The all-new Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSC) series gets underway at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) this weekend; adding further excitement in Malaysia’s motorcycling scene which included the world’s two biggest racing events on two wheels – MotoGP and World Super Bike Championship (WSBK).
Pitting the best of Malaysian riders against top riders from its neighbouring countries, the championship has included an exciting new 899 Cup Race Series – a one-make race featuring the Ducati 899 “Panigale” sport bike.
Newly created through a rebranding exercise of the Malaysian Super Series (MSS) bike competitions, the Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSC) will feature the traditional categories of the 1000cc Superbike Championship, the 1000cc Superstock Championship, the 600cc Supersport Championship and the Open 250 Championship. Adding further excitement in the Open 250 class, they would be joined by competitors from the Production and M-GP3 categories.
Like the bikes, SIC has also revamped the MSS car competitions this year to create the Malaysian Championship Series (MCS), which completed its second round last month.
“Indeed, it give us great pleasure to roll out this new Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship series, which has been injected with a host of fresh elements to provide more excitement for the competitors and spectators as compared to the previous Malaysian Super Series.
“After more than a decade, we felt that the series needs some changes and injection of new elements especially with the growing popularity on motorcycle racing. With the MSC and the support of Pirelli, we aim to create a new beginning for the series,” said SIC Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Razlan Razali.
In ensuring die-hard fans enjoy the series to the fullest, SIC – the organizer and promoter of the series – has introduced two sets of paddock access cards, which will allow the fans get themselves close to the actions and the competitors.
Offered at RM200, the paddock season cards will allow entry to the paddock for the entire season while race-by-race paddock passes are priced at RM85 each.
To run for five rounds, the second leg will be incorporated as support races at the eni FIM Superbike World Championship 2015 Malaysia Round, which is scheduled from 31 July to August 2.
2015 marks the second year for SIC in organizing the World Superbike series. It also marked the 25th edition of the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix 2015 , which will be held from October 23 to 25.
Round 3 of the MSC will be held from September 18 to 20; while Round 4 will run from November 20 to 22. Round 5 and the final leg will be incorporated with the final round of the KBS-MAM Kapcai Endurance Championship – another initiative by SIC to further promote motorcycle racing in Malaysia with special emphasis on grass-root level participation.
“We will be making formal announcements on the KBS-MAM Kapcai Endurance National Championship very soon. We are now working on the final details,” added Razlan, who is the Chief Executive of MAM, or the Motorsports Association of Malaysia.
Malaysia Superbike Championship – Race Calendar
Round 1: 8 – 10 May 2015
Round 2: 31 July – 2 August 2015 (Support Race WSBK)
Round 3: 18 – 20 September 2015
Round 4: 20 – 22 November 2015
Round 5: 4 – 6 December 2015 (Support Race KBS-MAM Kapcai Endurance Championship)
