the italian job

IT was supposed to be a Capi-Rossi finish but seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi showed his class at the final corner of the 21st lap, leaving Ducati’s Loris Capirossi trailing behind to win round 13 of the MotoGP held at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) over the weekend.
Both Italians were later cheered by pressmen for their exciting showmanship during the heated race, in which both complimented each other for their ‘sporting sprits’ despite having their disagreements in the past.
“It was in 1999 when the race between me and Loris was quite close and thus led to some problems. However after that we’re quite close,” said Rossi.
Capirossi added; “It’s good to have such a relationship. I don’t mind coming in second as it was a good race,”.
Capirossi won last year’s race in Sepang and came out tops during the Czech GP in Brno as well.
And the fans went home as winners as the 250cc and 125cc races were equally entertaining. Sadly, no local rider was able to entertain the 43,000 spectators which filled most parts of the stands.
The last time SIC hosted a local rider in the GP was four years ago. Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammed was the brainchild of SIC and the construction of a world renowned track was to also aid the then ailing motorsports industry in the country.
Mahathir’s son Dato’ Mokhzani Mahathir ought to know better as he sits as the chairman of SIC and is an avid motorsports fan himself. He is in charged of bringing in Porsche into Malaysia and is a regular racer in the local series.
However, sadly after having hosted the F1, MotoGP and A1 since 1999, it seems no locals have been able to utilise the track. Those partaking in some of the local series are said to be a ‘bunch of rich old farts trying to be boys’.
The only thing going big at the moment is the underbone or better known as the Cub Prix championship which goes nationwide. SIC cannot be blamed for the high prices as it justifies with the maintenance of a world class circuit.
The Batu Tiga circuit in Shah Alam was a good avenue for budding enthusiasts, but sadly, it is no longer in existence.
Some claim the ‘rempits’ in KL ought to be allowed space in Sepang. This cannot materialise as most come from the lower class of society and thus cannot afford the rent. Also, even if charges are waived the journey all the way to Sepang on their 125cc bikes will tire them easily and it will not be a worthwhile journey.
Putera UMNO is keen of ‘adopting’ this rempits by organising weekly street circuits. Noble it may sound, most of this youngsters are not interested in the hard fast rules of racing, and are only in for the cheap thrills on their small bikes, dubbed pocket bikes by the ‘mat-sallehs’.
The antics of our local lads doing stunts on their machine are a great humour to most especially the tourists. But it can get violent as these riders tend to go overboard, thus giving other decent riders a bad name.
Till today, only people like Rossi or Capirossi will smile whenever they race or conduct winter testing here. The locals will be left out as usual and end up being the foreigners on their own land….if no support is done towards a more Malaysian establishment, it looks like we’ll still be at a lost.
A well executed Italian Job in Sepang.

Pic caption: Rossi on his Yamaha M1 during the Malaysian GP. All Malaysians will ever see is the rear end of a foreigner in Sepang.

-The Man Who Sold The World-