Pecco rakes up seventh season win with Malaysian GP victory
Bernama
Oktober 23, 2022 
Pecco rakes up seventh season win with Malaysian GP victory
Italian rider Francesco Bagnaia of the Ducati Lenovo Team celebrates his winning of the MotoGP during the awards ceremony in the Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix in Sepang International Circuit, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. - AP Photo/Vincent Thian
SEPANG: Ducati Lenovo Team rider Francesco Bagnaia clinched his seventh win this season after making the most of a strong start to win the 2022 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) here, today.
Bagnaia, better known as 'Pecco', extended his lead in this season's MotoGP riders' championship to 23 points after fighting his way from the third row of the starting grid in ninth place, ending the race with a time of 40 minutes and 14.332 seconds.
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He finished 0.270s ahead of second-placed fellow Italian Enea Bastianini of Gresini Racing MotoGP, while reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo of Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP was third with a time of 40:17.105s.
As the season heads to a close with the final race in Valencia, Spain in two weeks' time, Bagnaia only needs to finish the race at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in at least 13th place to secure his maiden MotoGP championship.
"First of all, I want to say that I did the best start of my life because it was perfect, and (at first turn) I took some risk to enter the front (riders). Today we (team) did a really good job in terms of the championship and also it is my seventh win of the season, I'm very happy," he said after the race.
In the 2019 Malaysian GP, Bagnaia could only manage a 12th-place finish, a year after he came in third in Sepang when he won the 2018 Moto2 championship.
Quartararo, currently second in the riders' championship standings, meanwhile, expressed delight over his first podium finish since being runner-up at the Austrian GP last August.
The 23-year-old French rider started behind Bagnaia in 12th place but managed to power into the front group early in the race.
"I gave my maximum today, I couldn't do any better but I'm proud of myself because they (rivals) had a good day so did we and at the end, I know where I was losing - exactly the time.
"I feel like I'm riding really well....one of the best of the season, especially in the first lap so I am feeling super happy and at least we bring it (title fight) to Valencia even if the chances are super small, we did bring it to Valencia," he said.
Sixth-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez of Repsol Honda Team could only manage a seventh place finish with a time of 40:28.636s while Prima Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin of Spain, who started the race in pole position, crashed out of the race.
The Malaysian GP returned this year after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
-- BERNAMA
Arbolino claims third win of season amidst early drama in Malaysian GP
Bernama
Oktober 23, 2022 
Arbolino claims third win of season amidst early drama in Malaysian GP
Italy's Tony Arbolino, centre, winner of the Moto2, celebrates on the podium with second-placed Spain's Alonso Lopez, left, and third-placed Britain's Jake Dixon after winning the Moto2 race for the Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix in Sepang. - AP
SEPANG: Elf Marc VDS Racing Team rider Tony Arbolino claimed his third Moto2 win of the season at the 2022 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix which was marred by an early crash at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) here today.
The 22-year-old Italian who started from the second position, blazed the track to be the first to cross the finish line with a time of 38 minutes and 25.233 seconds (s).
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Spain's Alonso Lopez of Beta Tools Speed Up came in second, 11.411s adrift while Inde GASGAS Aspar Team's Jake Dixon of Great Britain finished in third place, 11.802s behind.
Coming into this penultimate race of the season, IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia rider Ai Ogura's wish to strengthen his grip at the top of the championship standings was dashed after he crashed out of the race in his attempt to take the lead against Arbolino.
The 21-year-old Japanese rider dropped to second place in the standings with 242 points (pts) while Spain's Augusto Fernandez of Red Bull Ktm Ajo took the lead with 251.5 pts after finishing the race in fourth place with a time of 38:38.439s.
Malaysian wildcard riders, Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin and Azroy Hakeem Anuar of Petronas MIE Racing RW completed the race in 19th and 22nd place, respectively.
Earlier, there was an accident involving five riders including Red Bull KTM Ajo Pedro Acosta of Spain and Thailand's Somkiat Chantra of IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia during the first lap of the race.
-- BERNAMA
McPhee wins Malaysian GP Moto3 race
Bernama
Oktober 23, 2022
McPhee wins Malaysian GP Moto3 race
Britain's John McPhee, winner of the Moto3, centre, celebrates on the podium with Japan's Ayumu Sasaki for second place and Spain's Sergio Garcia for third place during the Moto3 race for the Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix. - AP Photo/Vincent Thian
SEPANG: Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max's John McPhee won his first Moto3 race in two years after coming the quickest in the 2022 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) here, today.
The Briton clocked 38 minutes and 04.589 seconds (s).
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His teammate Ayumu Sasaki of Japan finished in second place with 38:04.637s while Spain's Sergio Garcia of Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team was in third place with 38:04.735s.
Moto3 class newly-crowned world champion, Spaniard Izan Guevara of Gaviota Gasgas Aspar Team settled in 12th place after clocking 38:13.737s.
Malaysian wildcard rider, Syarifuddin Azman, or known to his peers as Damok, who started from the seventh row of the grid, completed his race in 16th place, thus achieving his mission to finish the race in the top 19 although failing to gain points.
-- BERNAMA
