By Donovan Fourie | Guest Contributor | MotoGP Analyst
The Countdown to the Final Three Races
There are just three races left in the 2025 MotoGP Championship before racing fans will be forced to endure the long Northern Hemisphere winter, surviving only on race reruns and whatever modicum of gossip can be extracted while the riders lie on the beach in Ibiza.
The third last race of the year is happening at the Sepang Circuit near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia — a circuit famous for selling out every time MotoGP is in town, but which cancelled its Formula Open contract because of a lack of attendance.
I like the Malaysians.
A Track Built for Action
Sepang is one of the longer circuits on the calendar, stretching 5.5km with a mix of tight and medium-paced corners. Valentino Rossi still holds the win record here with six victories, while Andrea Ianonne still holds the circuit speed record of 339km/h down the 920m front straight from 2015.
The decade-long gap in speed records is down to the circuit undergoing a small but clever change to the last corner. The circuit had a small problem with run-off space at the end of the main straight and lacked space to move the barrier along a bit.
Instead of renegotiating the land barriers, Sepang made the top speed of MotoGP bikes safer by adjusting the last corner mildly, making it more off-camber. That slowed the speed in the last corner, reduced the pace of the bikes onto the main straight, and ultimately brought the top speed down enough to make the existing run-off sufficient.
Clever Malaysians.
Bagnaia’s Record and Ducati’s Uncertainty
Pecco Bagnaia holds the all-time lap record, which he set during qualifying last year. Whether the Italian can repeat that performance this year is left to be seen after the struggle-filled Indonesian and Australian rounds. While the previous two circuits consisted of long, flowing corners, Sepang has more stop-and-go sections that might serve Bagnaia better.
Last year, the Ducatis of Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia dominated the racing, but this year may be a different affair. What we are seeing is the emergence of Yamaha, Honda, and especially Aprilia, while KTM has also made strides. Frankly, the only manufacturer that has not shown better form in MotoGP this year is Ducati.
Riders to Watch
The winner will be difficult to predict — and that’s a brilliant thing for race fans. We’ve seen new winners in Indonesia and Australia, and there’s nothing to suggest we won’t see another new face on top of the podium this weekend.
Pedro Acosta was considered a prodigy when he moved to MotoGP at the beginning of last year, yet he has not won a race so far. The KTM rider had to watch two fellow Spaniards take their first wins in Indonesia and Australia. He will be hungry.
Marco Bezzecchi has shown formidable form throughout the second half of the season. He will no doubt be in the mix. Alex Marquez has always favoured this track and still holds the current race lap record from the lap he set in 2023.
South Africa’s Brad Binder has also shown great form at Sepang. Perhaps he will snub his teammate’s much-coveted first win.
Unpredictability Makes It Exciting
As we said, there is no clear winner predicted for this weekend. It really is anyone’s guess — and that’s exactly what makes it so much fun.