotoGP next season, but Aoyama is still the standard bearer as the riders head for South East Asia.Aoyama could still end the title challenge of Simoncelli in Sepang by claiming the crown himself – a win for the Japanese rider and no higher than fifth for his Metis Gilera rival would deliver that, while there are a host of other permutations involving Álvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar) and Héctor Barberá (Pepe World Team) as well.Simoncelli has only ever finished on the podium at Sepang once, coming in third in his title-winning season last year, while Aoyama has enjoyed a win and second place in his last two seasons.Barberá’s second place in Australia narrowed the gap on the championship’s third-placed rider Bautista, who crashed and ended tenth in the race, to four points, while Mattia Pasini in fifth place in the standings failed to finish.Bautista won last year’s race at Sepang and Barberá came second in 2007, so both have experience of faring well at the circuit.
125ccA last-lap win in Australia delivered Julián Simón the world title after an enthralling battle with Bradley Smith, and now the British rider can further secure his grip on second spot in Malaysia.Having seen his decision to step back down to 125cc from the 250cc class justified with his title at the weekend, Simón will now want to secure his first-ever podium at Sepang.Smith’s fine season could continue in Malaysia, at a track where he finished second last year from 13th on the grid, and he has now put together a solid run of four consecutive podium finishes.The 19 year-old can still be caught by third-placed Nico Terol (Jack & Jones), but with a 21-point gap going into the final two races of the campaign it would take a reversal of his impressive displays to date.A further 20 points behind Terol sits fourth-placed Pol Espargaró who finished fourth at Phillip Island after qualifying on pole, with Sergio Gadea completing the current top five.The first practice of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Sepang starts at 12.40pm local time (5.40am BST) on Friday.