The 125cc Malaysian Grand Prix followed the script of the previous week's Australian race almost to the letter, both in its main players and the development of the plot.
A group of a dozen riders pushed hard from the outset, with two of those amongst their number –Nico Terol and Bradley Smith- in with a chance of taking the runner-up spot in the World Championship.
Although Smith was once again in a fight with teammate and new titlist Julián Simón, this time the Briton nearly made an escape to victory. On lap three Simón pulled away, but Smith reacted and made two speedy laps to try and create space between them. In the end the duel saw the Spaniard victorious, following up on his title triumph.
Simón and Smith were riding almost side-by-side by the tie lap nine came around, having started from the front row and shown their respective hands early. The fastest lap of the race went to Smith, with a 2'14.068 that he used to catch back up to the 2009 champ. Simón made clear that he was not taking things easy with the pressure of the title off his shoulders, whilst his teammate's result took him to second in the championship with an unassailable advantage. It is Smiths best finish in his Grand Prix career, and also confirms a 2009 1-2 for the Bancaja Aspar team.
“I am very happy with how the weekend went”, commented Simon. “We came here very relaxed, ready to enjoy the race without the worry of the title fight in our minds. However, we didn't lose focus and our working spirit was just as strong as ever. My goal for the last two races was to continue on form and to gain more experience in leading races for a large amount of laps, something that will be useful for next season. I hope that next year we will also be fighting for a championship! At the start of the race I saw a chance to break clear, and I tried to take it although Bradley knew straight away what my plan was. He fought to catch me up, and I take my hat off to him because he rode a great race without being at 100% physically. I was worried about the slipstream on the last corner, so I went in hard and was able to win. Now it's on to Valencia to try and get another win!”
“I think that I had the best pace of the weekend in the race”, said Smith. “I had a moment where I passed Julián and was trying to break free, but I made a mistake that cost me a few metres. I am happy because myself and Julián both had a good battle, just like in Australia. Last week I ost because he rode perfectly, but this time it was a bit more my fault as I made an error on the last turn. Luckily my foot injury didn't affect things too much, although yesterday the crash made the break that I picked up in Estoril bigger. I took painkillers that helped me take the discomfort for more or less the entire time, and I hope that I can have another fight with my teammate next time out in the final race of the year –this time with me winning! We took the runner-up spot today, and it is a great achievement for the team to take first and second in the championship.”
Sepang – 125cc race :
1. J.Simon – Bancaja Aspar Aprilia
2. B.Smith – Bancaja Aspar Aprilia
3. P.Espargaro – Derbi Racing
4. S.Gadea – Bancaja Aspar Aprilia
5. N.Terol – Jack&Jones Aprilia
6. S.Cortese – Ajo Interwetten Derbi
7. E.Rabat – Blusens Aprilia
8. A.Iannone – Ongetta ISPA Aprilia
9. J.Olivé – Derbi Racing
10. L.Zanetti – Ongetta ISPA Aprilia
11. T.Nakagami – Ongetta ISPA Aprilia
12. M.Ranseder – CBC Corse Aprilia
13. R.Krummenacher – Degraaf GP Aprilia
14. D.Aegerter – Ajo Interwetten Derbi
15. L.Salom – Jack&Jones Aprilia
16. E.Ilias – Air Asia Team Malaysia
17. C.Beaubier – Red Bull KTM
18. J.Iwema – Racing Team Germany Honda
19. J.Kornfeil – Loncin Racing
20. M.Zulfhami – Air Asia Team Malaysia
21. B.Leigh-smith – Degraaf GP Aprilia
22. Q.Jacquet – Matteoni Aprilia




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