Sepang International Circuit
 | |
| Location | Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC+08:00 |
| Coordinates | 2°45′38″N 101°44′15″E / 2.76056°N 101.73750°E |
| FIA Grade | 1 |
| Broke ground | 1 November 1997 |
| Opened | 7 March 1999 |
| Architect | Hermann Tilke |
| Major events | Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix |
| Website | https://www.sepangcircuit.com/home |
| Length | 5.543 km (3.444 miles) |
| Turns | 15 |
| Race lap record | 1:34.223 (Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams, 2004) |
The Sepang International Circuit is a motorsport race track in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located near Kuala Lumpur International Airport, approximately 60 km south of the capital city Kuala Lumpur. It is the venue used for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, A1 Grand Prix, Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix and other major motorsport events. Sepang is the place where Marco Simoncelli died during race at the 2011 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix.
History
The circuit was designed by German designer Hermann Tilke, who would subsequently design the new facilities in Shanghai, Bahrain, Turkey, Valencia, Singapore, Korea and India.
The circuit was officially inaugurated by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia's Tun Doktor Mahathir Bin Mohamad on 7 March 1999 at 20:30 MST (UTC+08:00). He subsequently went on to inaugurate the first Moto GP Malaysian Grand Prix on 20 April 1999 (see 1999 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix) and the first Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix on 17 October 1999 (see 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix).
Layout
The main circuit, normally raced in a clockwise direction, is 5.543 kilometres long, and is noted for its sweeping corners and wide straights.[1] The layout is quite unusual, with a very long back straight separated from the pit straight by just one very tight hairpin.
Other configurations of the Sepang circuit can also be used. The north circuit is also raced in a clockwise direction. It is basically the first half of the main circuit. The course turns back towards the pit straight after turn 6 and is 2.71 kilometres long in total.
The south circuit is the other half of the racecourse. The back straight of the main circuit becomes the pit straight when the south circuit is in use, and joins onto turn 8 of the main circuit to form a hairpin turn. Also run clockwise, this circuit is 2.61 km in length.
Sepang International Circuit also features kart racing and motocross facilities.
Fastest laps timed
| Category | Driver/Rider | Team | Bike/Chassis | Fastest Lap Time | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula One |  Juan Pablo Montoya
|
BMW WilliamsF1 Team | Williams FW26 | 1:34.223 | 2004 |
| MotoGP |  Jorge Lorenzo
|
Yamaha Factory Racing Team | Yamaha YZR-M1 | 2:00.334 | 2012 |
| Super GT (GT500) |  Takashi Kogure
|
Takata Dome Racing Team | Honda NSX | 1:54.306 | 2007 |
| Super GT (GT300) | Kazuya Oshima
|
Toy Story APR | Toyota MR-S | 2:06.584 | 2007 |
See also
References
- ^ "Sepang International Circuit Preview". www.forumula1.net. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
External links
