The final hurrah of the triple headers – Repsol Honda Team ready in Sepang
Sepang International CircuitAn incredible run of six races in seven weeks is almost over as Joan Mir and Luca Marini prepare for the penultimate race of the 2024 World Championship.
Almost nine months after the first test of 2024, the Repsol Honda Team return to the Sepang International Circuit for round 19 of the season. Since the first run on track back in early February, the work has been intense and consistent from the entirety of Honda HRC as the development of the Honda RC213V has continued at pace. The Malaysian GP offers a unique opportunity for riders and engineers to more directly compare the progress made over the course of the year.
Joan Mir’s motivation is as high as ever as he touches down in Kuala Lumpur, the #36 ending his pointless run with 15th in Thailand. Not satisfied with the end result of the Thai GP weekend, Mir is out to capitalize on the improvements made in recent rounds and to continue working to overcome the vibrations which have plagued him in the second half of the season.
With constant progress over the course of the year, there are few riders more eager for a return to the 5.54 kilometers of Sepang than Luca Marini. His last visit to the track in February seems almost a lifetime ago and this weekend will give the Italian as well as Honda HRC a clear definition of how Marini and the bike have evolved over the last 19 race weekends.
Once the Malaysian GP comes to a close just a single stop remains on the journey of 2024, the Valencia GP. A final chance to end the season on a positive note before diving straight into preparations for 2025 just a few days later at the very same track.
Location: Sepang Circuit
Specifically built for speed and exciting racing, the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia is one of the world’s best. The 2,300 acre complex cost around £50m to construct and was built in just 14 months, holding its first Grand Prix in April 1999 and setting the standard for race circuits worldwide.
With four slow corners following two long straights and ten medium to high-speed corners, the wide track is particularly favourable to overtaking manoeuvres and plenty of open throttle. One of the longest laps in MotoGP is made all the more gruelling for riders by intense heat and humidity. Sepang is located around 50km south of Kuala Lumpur city.
Sepang is a circuit that all of us riders know very well because we come here a lot for testing. It’s good to come back here at the end of the year to see how you have progressed with the bike and everything. There have been quite some changes for us this year, so it will be important to compare where we were in February to now. Of course, there are still all the challenges and work we need to do during a race weekend, I want to capture the feeling that I had during the Thai GP and deliver on that consistently all weekend in Malaysia.
Sepang is a circuit that all of us riders know very well because we come here a lot for testing. It’s good to come back here at the end of the year to see how you have progressed with the bike and everything. There have been quite some changes for us this year, so it will be important to compare where we were in February to now. Of course, there are still all the challenges and work we need to do during a race weekend, I want to capture the feeling that I had during the Thai GP and deliver on that consistently all weekend in Malaysia.
I think this weekend will be really interesting for us, it’s a chance to map our progress from the start of the year. We have done a lot of work to the bike this season and I have done a lot of work on myself and with my riding, we want to see this progress here in Sepang during the weekend. There is still plenty to do in these last two races of the year and we will of course keep working until the very last moment. An intense period the last few weeks for us, but everyone is as focused as ever on the goal in front of us.
I think this weekend will be really interesting for us, it’s a chance to map our progress from the start of the year. We have done a lot of work to the bike this season and I have done a lot of work on myself and with my riding, we want to see this progress here in Sepang during the weekend. There is still plenty to do in these last two races of the year and we will of course keep working until the very last moment. An intense period the last few weeks for us, but everyone is as focused as ever on the goal in front of us.