The Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix is a round of the FIM
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of ...
World Championship. The event is due to take place at the Sepang International Circuit until at least 2024.
History
The first Malaysian Grand Prix was held in
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...
at the Shah Alam Circuit as the final race of the season. Because of the long trip and high cost, many riders chose to not participate in this event. The 500cc race was won by
John Kocinski
John Kocinski (born March 20, 1968 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is a retired American Grand Prix motorcycle road racer whose successes include winning the 1990 250cc World Championship, and the 1997 Superbike World Championship title. The event was notorious due to the tropical temperatures and a high degree of humidity, something which plagued the riders for four consecutive years – from
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...
to
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...
respectively.
In
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
, the race was moved from Shah Alam to the Johor Circuit. The reason for the change was because of the 1997 Asian financial crisis that hit Malaysia at this time. While the rich
Sultan of Selangor
Sultan of Selangor (سلطان سلاڠور) is the title of the constitutional ruler of Selangor, Malaysia who is the head of state and head of the Islamic religion in Selangor. The current monarch, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah ascended the ...
protected the grand prix for years, the local government was no longer able to host the race at the venue. The circuit of Johor Bahru, close to the country of
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, was chosen and as a result, the circuit was overhauled: it was modernised and a new layer of asphalt was put on it. While there were pebbles on the track that kicked up and were a nuisance to the riders, the most shocking thing that happened during the weekend was when Lucio Cecchinello drove over the tail of a passing Cobra, which then looked up before getting hit at high speed by the leg of Gino Borsoi.
In
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...
the
Sepang International Circuit
The Sepang International Circuit ( ms, Litar Antarabangsa Sepang) is a motorsport race track in Sepang
Pekan Sepang is a small border town and also a mukim in Sepang District, Selangor, Malaysia. The Sepang International Circuit in the ...
, designed by Hermann Tilke, had finished construction. The circuit was not only more modern and purpose-built compared to Johor, it also lay close to
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is Malaysia's main international airport. It is located in the Sepang District of Selangor, approximately south of Kuala Lumpur and serves the city's greater conurbation.
KLIA is the largest and ...
. As a result, the race for that season was moved to Sepang along with
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...
, who held its first race at the country in the same year. Since 1999, the Sepang circuit has hosted the Malaysian GP every year until
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...
.
In 2006, the distance between the grid positions was increased following the
2006 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2006 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix was the seventh round of the 2006 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 16–18 June 2006 at the Circuit de Catalunya located in Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain.
The MotoGP race was initially red ...
where multiple riders crashed on the first corner. On Saturday afternoon, the circuit was hit by a hefty thunderstorm: a lot of rain fell and as a result, the qualifying practice of the MotoGP and second practice of the 250cc classes were cancelled. This caused a problem because there was no official starting times. The problem was solved by combining the three best times set by all riders on Friday practice.
In
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi (; ; born 16 February 1979) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed ''The Doctor'', he is widely considered to be one of the greatest motorcy ...
won his first race in Malaysia since his accident at the Italian round earlier that year, which saw him break his leg. In 2011, Marco Simoncelli died on the first lap of the race after a horror accident where two riders hit him in the head and lower body. The race was abandoned shortly after.
In 2020, the Malaysian round was scrapped due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
.
Official names and sponsors
*1991:
Lucky Strike
Lucky Strike is an American brand of cigarettes owned by the British American Tobacco group. Individual cigarettes of the brand are often referred to colloquially as "Luckies." Throughout their 150 year history, Lucky Strike has had fluctuatin ...
Malaysia Grand Prix
*1992: Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix (no official sponsor)
*1993: Malaysia Grand Prix
*1994, 2001, 2012: Malaysian Grand Prix (no official sponsor)
*1995–1996:
Marlboro
Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Ma ...
Grand Prix of Malaysia
*1997–1999:
Marlboro
Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Ma ...
Malaysian Grand Prix
*2000: Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix (no official sponsor)
*2002:
Gauloises
Gauloises (, "Gaulish" eminine pluralin French; ''cigarette'' is a feminine noun in French) is a brand of cigarette of French origin. It is produced by the company Imperial Tobacco following its acquisition of Altadis in January 2008 in most co ...
Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix
*2003–2006:
Marlboro
Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Ma ...
Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix
*2007–2008: Polini Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix
*2009–2011, 2013–2014: Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix
*2015–2019: Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix
*2022:
Petronas
Petroliam Nasional Berhad (National Petroleum Limited), commonly known as Petronas, is a Malaysian petroleum, oil and natural gas, gas company. Established in 1974 and wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested w ...
Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix
Formerly used circuits
File:Shah Alam Circuit.svg, The Shah Alam circuit, used from 1991 to 1997.
File:Johor Circuit.png, The Johor circuit, used in 1998.