Sepang MotoGP: Brave Bradley Smith claims second

Bradley Smith rode through the pain barrier to claim a deserved second place in Sepang that secured the British teenager the runner-up slot in the world 125GP championship.
Riding with two broken bones in his right foot after a massive qualifying crash, the 18-year-old was locked in a terrific race long duel with Aspar Aprilia team-mate and newly crowned world champion Julian Simon.
But just as in Phillip Island a week earlier, Smith was to lose out in a thrilling last lap, Simon holding off a fierce challenge from the Oxfordshire rider at the final corner.
Smith’s second though assured him of the runner-up berth in the championship and he’s now scored five consecutive podium finishes.   
The former Repsol Honda rider though was again undone by a brilliant last lap performance from Simon, who held his nerve under intense pressure to deny Smith a third win of 2009.
Smith said: “I think that I had the best pace of the weekend in the race. I had a moment where I passed Julian and was trying to break free, but I made a mistake that cost me a few metres. I am happy because myself and Julian both had a good battle, just like in Australia.
"Last week I lost 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."

Toseland: “Ben and Colin deserve the ride”

Despite the obvious disappointment of losing his Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP ride, James Toseland has given his backing to Ben Spies and Colin Edwards for next years championship.

Toseland accepts that his ride in the Tech 3 Yamaha squad was untenable given team-mate Colin Edwards’ stunning pace during 2009 and Ben Spies’ unprecedented rookie WSB campaign.

Toseland said: “At the end of the day Ben does deserve a crack at MotoGP, it’s just unfortunate that there is only one satellite Yamaha team in the series. He had to replace either myself or Colin and it has obviously been me. With the way Colin has ridden this year he deserves to keep his ride because he’s ridden great, but I don’t think it’s the ideal situation having two Americans in the team for commercial reasons.”

“Now I’ve got three races left in MotoGP and I’m only 12 points off seventh and there’s good possibility of a strong finish even in a tough season like this. If I can achieve that then I can walk out of here with my head held high.”

Sepang MotoGP: Valentino Rossi expects tough 2010

Valentino Rossi barely gave himself time to let his seventh MotoGP world title success sink in when his thoughts turned to mounting a successful defence in 2010.
The Italian, who clinched the ’09 crown with third in a rain-hit Sepang race in Malaysia, admitted that he expects an even tougher challenge next season.
But the 30-year-old, who is will be riding for his 15th season in world championship racing next year, said he will be ready for the threat posed by Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, resurgent factory Ducati star Casey Stoner and Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa.   
“I think next year will be very, very hard. We're all on the same bikes and I think it will be between me, Lorenzo, Stoner and Pedrosa again. On Tuesday in Valencia we will try the new bike and I am looking forward to working on the new M1, but I have the greatest rival in my team so it won't be easy," said Rossi.
Rossi though reckons he will be as motivated as ever to try and retain his title and send his world championship tally into double figures.
"I still feel just as motivated as ever. I still have a great passion to ride better and better, to be on my bike and to win. I enjoy always trying to improve and to work with my team to do this.
"I am 30 but I still feel great emotion and great satisfaction from success. My passion for motorcycles is what keeps me enjoying every race and helps me to keep pushing even though I am the eldest of these first top guys.
"I have to train harder and work harder to stay focused now, but I still enjoy the challenge as much as ever. In the past the situation was the opposite and I was a lot younger than my rivals and it was also easier," said Rossi, who kicked off a historic weekend for Yamaha which saw the Japanese factory complete the triple crown of MotoGP, World Superbike and World Supersport championships.