Sepang MotoGP 2013 | Results

2013 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix Results

Spoiler Alert: 2013 MotoGP results from Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit listed below.

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa kept his MotoGP title hunt alive following a dominating performance Sepang International Circuit, the first of three back-to-back races as the series heads towards its conclusion.

The Spaniard, who chases his first-ever premier-class MotoGP title, took the lead on lap four, and wasn’t challenged for the remainder of the race. This was the second consecutive win at Sepang for Pedrosa, who led three of four free practices.

The real battle was behind, though, as Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez – the current MotoGP Championship leader – and Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo battled for second.

But even this battle was short lived. Following some exchanges for second, the pole-man Marquez got into the position on lap nine and went on to run a clean race and finish in a lonely second, 2.757 seconds behind Pedrosa.

As for Lorenzo, he also finished alone, the two-time MotoGP Championship taking third 6.669 seconds behind the current points leader.

Marquez gained another 20 points, and now has 298 points, 43 more than Lorenzo, and 54 more than Pedrosa. With three rounds remaining, these three riders are the only ones with a mathematical chance of taking the 2013 MotoGP title. If Marquez earns that title, he will be the first in 35 years (since Freddie Spencer) to take the a title in his rookie year.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V MotoGP) says: “These twenty points are very important and I’m really happy with how the race went today. I had a nice, fun battle with Lorenzo, but at the same time I could see that Dani was opening up a gap.

“When I finally managed to overtake Jorge and make the pass stick, I tried to reduce the distance that Dani had put between us. However, I saw that it was too risky to do so. From that moment on, I decided to focus on keeping Lorenzo at bay, because the goal here was to finish the race ahead of him. We did what we came here to do, so we are very happy!”

As for race winner Pedrosa, he was looking to redeem points following his DNF at Aragon due to his controversial crash with teammate Marquez.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V MotoGP) says: “I am very happy with this win, as it is very special. My level of riding today was very good and the victory comes after a difficult week –in which I was laid up in bed and could hardly move.

“To come here and win is fantastic, so thanks to all my team! It is a pity about what happened in Aragon, because we had the pace and the same chance of the win as we did here. However, we can’t keep looking back; we need to continue on and try to carry our form into the final races.”

Lorenzo opened the race with his usual holeshot, but like free practices, he struggled to keep the pace with the others. The Spaniard rode smartly and consistently, though, keeping his title hopes more than alive.

Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing YZR-M1 MotoGP) says: “We were much slower than the others today, especially after three or four laps. I tried to open a gap at the beginning like always but there was +0 on the board after a couple of laps.

“When Dani passed I tried to stay with him and also then again when Marc passed me. I tried to pass him some more times to make him nervous but it was impossible, he was much stronger today so we couldn’t do much more. To win the championship is almost impossible but I would like to finish second in the championship and win as many races as possible.”

Taking a lonely fourth was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Valentino Rossi, the nine-time World Champion finishing 10.351 seconds behind Marquez. After a long battle with Monster Tech 3 Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow, GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista took fifth.

The Spaniard only needed fifth or better to move into sixth in the rider’s standings ahead of LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl, who was forced out due to breaking his ankle during the fourth free practice.

Rounding out the top 10 were Monster Tech 3 Yamaha’s Bradl Smith, Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso, top CRT runner, Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro, and Ignite Pramac Racing Ducati’s Yonny Hernandez.

A total of five riders failed to finish, including 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden who parked his Ducati Team machine on the start/finish straight after suffering technical problems.

The series now heads directly to Phillip Island for the Australian Grand Prix, which takes place Oct. 18-20.

2013 Sepang MotoGP Results:

2013 MotoGP Championship Point Standings (after 15 of 18 rounds):