Shinya Nakano produced arguably his best performance of the season at Sepang today, starting the Malaysian Grand Prix from fifteenth on the grid but fighting through to finish fifth.
Nakano made an incredible start and passed several riders on the first lap to move into sixth place, stalking Stoner for several laps before eventually making his move to seal a top five finish.
It was a much more difficult race for Alex De Angelis, however, the San Marino rider unable to take advantage of a good start as he advanced no higher than fourteenth in the gruelling conditions.
Shinya Nakano (5th):
“I’m satisfied with this race – I got a good start and quickly moved up from fifteenth to sixth. I followed Stoner for a while and tried to pass him in several places but it wasn’t easy because he was so fast and he was braking very deep in the corners. Anyway, I soon realised that he was starting to have some issues, it looked like the front end of his bike, so I was able to make the pass and then hang on to fifth place until the end.”
Alex De Angelis (14th):
“I’m really disappointed with today’s race because I made a good start but I got pushed wide by Toseland, who braked really late into turn one, and a few riders were able to pass me. I got my pace together but then lost a lot of time fighting with Melandri, and in the second half of the race I struggled with the tyres and I couldn’t get back on the pace I’d been able to set in practice. It was a really tough race but I’m confident I can bounce back at Valencia and make the most of our last chance this season.”
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