Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli finish Sunday’s race at Sepang in eighth and tenth place respectively.
The Malaysian GP proved to be very challenging due to the weather and the high temperatures. However, in Sunday’s race which took place in dry conditions, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team put in a strong performance securing a double Top10 with Fabio Di Giannantonio who was eighth and Franco Morbidelli, who finished tenth.
Di Giannantonio started from the second row and dropped three places in a chaotic race start, with plenty of action from the very beginning. His difficult start, Fabio showed determination and kept a good pace which allowed him to defend ninth place. The high temperature made the race even more challenging, but he reached the final stages of the race having a pace that was close to the leading group, and he gained a position with four laps to go. Di Giannantonio crossed the finish line in eighth place, and he now sits sixth in the World Standing with 265 points.
Morbidelli had a difficult start to the race from the third row and dropped four positions in the opening lap. Franco began his comeback towards the Top10, maintaining a consistent pace which allowed him to regain lost ground. The Italian-Brazilian rider showed great determination, defending and gaining two places in the first half of the race. He was back in the Top10 with five laps to go. In the Sepang race, Morbidelli achieved his weekend goal securing a tenth-place finish at the chequered flag and he is now sixteenth in the World Standing with 65 points.
Following the Malaysian GP which recorded an attendance of 196,452 spectators, MotoGP heads to the Lusail International Circuit, where the Qatar GP will take place from 6th to 8th November.
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
“It was a tough race, I didn’t expect to struggle this much, but we had a problem which cost us the feeling with the front of the bike right from the very start. However, today we gave it our maximum. Anyway, we knew that it would be a challenging race in terms of tyre management. Now we have to analyse and understand why to head into the next race with confidence.”
FRANCO MORBIDELLI
“It was a really positive day. In the race I was able to achieve my weekend goal, which was to finish in the Top10. I am very happy, this is the third time we finish in the Top10 this year, the team worked twice as hard this weekend to make it possible. We keep working in this direction and we try to repeat these good results in this final stage of the season.”
PABLO NIETO
“During this weekend, the weather didn’t make things easy for us: one day was affected by rain, while the other was characterised by high temperatures. Following yesterday’s Sprint, we probably expected a little more with Fabio. But, considering the conditions we had to face, this eighth place is the best we could do. Franco’s Top10 must be considered a step forward. He had a good race, which is the result of the amazing work that both him and the team have been doing. Now we must continue in this direction to finish the season.”
