Starting from second place, Rossi was trailing Pedrosa from the beginning as the Spaniard tried to get away from the pack. Rossi went ahead on lap 10, the beginning of his lead in the race but as rain began to threaten the venue, Rossi’s lead also came under threat.
Despite having the option to come in to change bikes for the changing weather, Rossi decided to stay out in the light rain, a decision that worked in his favour as the rain passed soon enough with high temperatures drying up the wet tracks. Rossi, with his latest win, has stood on the podium for the last 8 consecutive races and has won 9 races this season.
Daniel Pedrosa came third at Sepang, his third consecutive third-place finish in three years. Although he loses out on the fight for second place in the championship, he did get his best result on Bridgestone tyres as well as took the pole position. Andrea Dovizioso got his big result of the season as well, made all the more sweeter due to an intense battle with Nicky Hayden. Dovizioso is now firmly in the contention for the Rookie of the Year crown after Jorge Lorenzo missed out with a crash.
San Carlo Honda Gresini came up in fifth place after Shinya Nakano thwarted attempts of the now-former World Champion, Casey Stoner. Stoner had to contend with sixth place although it was just enough to ensure an overall second place finish. Dovizioso and Mularoni delighted with first MotoGP podium
Just when it seemed that Jorge Lorenzo may have all but made the Rookie of the Year title his, his main challenger, Andrea Dovizioso came forth and made a huge statement. Taking his first podium finish in MotoGP, Dovizioso took a major weight off of his shoulders after converting all those top-ten finishes into one big finish.
“I am really pleased because I wanted to get at least one podium before the end of the season to say thank you to my team, because we have raced together for seven years. We have come into MotoGP together and I’m really happy about that.” Repsol Honda’s outgoing rider, Nicky Hayden fought hard and long with his replacement for 2009, Dovizioso. “The battle with Nicky was important because I am going into his place, but my opinion of Nicky is really good so I am just happy about the third position”, added Dovizioso.
Thirteen consecutive top-ten finishes and three fourth places finally gave way to a rostrum appearance. “We have been close to the podium in several races but the level of the riders and the bikes is so high, so it is always difficult. Especially in MotoGP where the power is so high and the conditions on track change a lot so it is difficult to get a podium. It is amazing to get this one.”
Team Manager Cirano Mularoni expressed his happiness at the result saying, “Today was a beautiful day for us. It is the first podium for us in MotoGP so we are all happy. This was our dream at the start of the season and finally it arrived today. There was a great job from the team and it was an unbelievable race by ‘Dovi’ so we are very, very pleased. I hope we can repeat this result in Valencia.”